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The Eurovision Song Contest
I'm not some Little Englander who believes everything we do is great. But let's use last night's Eurovision voting to show something.
I thought our entry was a bit average. Say 12th or 13th out of 25.
The National Juries thought we were a bit average. Placing us 12th or 13th out of 25. About 12-15 of the 37 Juries thought we were in the top 11 (scoring points).
Now let's look at the "Popular" vote. We scored 0 points-the only country to do so. I think there were 38 National votes-and we were not in the top 11 (out of 25) in all 38 of them.
Easy to say we aren't the most popular nation. But what about the multitude of ex-pats who are British Nationals living abroad? Among the largest expat groups in Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France, Australia.
How is it possible we score 0?
I thought our entry was a bit average. Say 12th or 13th out of 25.
The National Juries thought we were a bit average. Placing us 12th or 13th out of 25. About 12-15 of the 37 Juries thought we were in the top 11 (scoring points).
Now let's look at the "Popular" vote. We scored 0 points-the only country to do so. I think there were 38 National votes-and we were not in the top 11 (out of 25) in all 38 of them.
Easy to say we aren't the most popular nation. But what about the multitude of ex-pats who are British Nationals living abroad? Among the largest expat groups in Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France, Australia.
How is it possible we score 0?
Comments
Our entry was sexually suggestive which is fine nothing wrong with that since many entries were. However dirty bathroom theme was kind of grimy and unpleasant to see look at. That may be why we got zero. There was a lot of hatred for Israel but they still finished top five because their entry was good. Do you think we are more hated then Israel?
our performance was just unpleasant that is why we got zero.
Nothing has changed, it's just more polarised than ever with the different factions within Europe voting strategically.
My main point is though what the heck does it matter, its entertainment nothing more. I haven't watched it since the early 90's as I think is total rubbish.
So to the majority of the UK it's nothing, we don't care.
The best thing to emerge from Eurovision was Riverdance.
Read plenty of bigoted stuff about homoeroticism. Again, I'm sure that was a factor. But the winner was a cis-male, in a short skirt, whose entire song was about his acceptance of being non-binary!
Similarly, I have read that it was due in part to our entrant being a signatory to a critical letter-yet people seem to forget that the Winner also signed that letter.
I get that migrants from these shores are a strange breed. But none showing enough loyalty to make us be top 11 out of 25 countries in 38 different votes?
1 part of me doesn't care. The mathematician side of me does
I cant remember even watching one right through.
I do think that @Essexphil has a point, in that the public vote differed greatly from the juries.
our performance was dirty and grimmy looking, it being gay is irrelevant lots of non binary/gay performers/performances, ours was just not pleasent to watch or listen to. Switzerlands performer won and he was so gay that it was not so much him coming out of the closet as the closet coming out of him. He deserved to win his performance was exceptional. Ireland came sixth and was non binary and again, albiet a unconventional song, had a great performance. So nothing to do with our performance being gay.
Also Israel came fifth despite all the hate for Israel, Israel's performance was exceptional despite a few rough high notes (probably due to not being able to hear in her monitors over the booing) as well. We came last because our performance was awful, grimy and just had an untalented singer, whether we desereved last or second/ third from last etc etc can be debated but we were awful and thats why we came last. Nothing to do with politics or homophobia.
also my girlfried has stuff to add to.
I wished I'd lumped on Switzerland like I did Ukraine that time. It was obvious it would win within one minute of the performance as it had everything that wins the competition. I don't know why we find it so difficult to repeat that approach, but ultimately don't care.
However, we have a quite extraordinary competition. In that the first half of the votes (the jury) relate to a Friday performance that we are not allowed to see. And then votes we are not allowed to see in relation to a performance we do.
For me, our entry was far better sung in the Final than in the Semi-suspect his less energetic dance routine had a lot to do with that. Was he great? No. But he was reasonable.
Switzerland? I thought nerves got the better of them and they sang badly in the Final. Whereas they sang far better after they had won. And no doubt also sang better on the Friday, where they got most of their votes. Shame we will never see it.
Love the idea that Israel could both be "exceptional" and with a "few rough notes". It was the latter. Although it was considerably better than Ukraine. Which IMHO was not in the Top 20.
Point is-there were 38 countries giving opinions. And those opinions differed in relation to 24 of 25 acts. Just being unanimous that we were not in the Top 11. Unlike every other Act. And the opinion of the Judges.
In votes we will never see.