A question for EU lovers. Why do our ‘friends’ in Europe never give us any points in Eurovision?

[surferjet]

Eurovision is known for being politically driven - friends vote for each other bla bla bla, so why do we always do so terribly?
We clearly have no friends in Europe then?
I just wish we’d pull out of this nonsense of a contest & let them get on with it.

[bearbehind]

Why would you think we have friends in Europe?

We have always been the 'problem child' and have now told the EU to shove it despite having no idea what happens next.

It's really not difficult to understand why they don't vote for us.

[surferjet]

They haven’t voted for us in years though.

They’ve never liked us very much so just as well we’re leaving their club.

& you may think using Eurovision as a guide to our popularity is a bit ridiculous - but Europe take Eurovision extremely seriously & they use it to show who they like - And don’t like.

[counterpoint]

Hmm, I think it started when we bombed Iraq, then Afghanistan, then Iraq again, then Libya, then Syria, then turned hostile on the EU, then became anti-Russian and tried to turn everyone against them. Probably goes back to us holding on to Gibraltar and parts of Cyprus too.

[bearbehind]

We've lost votes as we're become more 'you need us more than we need you' IMO.

We won it in 1997, we were 3rd in 2002 and last in 2003 and have been pretty crap ever since (with a slight reprevie in 2009 when we were 5th- courtesy of Wiki- I'm not that sad I remember all this!)

That said- there's no real logic- It's completely bonkers, that's the joy of Eurovision!

Portugal won it last year and were last this year.

Plus, our songs are generally shite and not 'Eurovision'- just look at what won to see what people want from a Eurovision song.

[PaddyF0dder]

When you tell an entire continent to go itself, the feeling tends to become mutual.

[CaptainBrickbeard]

I don’t care who likes us and who doesn’t because that’s an utterly trite and ridiculous way to think. I am not an ‘EU lover’ because I voted Remain, I just don’t base my political analysis on Eurovision and regardless of how ‘friendly’ or otherwise I may perceive other countries to be, I want to retain the protections, laws and advantages of being in the EU. Points in a singing competition somehow never struck me as meaningful in any way. And people talking about bullies and clubs and the rest of it show a shocking lack of comprehension and the inability to imagine a world beyond the school playground.

[jugglingsatsumas]

I think you're being a bit ridiculous. There are plenty of other countries who get low marks (some didn't even get to the final). Do you think they whine that nobody in Europe likes them??? I don't get why so many posters here think that the EU hates us or should show us that we're loved really. Needy much?

BTW San Marino gave no points to Italy - despite the fact that San Marino is a country that couldn't survive without Italy and has to drive through Italy if they want to go anywhere - there's ungratefulness for you!

[counterpoint]

Oh, and we do sell weapons and do major trade deals with the sadistic Saudis and prop up Empire-builder Erdogan in Turkey (who's having tea with the Queen, I hear). Plus, we support Israel's bombing of Syria and Iran.

Oh, wait, but Israel won! Hmm - why do they have more 'friends' than us? Maybe the Israelis/Jews of Europe are more united than the individual countries of Europe - A mass vote from their friends and family.

We either want a United Europe and join the team properly for support or we should stop whingeing when we prefer to go it alone and play as 'sovereign individuals' and then realise 'alone' means no votes.

What annoys me the most is we grouped in Australia to give us some votes and they don't seem to be playing ball.

[OutsideContextProblem]

Portugal is a classic example of how it’s not just about the politics. If we sent in a performance like Salvador Sobral (or even Jade and Lord Andrew) then we’d get some votes.

It does also help to have a good diaspora.

[counterpoint]

There are plenty of other countries who get low marks (some didn't even get to the final).

We got in because we don't have to compete to be in the final. Privilege, that's what we prefer.

[OutsideContextProblem]

I think that not being in the semi-final normally counts against the Big Five. It means they don’t get buzz and momentum from the semi-final. Italy and Germany had good years this year driven by a political song with a good running order place and a sob story nicking Ed Sheeran’s look and Adele’s chords, and Germany randomly won the year they entered an incredibly catchy song, but Spain and France haven’t had a decent result this century have they?

[TomRavenscroft]

I don't know, but I wait with bated breath to see whether next year's will be held in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

[Racecardriver]

The UK acts are usually really bad but not bad enough to merit votes for being silly.

[Childrenofthesun]

I think they just don't share our taste in music acts.

We don't get booed like Russia!

[Doubletrouble99]

I don't know why I'm always disappointed and mystified why we do so badly. The song was a good song and it was performed really well. There were loads of other songs who got tons of votes that were no where near as good.
It just makes me feel we are doing the right thing moving away from the EU as there are just so many things we do not have in common.
I certainly wouldn't decide my voting preferences according to whither or not we did well in Eurovision but it ain't giving me a warm fuzzy feeling towards Europe, that's for sure.

[Icantreachthepretzels]

Surely not having to go through the semi finals actually puts us at a disadvantage in that - all the other songs in the finals were good enough to get through the semis. Ours didn't have to be. So it's whatever drivel we've entered, up against songs that had enough merit (admittedly only Eurovision merit) to get through on their own.

Remember Engelbert Humperdink? (though who knew he was still alive? - we should have got points just for our advanced skills in necromancy!)

And around the time of the Iraq war we entered a a boy/girl band called 'Gemini'. Their lack of points was deemed 'political' - Europe showing it's disdain over Iraq... but in actual fact they were just dreadful. I remember watching them open mouthed at how shockingly awful they were. The resounding nil points that followed certainly did not come as a shock to me!

But as a pp pointed out. Who cares if they like us? Who cares if they give us points in a silly singing contest? It's the freedoms, and protections, and economic prosperity of being in Europe I want. Not their adulation and the warm glow of popularity.

This line of argument (Eurovision FFS - nothing to do with the EU!) does nothing to make the leave cause look clever, sensible or rational. It really just looks petty, childish and spiteful. Cutting your nose off to spite your face. 'We shouldn't be a part of a mutually beneficial group, the largest trade block in the world, which has brought peace and prosperity unknown in the entire history of Europe play with them, because they don't like our singing.'
Grow up!

[ThenCameTheFools]

Gemini being totally out of tune might have had more to do with their nul points moment tbf.
The British song was better than usual, but Brits haven't taken the ESC seriously for about 40 yrs. Other countries send their 'best' stars. We either resurrect old has-beens, organise z-list talent shows, or pluck people from.obscurity and make them go.
There was less overt political voting this year, but also fewer of the former Eastern.bloc(k) got through to the final.

[ScreamingValenta]

Missing the semi-finals means that no one will have heard the song before the finals, so it will be less memorable than songs people have already considered and possibly voted for.

Songs that are quirky/catchy and essentially memorable seem to do best. Surie gave a good performance, but the song was bland and boring. It was never going to do brilliantly, although I was surprised it didn't get a few more votes in the public ballot in recognition of Surie's professionalism in carrying on after the stage invasion.

[bearbehind]

A lot of people won't even have noticed the stage invasion. The hosts never mentioned it and it only got coverage here because it was our contestant.

Besides, as others have said above, we haven't exactly set our selves up to encourage the sympathy vote have we?

[ScreamingValenta]

The Australian commentator certainly mentioned it . "Some absolute cock head" was how he described the protester on what must have been daytime TV over there!

[bearbehind]

Lol!

[ArtBrut]

It just makes me feel we are doing the right thing moving away from the EU as there are just so many things we do not have in common.

[bearbehind]

art, it's just more feelings, in lieu of actually being able to articulate sensible and logical benefits of leaving.

[Icantreachthepretzels]

Now now it's a well known fact - if you have different taste in music then you absolutely cannot partake in frictionless trade. I mean, why even bother when you are so unbelievably incompatible?

[Hasenstein]

Double

"It just makes me feel we are doing the right thing moving away from the EU as there are just so many things we do not have in common."

For a start, lots of contestants weren't EU members (including the winner).

And which particular nations in "the EU" (or in this case, just Eurovision) are we supposed to have so many things not in common? They're all individual nations with their own cultural tastes and customs. Are we out of step with every single one of them on "so many things"? Which countries do we have things in common with? As far as I'm aware, even Australia didn't vote for us.

We do love our comfort blanket of smug superiority coupled with a victim mentality.