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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To continue to boycott Eurovision

106 replies

ForalltheSaints · 09/05/2017 20:02

It is something from a different age, when technology was in its infancy and when the war was a very recent memory.

Now it is something that just allows petty nationalism and/or hatred of some countries to have an outlet. Even before Brexit we never came close to winning, yet music from British artists sells by the bucket load across many parts of the continent. Just go into a record shop in France or Germany, for example.

Our licence fee can be better spent (or reduced), and if there are still is a demand for it, then one of the commercial channels can broadcast it.

AIBU therefore to continue to boycott it?

OP posts:
HarrietKettleWasHere · 09/05/2017 21:54

Lena's Satalite is still my fave. Cracking tune!

Thekitten · 10/05/2017 00:00

Are you joking? Eurovision is the next best event of the year after Christmas! I love it and will be watching with my fiancee and a curry :D I cannot wait!

The reason we never win is because we never put in anyone with a good enough song that appeals to other countries' music tastes. And we shouldn't feel entitled to win anyway.
A lot of the voting is political, however the best song always wins.

GrimDamnFanjo · 10/05/2017 00:06

I fume every year as its not about the songs but about politics. Which is kind of funny if you think about it...

Terfing · 10/05/2017 00:13

I wish we could convince Adele, Ed Sheeren, or Paul McCartney to give it a go.... we do have musical talent!

MargaretCabbage · 10/05/2017 00:17

Thekitten, we always says it's the other big event of the year after Christmas in our family too. I love it.

I went to watch it when it was Germany and I can't wait until my DCs are old enough to enjoy it because I'll be taking them along (depending on who is hosting).

PaulAnkaTheDog · 10/05/2017 00:25

Twaddle. Utter twaddle.

YABU.

SaturnsRings · 10/05/2017 00:29

Load of shite.
Voting for friends and neighbours how fucking predictable.
Political voting eg 2003 when we went in Iraq and the rest of Europe didn't we got 0 points. So surprising!!!
Dunno why so many on this thread are mentioning English subtitles when nearly all the songs are in English anyway which is a shame imo and should be in the language of the relevant country.
As for Lena's Satellite she ruined it with her shite attempt at a cockney accent. Nails on a chalk board sounds better.
Glad I don't have a tv licence and waste money on this crap

TheStoic · 10/05/2017 01:55

Think of all us poor sods in different time zones, OP - who would love to be watching it but can't! Well we can, but after the winner has been announced. :-(

You think Brexit and Trump was a big deal? I'm waiting for the day that Australia wins Eurovision. Grin

GinSwigmore · 10/05/2017 02:01

Oh OP. More fool you. You're going to miss out on a dancing gorilla.
A. Dancing. Gorilla.
Wink

SpareASquare · 10/05/2017 02:01

Boycott to your hearts content OP. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.
I'll be watching because we LOVE it here! Will make an evening of it, complete with sweep Grin

TrinityTaylor · 10/05/2017 02:07

bahaha OP how can you think so deeply about this?! We don't win because we don't utilise the amazing musicians you're going on about, in fact a Swedish (?) former Eurovision winner wrote our track this year and a semi-successful former X Factor contestant who has been in a couple of west end shows is performing it, no one actually knows who she is really. Yes her voice is good but you can be the best singer in the world and singing a shite song with a shite concept and you won't win.

We aren't going to send Adele or Harry Styles and win with them because WHY THE FUCK WOULD THEY WANT TO? It's campy, fun and ridiculous and that's why I love it.

Your license fee isn't going straight to the Eurovision coffers, in fact I watched Eurovision tonight but I can't remember the last time I watched some of the absolute shite BBC offers, I stick to Sky and On Demand such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, yet I still have to pay my license so others can have EastEnders and The One Show.

TrinityTaylor · 10/05/2017 02:08

Saturn - hope you don't watch ANYTHING on demand, on iplayer, demand 5, netflix etc on your laptop. Or you're breaking the law.

SteamTrainsRealAleandOpenFires · 10/05/2017 02:27

I wonder if they'll do the same as last year(?)...just show a bit at the bottom of the screen with the voting results of the last played song, or go back as before.?

notangelinajolie · 10/05/2017 02:41

No way will I boycott it. I bloody love Eurovision. We don't win because the rest of Europe don't like us. But that doesn't matter because we don't need to win. It's the taking part that matters Grin cheers Wine

StillHungryy · 10/05/2017 03:42

I'm not a fan of the songs but love the voting, the few eccentric songs each year are interesting though

KoalaDownUnder · 10/05/2017 04:02

Australia being part of it though, that's bloody stupid.

We can be European if we want. 😜

SuperBeagle · 10/05/2017 04:08

Sour grapes.

You don't go to Eurovision to win. You go to have fun and be part of the experience.

I'm Australian. I like Moldova best so far. I don't blindly pretend that our entry is the best. Sometimes countries just send completely shit entries. The UK's entry in 2015 was one of them. Some countries never win, but that doesn't stop them from entering and being excited about it.

SaturnsRings · 10/05/2017 07:00

Trinity no I don't watch those I only care about football and dunno why you or anyone suggest I might watch anything and (horror) break the law

Original poster
ForalltheSaints · 12/05/2017 20:46

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39899913 seems I am not alone

OP posts:
SuperBeagle · 12/05/2017 20:58

OP, it seems "whinging poms" might be a real thing. 😂

Majorgoodwinschickenbeatstrump · 12/05/2017 21:03

We don't win because we are shite

OhSoggyBiscuit · 12/05/2017 21:11

Eating copious amounts of chocolate and laughing at the bad costumes- what's not to like??

MrsMoastyToasty · 12/05/2017 21:17

I suggest we send separate entries from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and do the whole block voting thing

GetInTheFuckingSea · 12/05/2017 21:23

Yanbu if you don't like it but I fucking love it. I would love to go to the actual event itself. I remember the last one (... take a moment ... pre brexit ....) thinking that that audience was Farages worst nightmare and loving them for it.

I don't think the voting is political either - I think it's just that people with family ties in neighbouring countries will vote for those countries. Eg with UK, we can't vote for ourselves. But loads of us have Irish parents/grandparents etc so we do the next best thing and vote for them. Well, that's what all the other countries do too. And as there are many geographical divisions that just didn't exist twenty years ago, half the time they're voting for a country that was their actual country during their childhood.

haveacupoftea · 12/05/2017 21:23

YABU and so is everyone else scratching their heads about why UK never wins. They never have a decent song - it's nearly always some boring dirge which is never going to cut it!