I stopped taking notice of the Eurovision song contest when ‘Congratulations’ came second. In the intervening decades, I’ve looked upon it as thinly disguised politics.
Yesterday, there was no disguise.
President Zelensky has vowed to hold Eurovision in Mariupol next year after an outpouring of support from the European public propelled Ukraine to victory – as Britain’s Sam Ryder earned a shock second place.
Britain surprisingly topped the jury vote and led for most of the night before Ukraine were awarded a mammoth 439 points in the public vote.
The war-torn nation ended on 631 points while the UK finished second with 466 points. Spain finished third with 459 with Sweden fourth on 438.
Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to hail the victory – and even vowed to hold next year’s competition in Mariupol, despite the city being besieged by Russian forces.
I think my point is made…
Sure, but Eurovision is not just a political animal, it is a white elephant, with massive costs that are difficult to justify or recoup with upticks such as tourism.
The last time Ukraine held it was in Kiev 2017 and the cost ended up being $32 million USD, which was paid for by using funds set aside for other purposes. Direct revenue from ticket sales, merchandising and advertising was $7.4 million USD and another estimated $10 million USD from increased tourism, leaving a total loss of around $14.6 million USD, although given the opacity of government funding of “prestige” nonsense like Eurovision, World Cup and the Olympics, the true cost might never come out.
What the costs of Eurovision Mariupol 2023 will be (and more importantly, who will pay for it) is a mystery.
Thank goodness for the political aspect of Eurovision, otherwise we might have accidentally won this expensive white elephant in 2023.
Long may we come second in this kowtowing contest. I hadn’t heard anything about the result but asked my daughter ” was Ukraine allowed to win, then?” I must have the second sight or something . . .
The question, I guess, is would you want to win, knowing that it was all a fix?
Remember the Father Ted episode about Ireland aiming to put forward a sure fire loser.
Like The Producers for the music industry.
Zelinsky (add consonants to taste) deserves to win for the next 10 years.
Then we could have the show broadcast from his mansion in Florida. Then the US dosh, and entertainment values would floor in.
The Ukranian contestants could have sung “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” and still won. Anyway, their has never been a suitable UK entry since Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson did “Sing little birdie”.
Not even Katrina and the Waves?
O/T
Guys, A question for you
I watched these on Friday
NW 200
Portrush 1958
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCx2FMtFkqA
Portrush 2022
https://youtu.be/lkTXA_w_V-c?t=92
In 1958 the race start is riders doing a push start then jumping on bike
Why was start done like this rather than with engines idling?
No idea.
Maybe it saved the weight and complexity of a clutch.
They depended on clever throttle work.
Push starts were standard practice until the 70’s, probably because it reduced risk of collisions due to stalled bikes on the grid, may also have been difficult to get the bikes of the day to idle reliaby. It also helped ensure the riders were fit to race.
Seem to remember Sheen being given an exemption following his Daytona crash (had a pusher l think), after this the modern starts were adopted pretty much universally.
Thanks Phil
Anyone else? I’d like to hear more
eg anything to do with Le Mans where drivers ran to cars?
Eurovision politics
Long ago ~1975 I was staying with Aunt & Uncle for weekend as parents away somewhere
Eurovision started, Uncle Mario explained how votes were political. Voting starts: each country he predicts “Top points to X, lowest to Y”. He was pretty much spot on. I can’t understand why it’s such a hit on continent
BTW: We via BBC pay ~£100 million pa to not compete in qualy, but go straight to final. Long past time this was stopped and we never compete again. I definetly don’t want UK to win due to hosting costs and propensity of BBC & Gov’t to splurge huge amounts of our money
I heard a clip of UK entry, Sam something (M? F?) iirc. Sounded like a shrill howling banshee. Did anyone like it?
Of course it is political. Greece will NEVER vote for Turkey (and vice versa), the countries of what was Yugoslavia under Tito won’t vote for each other, there is no way in the world ex-Warsaw Pact countries will vote for Russia, Norway will sing something about a dying lake and the other Scandinavian countries will love it, Hungarian is so different to other European languages that they can sing about the local garbage collection truck and no one will understand them etc. etc. and so forth.
I’m surprised that the UK got to no. 2. The EU has collectively never forgiven us for leaving so as I recall, the last few contests have resulted in La Royame Uni, nil points EVERY TIME.
Has Israel repeated their sex change entrant again? (Israel being in the MIDDLE EAST and not part of Europe – but there again, so is Turkey).
Anyone taking it seriously needs to lie down in a darkened room with a big bottle of whiskey and not let out until they have come to their senses.
John Galt has the right idea … hope like hell Britain never wins again.
“The EU has collectively never forgiven us for leaving…”
Well the people who are in charge there haven’t but does our placing suggest that the ordinary folk are starting to come around? You would have to analyse the scores in a bit more detail and I’m not sure that I can be bothered.
As for taking it seriously, I’m not sure that anyone in the UK does but my daughter and her twenty something friends sometimes organise house parties around it. Get in some booze and snack food and watch it while affectionately taking the piss.
Why is Australia in it?
The Australians really like it apparently so, as a one off, they let them take part. It seems that the bit about it being a one off got sort of ignored from then on.
Next we’ll have Cuba, Venuzuela and Zimbabwe competing and winning
Monoi,it’s not geographical,it’s based on membership of some worldwide broadcasting organisation. Hence Aus,Israel etc.
What is frightening about the whole farago is how childish it is.
Say what you want about vlad and winnie the pooh, 24 carat bastards, but I had always assumed that they were basically adults (I gave up on western politicians years ago).
However watching this, and the horror show unfolding in china, it would seem that they are just as bad, just as petulant and just as infantilised.
Are there any adults anywhere?
It’s hokum and an excuse to drink too much, eat nibbles and say “well that song was rubbish” quite often. Expensive fun if you win. Coming second after 30 years was a good result! I think we last won in 1997.
Surely we came in second because we’ve been sending loads of rockets to Ukraine?
Yeah, that thought did go through my mind.
Of course it is political, which is why I am delighted Ukraine won. But because it is political, I have not bothered to actually watch a Eurovision since Sandie Shaw performed in 1967. No kidding, I am that old 😀
Congratulations was the following year IIRC, so about the same vintage.