Eurovision 2025 - After Thoughts

[RedToothBrush]

Austria's JJ won with Wasted Love

Unless you ask members of the official Eurovision clubs to vote on it.

I think it's doable with the right wording. For example, countries already have criteria for deciding when another country is too dangerous to fly to for tourists- that could be adapted and used for disqualification.

I think they have to do something in the next six months or the contest could be finished.

Poles in the UK vote for the Polish song? Wouldn't be surprising as it is probably in your first language and a tip of the hat to the old country. If India was in Eurovision a UK 12 might well go that way, but instead it's the 2nd largest background block who do that. Image has 2021 figures, not sure there is anything newer and the number of Poles will have gone down. Still, it's in round numbers some 1% of the population.

Link is to a 2024 survey of Poles in the UK (so not census-like). Part of the headline is that Poles actively participate in elections (which would be just local ones now unless a UK citizen).

https://business.pblink.co.uk/2024-survey-of-the-polish-community-in-the-uk

I was just about to suggest something along these lines.

This would have stopped Ukraine being in the contest, but tbh I think there's a certain reasonableness to this.

Israel is unique because currently most European countries are issuing 'do not travel' warnings there.

The trouble for the EBU is that the main sponsors are currently Israeli (Moroccanoil). This was supposed to end last year but was continued this year. And I believe there's a clause which requires Israel to be a participant for as part of the sponsorship.

This goes back to the EBU essentially being in mild financial trouble with questions over the financing of future years still very much a major concern for the organisation.

I would add though that there are UK travel warnings applicable to I think off the top of my head; Serbia, North Macedonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Albania, Armenia and Azerbaijan though these are only partial and some relate to certain border crossings in one direction only.
(You are advised not to travel north from North Macedonia into Kosovo but south is ok which is a really bizarre one. I believe it's to do with passport stamps and recognition of Kosovo).

My point being that it's not necessarily as clear cut as you think on even this one.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16tGFabKcU/?mibextid=wwXIfr
last minute a Capella rehearsal of Remember Monday. I think they can sing but the song was very disjointed in tempo and the outfits and staging was a bit meh.

Who started the NI troubles? Let me give you a hint it wasn't the Irish. British troops was in Afghanistan poking their nose in where it doesn't belong.

Perhaps the wording could keep it simple. If the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for your Gov leadership then you can’t participate.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-ukraine-icc-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-against-vladimir-vladimirovich-putin-and

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges

that would mean Russia and Israel are banned but Ukraine could still compete.

Come on they were shouting my poor ears.

I wonder if restricting the number of votes each person gets to one, but asking people to rank their top 3 songs would be feasible? After all, the juries already rank multiple songs.

Or perhaps having ticketed Eurovision events in each country (with the contest shown on a big screen at those events - like the stadium in Basel last night) and using the audience vote might work?

However, I think the current system is broadly OK. This year was a bit of an outlier, but we still got a plausible winner - as we do every year.

I think a different result may have been achieved if they still allowed 20 votes but only allowed you to vote for one country a maximum of five times. This way big “political” or “cultural” votes would have slightly less influence (maybe).

I think the ranking would be the only way: if everyone got one vote, or could only vote a max of five times for one country, the best way to ensure your winner wins is only voting for them.

They can sing. I'd suggest your ears might be the problem.

Haven’t read the whole thread but my main after thought is that it left me feeling very uncomfortable.
Is it too simplistic to say only countries actually IN the continent of Europe can compete going forward? I don’t understand when or how this changed . Seems so bizarre that Australia etc can compete - why? If not, then why not just open it up to everyone and call it the World Song Contest?
Voting system needs closely looking at too, I am now distrustful of it, not sure what the solution to that is though.
Overall, just a bit sad that what was a lovely fun contest has left me with a sour aftertaste

Is it too simplistic to say only countries actually IN the continent of Europe can compete going forward?

Yes, all members of the EBA are entitled to enter. Most are within Europe, some outside. So for example Israel have participated since 1973 - that's before many European countries.

EBU, not EBA 🙄

I'm thinking Runrig meets Red Hot Chilli Pipers meets Primal Scream meets Marillion.

It\s a commercial conglomerate of broadcasters, not a political cluster of countries.

Other countries eligible to enter besides Israel are Australia, Greenland, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
Australia has entered in every contest since 2015. Morocco did enter in 1980. Greenlanders have competed as citizens of Denmark.

Now if ALL of those entered we would definitely see some political voting - but they won't, despite being eligible, because they disapprove of everything it stands for.

She already self proclaimed they are tone deaf and know nothing about music so her on going comments insisting it was out of tune and shouty is quite funny.

We are a family of musicians and the girls where definitely in harmony in the final. One was touch flat in the semi and they where a touch out of breath towards the end in the final but their singing was pretty damn good.

But thats just my view as someone who is a performing singer and isn't tone deaf lol.

My thoughts are the young girl Raphael who sang the Israeli song was a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack . During the attack, she hid under bodies in a bomb shelter for eight hours to survive, an ordeal that has shaped her song "New Day Will Rise," and you were desperate to turn it off or in the words of the OP " Thank God she didn't win". Disgusting stuff, so many on the threads last night should be ashamed of themselves. Thankfully the British public doesn't agree with mumsnet and the British public along with Europe voted Israel to be the winner of the public vote where the young lady nearly won the whole thing. A heavily censored forum doesn't reflect British views.

I've nothing against the singer Raphael. However I didn't like the song and thought other entrants were way better and many I personally know liked Austria, which was to me okay.

It's nothing to do with anti Israeli sentiment. Please stop peddling this nonsense.

If Israel had won where would next year's event have taken place? I'm relieved that Israel didn't win.

Thank you - I didn’t know that.

A heavily censored forum doesn't reflect British views.

MN is not heavily censored. MNHQ will delete personal attacks, and are open that they do so

@housethatbuiltme as someone who works in music they sang well - it’s not my bag personally but to be frank they were a damn sight better as was the song , than many ones that placed much higher

the general problem all round wasn’t poor singing , it was very unmemorable songs .

Heavily censored. Don’t make me laugh.