To think Eurovision is no longer about the talent

it's always been political. it's a soft power for change and acceptance.

It's always pushed for an European white christain narrative.

Exactly - it has never been about talent.
Even if there was a time when the songs/performers mattered they had to appeal to such a wide spectrum that the winning songs have always been vacuous tripe.

I didn't like the French song as it's not my thing. But I thought he was very talented. His voice was amazing. I wasn't surprised he got a lot of points.

You don't have to like every song but did you not think that the French singer was talented?
Did you think there were many better than him?

where have you been OP? I remember people saying this is in the early 90s! It's political and always has been. I's common knowledge. They don't even hide it.

I'd say France got quite far also because it was one of the big countries who qualified automatically (which doesn't seem very fair but oh well).
Still, there was too much politics, hidden and other, for this song contest to be called exactly that and nothing more.
This is what I didn't like at all.

France and Latvia, two wonderful voices, didn't get very far.

France got quite far. I'm glad I'm not the only person who liked Latvia as I don't know anyone else in real life who did.

First reply answered it!! It's entirely political.

People may have missed it, but it was commented on by the presenters that the most tickets sold to the actual performances were to people from the UK. There were more British people in the arena than Swedes apparently. So contrary to what people are saying on SM, it is still popular in the UK.

I don't know why we keep entering the (football) world cup! We haven't won in nearly 60 years. It's boring and our team are rubbish. What a waste of time. I mean I'm no fan, I only watch the odd world cup match, but hey I am perfectly qualified to give my opinion 😂

When all you know about Eurovision comes from tuning in once a year to the final. You don't really know anything about it. If you feel it's crap and should end, stop watching! Simple.

The jury gave Switzerland all those votes because Nemo scored highly in every aspect that the judges base their points on. He may have had less public votes than Croatia (which I also loved) but he still got a significant number so the public liked it too. Therefore, he was a worthy winner.

I wasn't happy about last years result. I felt Finland were robbed. But that's how it goes. It's my choice to continue watching or not, same for everyone.

Latvia qualified against all expectations and France finished 4th, so that's a nonsense.

It's not indeed.
France and Latvia, two wonderful voices, didn't get very far.
Loved Estonia, they just had good fun and didn't take anything too seriously.
And why people need to vote and waste their money if the jury still decides different?

It's always been political. They changed the voting to try to make it a bit more balanced. Countries would just vote for each others friends basically

I didn’t watch, for various reasons I won’t go into, but I did watch two programs about Abba that were shown. They commented that for them, Eurovision was the best chance of breaking out of Sweden and into a wider audience. I think, given the prominence of UK bands, from the sixties onwards, the same incentive has never been similarly important to the UK.

I also think Terry Wogan fed into turning it into a joke for the UK, which probably meant serious bands who might have used it as a way to get publicity would be less likely to consider it.

I do feel it is now so much about image and recently “diversity” that it has become detrimental to the quality, but that’s happening in many different areas of the arts.

The politics were always there, but usually a properly catchy song would win, in spite of it. I would be interested to know, way back in the 70s, whether Abba got radio play in the UK before the competition, or whether they won it with a single performance. I seem to remember Bucks Fizz being widely played on the radio before Eurovision - it was already familiar before the show. Was that just in the UK because it was our entry, or did Eurovision songs sometimes break out in the lead up to the competition, if they were sufficiently outstanding?

I really liked Croatia and thought they performed fantastically well - would never have voted for Olly’s dirty toilet even if I could. Who came up with that idea and thought it would be visually appealing???

So I was disappointed that the juries all voted for Switzerland and that was why Nemo won. Croatia won the popular vote! Then he sang the song again without the balancing circle thing (which was imo fussy and unneccessary, I kept thinking he would fall off) and that changed my mind. Its a good song, he has a very good voice and is a good performer. He deserved to win.

France man also had a good voice.

Yes they do have to try fgs. Honestly wtaf is wrong with people, I'm a conspiracy theory lover but not about frigging eurovision haha.

Is it that unbelievable that people liked Switzerland? I liked it somewhat, he had a good voice. Olly sounded like a dying puppy.

Ah, I've just re-read the post I quoted and I think I misunderstood it: that it was actually saying they both try very hard indeed, even though they don't actually need to try to have their place in the Final secured!

France and Italy have been killing it in the past few years, even though they get through to the finals.

To be fair, under the current regime, they could have Gerard Depardieu or the ghost of Silvio Berlusconi dressed as Borat and reading out the phone directory and they would still get through to the final!

I was disappointed they didn't have a big old sing-a-long like they did in the Liverpool final. I get the impression the song was put together at the last minute.

I understand the reasons, but I was sad that ABBA didn't come out even to just wave to the crowd and everyone sang with them.

I think people forget that it is song contest and not about the performers i.e. Britain's Got Talent, that's why it's not just the audience that decide.

The performance absolutely elevates the song (i.e. Swiss) or destroys (i.e. UK)., but it is about the song in the end. Irelands entry was performance heavy, but I suspect if it was sung with an acoustic guitar, it was still good. I enjoyed Germanys performance and song, but it wasn't the best of either of the night.

The voting is political because you are more likely to have cross over nearer borders, but it was Switzerland's song that won. You could argue that maybe the EBU said but "a good song in" but it was still one of the best songs, and the best performance of the night.

Maybe TW commentating disillusioned the British public into trying, or that for English acts their focus is on the US or something, but we have all this talent and are getting smashed each time. I really wish we would take it more seriously, rather than it being a joke. France and Italy have been killing it in the past few years, even though they get through to the finals. It could be a project through charities or a record company or performing arts songwriting school.

Yes, I was thinking that specifically about ABBA. 50 years ago - before I was even born - and I know the tune and lyrics inside out; whereas I've already forgotten how most of the songs that I heard in the Final two days ago went.

I also think that, much as I really loved Terry Wogan and his witty remarks, he very probably held us back somewhat, when people knew that he was there making snide, superior, sometimes quite mean remarks about their acts - and didn't really engage a lot with the other countries on a genuine friendly basis.

I think the new generation of presenters who DO mingle and show genuine interest in and friendship with the other countries have gone a long way to repair this - as long as we have Sam Ryder or as strong an act in addition to that!

I mean I could still sing both of the songs that did well for the UK. Could it be that they were good catchy songs, performed well?

UK people seem to have a bizarre victim mentality about eurovision, OK maybe when it was just judges, but then again katrina and the waves proved that wrong.

Tbh the fact Sam doodah came second proves that wrong, also maneskin won. I really liked the Italian song, not so much ours. But happy we did well.