To think the UK should not fund the Eurovision Song Contest?

[NowIsTheSpringOfOurDiscontent]

Or bother entering obviously.

It’s a humiliation and everyone hates us so we hardly get any votes. None this year due to Brexit and the Covid vaccine probably.

Poor James . He certainly didn’t deserve NIL points!

Back before he became a racist, Morrissey was saying he'd do it. But the UK organisers said they wanted him to compete in the Song for Europe competition alongside other contenders so he said "Nah, you're all right thanks, forget it."

@FatCatThinCat

And I bet they never cried 'politics' when Ireland gave the UK high points.

I don't think they even notice.

Probably think of it as their due from the former territory, wot wot.

Either send good artists with good songs or go full Verka Seduchka. Europeans don't spend their days plotting against the UK. You just didn't measure up.

Good lord above this thread is pathetic. Talk about throwing your toys out of the pram.

Honestly we’re all focused on our own vaccine programs (even my 19 year old is fully vaccinated) we’re not even paying attention to yours let some be so envious of it that we don’t vote for the UK

The song was shit, he sang off key, and he looked like a glorified lounge singer who spends too much time at the buffet. That’s why it got nil points.

I for one am completely convinced that Australia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Moldova, San Marino, Norway, Switzerland, Israel and Azerbaijan were only prevented from voting for our brilliant song because they’re so pissed off about us leaving the EU while they’re still stuck inside it.

The only chance the UK would have of a credible entry would be if Simon Cowell ran an X Factor type competition to choose our entry & then commissioned a decent song for the winner.

If we want to do well, not only do we need an actual decent song alongside a proper performance effort, we need to go on a charm offensive. I know we get a free pass to the finals but if we made an appearance in the earlier rounds, maybe sent the entry to do a few performances in other countries, go on a few chat shows, teach them to cobble a sentence or two together in another language so European audiences got to know them and the song prior to the competition we’d probably do much better.

"But don't they know who we are?"

Seriously though, the other countries (both juries and public) didn't give nul points to the UK They just none of them didn't think that the UK entry was in the top 10 best songs.

Which it wasn't

So the consequence was that the UK never won any points and ended up with nul points.

Also countries that tend to be unpopular with the global public in any given year but do very well in the public vote tend to have enough of a brain to know that a below-average song is not going to be enough to overcome the existing sentiment and win with the public so make an extra effort to put up something decent. Lots of temporarily politically unpopular countries do and indeed have done exceedingly well when they don’t have a victim mentality mindset and actually play for the win. As someone said above, the U.K for some bizarre reason seems to think that perceived unpopularity plus a terrible song (not even good terrible) is a continuous winning combination.

I don't think Europeans "hate" us - I just think they're completely mystified!

We have a corrupt and incompetent government, we've deprived ourselves of the right to ;live and work freely in Europe, we've damaged our economy, we whine constantly about the results of our own decisions.

What are they supposed to think?

And the vaccines thing is really getting embarrassing - EU countries are vaccinating at equal or faster rates to the UK now - the difference in getting everyone done won't be that great in the end. The UK also took some risks in fast approval and spacing - it seems like those have paid off but it's easy to imagine a different scenario.

@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere

I for one am completely convinced that Australia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Moldova, San Marino, Norway, Switzerland, Israel and Azerbaijan were only prevented from voting for our brilliant song because they’re so pissed off about us leaving the EU while they’re still stuck inside it.

😂

Interesting point about European immigrants voting for their home country from abroad. That’s probably one strength the UK lacks as well.

@Lordamighty

The only chance the UK would have of a credible entry would be if Simon Cowell ran an X Factor type competition to choose our entry & then commissioned a decent song for the winner.

Or they could make entry to the Eurovision part of the prize for winning X factor!

I agree about the charm offensive. What got Jade Ewen into the top five was partly a decent song competently performed with a cameo from a global celebrity, but it was equally down to the fact that she and Lloyd-Webber went on a month-long European promotional tour schmoozing the chat shows of Luxembourg and breakfast radio of San Marino. (The aforementioned global celebrity helped them get those chat show slots of course).

@Doomsdayisstillcoming
@littlepattilou
@Morgoth

Thanks for your classic MumsNet contribution. Very on point and to adopt the words of an infamous politician (from memory) in the middle of a once in a lifetime pandemic: “I am not surprised as we are better than x better than y better than all of them as we are simply the best…bah bah bah!” Basically typical British exceptionalism entitlement privilege at its world beating woke finest. This is just a jolly song show so get a grip people it’s a laugh and not to be taken as a barometer of UK popularity overseas! It’s just a bit of entertainment and as usual it’s entertaining as to how poor some of the performances are including but exclusively to nul point entries! The UK record is historically better many other entries. Would have preferred Switzerland be crowned winner in this year’s beauty parade!

@AngeloMysterioso

If we want to do well, not only do we need an actual decent song alongside a proper performance effort, we need to go on a charm offensive. I know we get a free pass to the finals but if we made an appearance in the earlier rounds, maybe sent the entry to do a few performances in other countries, go on a few chat shows, teach them to cobble a sentence or two together in another language so European audiences got to know them and the song prior to the competition we’d probably do much better.

This is what Andrew Lloyd Webber did a few years back with the song he wrote for it - he and the singer did a tour of Europe and performed the song all over. It didn't win in the end but I'm pretty sure it came near the middle of the scoreboard rather the very bottom.

Yes, the reason the UK lost is that all the other countries are jealous and mean and the poor little innocent UK is so hard done by, all it can do is sit in the corner and cry.

🙄

The UK, and specifically the BBC, don't want to win. They're quite happy to spend £3-500k to secure a place in the final and broadcast rights, without then having to worry about spending £15-25m hosting the next one.

If we embraced eurovision and sent a half decent contestant we'd probably do fine. Yes some countries might not give us points on political grounds just as we'd probably not give France or Germany many points.

Just checked, it was Jade Ewen in 2009 and we came fifth that year.

And if you really want to go all conspiracy theory maybe you should look closer to home, since the UK picks who they send.

Losing sells. It sells the unappreciated underdog sentiment. It sells the "it's not fair sentiment". It sells the "fuck 'em" sentiment. It sells the "we are so great and they just won't see/ acknowledge it sentiment". Easy propaganda,no work.

It also sells in a financial way. All the threads, articles , tweets etc. The MM can ride the wave easily for a few weeks and get lots of views/comments/sales simply by playing the victim. Easy money, no work.

I'd say certain factions of the UK win a lot more by losing at the Eurovision. Could be coincidence, could be on purpose.

To be fair the song is never very good. They are usually totally unremarkable and not comparable to the songs that do get lots of votes. On the other hands they are probably never the worst, so it's probably a combination of not being liked and rotten songs. I do think if we sent a fantastic act just once we would get more (or some) votes.

@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere

Norway and Switzerland aren’t in the EU, but don’t worry your comment would still be ridiculous if they were.
The song was crap, that’s why no one voted. Politicians in some countries might be annoyed about Brexit etc, but I have yet to hear anything to indicate that the ‘regular man in the European street’ gives a 💩

[quote ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia]@Doomsdayisstillcoming
@littlepattilou
@Morgoth

Thanks for your classic MumsNet contribution. Very on point and to adopt the words of an infamous politician (from memory) in the middle of a once in a lifetime pandemic: “I am not surprised as we are better than x better than y better than all of them as we are simply the best…bah bah bah!” Basically typical British exceptionalism entitlement privilege at its world beating woke finest. This is just a jolly song show so get a grip people it’s a laugh and not to be taken as a barometer of UK popularity overseas! It’s just a bit of entertainment and as usual it’s entertaining as to how poor some of the performances are including but exclusively to nul point entries! The UK record is historically better many other entries. Would have preferred Switzerland be crowned winner in this year’s beauty parade![/quote]
I think you tagged me accidentally in your post! All my comments were in support of your position. and in reply to @littlepattilou!

If we embraced eurovision and sent a half decent contestant we'd probably do fine. Yes some countries might not give us points on political grounds just as we'd probably not give France or Germany many points

We did give France 12 points - top marks, yesterday.

It wasn't the greatest song, but it wasn't by any stretch the worst but got the worst number of votes due to no 'friends'. I thought it was a good show, bloody weird though.

This is the lead singer of the Italian band after the win last night:

That's how you do Eurovision!