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!

James Newman is a well known songwriter apparently.

Well at least your shite songs are always in the finals. Our shite doesn't even make it that far .

And no it's not because we hate you (well reading mn after brexit and the vaccine shambles, we do) But you have produced some of the best music and singers in the world, but when it comes to you picking something it's erhh a little boring? (Disclaimer ours is just as shit).

His brother John is the better known singer, but James has written a few big songs.

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

But we, as a nation, vote for our entry. Who on earth is voting for these bland songs sung by bland people?

Though I think we also have an internal jury that votes, so maybe they override the public.

Not in recent years. According to Wikipedia:

"The You Decide format was scrapped in September 2019 and an internal selection was used for the UK's 2020 participation, with BBC Studios and music company BMG collaborating in order to find the entry which will then be released and published by BMG. The same format was used in 2021."

I think even before then it was a bit of a Hobson's Choice - like, which shade of Magnolia would you prefer? That said, didn't the lead singer of The Darkness enter one year and was infamously passed over by the public in favour of Scooch's "Flying the Flag"? 😖

We’ve had good songs in past years though and still done dismally. Europe hate us. They’ve always hated us.

According to my European cousin a lot of the other countries send in their equivalent of say Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa- their biggest stars. Taking part is a huge honour for them. We send people who are usually decent singers but nobody here has ever even heard of them much less the rest of the continent, and treat the whole thing like it’s just one big cheesy cringe-fest. And this is the end result.

Remember the year Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber got involved? Everybody got excited that we were in with a real chance, this was our year etc... 👎🏻
Europe hate us.

^ Yep, and - as has been said by PP - being in the semis builds support.

In 2011, the UK actually sent in Blue, a band with a bit more renown, and actually got the song promoted around Europe a bit prior to the contest.

Blue came 11th. Best we'd done for years (and thereafter).

@AngeloMysterioso

According to my European cousin a lot of the other countries send in their equivalent of say Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa- their biggest stars. Taking part is a huge honour for them. We send people who are usually decent singers but nobody here has ever even heard of them much less the rest of the continent, and treat the whole thing like it’s just one big cheesy cringe-fest. And this is the end result.

I came onto say this, Other countries send in their big hitters, we send in people we don't really know or acts desperate to revive their careers not smack bang in the middle of their success.

• Sorry, not Yep to Europe hate us. Meant the post prior to that - cross post.

@MotherOfGodHoulYerWhisht

We’ve had good songs in past years though and still done dismally. Europe hate us. They’ve always hated us.

I really hope this is tongue in cheek. No we don't hate you, we don't give you much thought. Kind of how you would feel about say Moldova or Austria. I'm sorry you didn't win, we didn't enter the finals and we don't think it's because Brits hate us .

@MotherOfGodHoulYerWhisht

Remember the year Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber got involved? Everybody got excited that we were in with a real chance, this was our year etc... 👎🏻 Europe hate us.

Wasn’t that the Jessica Garlick song? She came 3rd.

It was a disappointing performance, I was shocked when he came on and sang but he wasn't the worst singer of the night...and then to top it off we have Amanda bloody Holden...."I'm Amanda Holden" Anyway, to get 0 points seems a little too political to me. I think it's definitely time for the UK to walk away from the contest.

This year brexit probably had some hand in the score (but maybe it didn’t) but it’s really not a hatred of the UK that stops us winning. It’s our absolutely shite songs performed by mediocre artists that stops us winning.

@AngeloMysterioso

According to my European cousin a lot of the other countries send in their equivalent of say Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa- their biggest stars. Taking part is a huge honour for them. We send people who are usually decent singers but nobody here has ever even heard of them much less the rest of the continent, and treat the whole thing like it’s just one big cheesy cringe-fest. And this is the end result.

Yes very true. I was in Greece one year when the finals were on, in a bustling but very non- touristy area. The streets and restaurants were always busy in the evenings with locals (even the children) eating their main meals very late. On the lead up to this particular contest the excitement was palpable and I kid you not, on the actual night the whole town looked deserted as they were all watching it. It’s a massive event to them, to us it’s just a bit of fun (or even a complete joke).

I think the rule change to allow all countries to sing in English is what has caused the biggest problem for UK entries; UK acts no longer have that slight language-comprehensibility advantage. Having said that, the UK has not been giving of their best when it comes to the songs and artists that are sent to Eurovision; there’s been more of an effort in recent years but none of the UK acts have been as polished as the European entries and the songs haven’t been that memorable so with UK acts being guaranteed a place, and only being seen by the public in the final, they have a harder time winning popular vote share.

Voting is currently 48:52 which is ironic really if people are blaming Brexit for us (once again) getting no points at all.

I'm watching the 1997 version on YouTube and tbh no wonder we won they are all boring as fuck

God it looks ancient, I feel old as fuck :(

@MotherOfGodHoulYerWhisht

In 2009 when we sent Andrew Lloyd Webber we came a very respectable 5th. That year Alexander Ryback won with ‘Fairytale’- he competed again in 2018 and featured in the Eurovision movie, he’s ‘Eurovision hall of fame level’ so a worthy opponent to have lost to.

Oh no, Hungary take that clone

@Duckypoohs

He deserved nil points it was cringy and fucking awful, it was embarrassing. Why send a fat nondescript bloke singing a, shite song off key who was dressed as the back seat of a Ford fiesta???

This is hilarious 🤣

We did have the best song in 1997. The standard has gone up 1000%. Jesus christ boyzone as the mid prog entertainment.

I thought he was really good!

I enjoyed the whole show and the voting was v interesting.

Of course we weren't going to get votes- did anyone think otherwise? Even Malta gave us nil!

So the solution is to flounce off from Eurovision? That's been going since the 50s and was started with the idea of bringing something cheerful to bring Europe together after the war etc...

Yes good idea. Let's burn all the bridges! Huffily because there was a predictable reaction to us sticking 2 fingers up to the EU.

I think blocking the channel tunnel would be good as well. And why are we teaching German and French in schools? It needs to stop.

How do you think he was really good? Like seriously?