Eurovision

Date: 25 May 2008 17:00:16

We ended up in Edinburgh to watch Eurovision, and unlike many this year I actually rather enjoyed it. I know that Terry Wogan got very hacked off with the so-called block voting, particularly by the eastern European countries, but I honestly don't think it was as bad as it has been over the past few years so I can't really understand why he's chosen this year to question whether the competition still has any value. I left a comment on Maddie's blog which ended up being quite long (sorry about that!) so thought I would transfer my witterings over here, where I can be as long-winded as I like :D

One thing I've noticed in the eastern European media is that Eurovision is something they take very very very very very seriously indeed. After doing really well the first time they entered, the next year (a couple of years ago) Moldova's entry bombed and the papers were full of agonizing and angst about the shame brought onto the nation, and there were serious suggestions not to submit an entry the following year as the shame if they went through the same thing again would be so great. This year the entry selected was rather controversial (I won't bore you with the details, it involved differences of opinion between the public phone-in vote and the in-studio juries who were choosing the entry) which resulted in a flood of vitriol from the public accusing the authorities of corruption (amongst other things) and claiming they were responsible for heaping shame onto the country. Other countries in the region are, I believe, similar in how seriously they take it.

On Radio 4 yesterday (before the show) they were talking about how the voting isn't actually so much political as representing the make-up of the new Europe. So, Spain gave Romania 12 points - there is a very significant and sizeable population of Romanians in Spain (much greater than in the UK, however stridently the Daily Wail might like to claim otherwise). Likewise Turkey always gets a high mark from Germany, thanks to the large population of Turks living there. Despite hating Russia and blaming them for 40 years of illegal Soviet occupation, Latvia will always give Russia 12 points because 1/3 of their population is ethnic Russian. As Spain, Germany and Latvia can't vote for themselves but large chunks of their populations can vote for their own homelands, it's no surprise that certain countries feature highly every year in the voting. I don't see what's so awful about that, to be honest. If I was living abroad and Eurovision was as important to my sense of nationhood as it is to many of these nations, I would take the trouble to vote for the UK from abroad, just because I could. I think that the phone votes represent those communities who think Eurovision is important (maybe because for so many years taking part just wasn't an option - now they're able to participate they're making the most of it having been out in the communist cold for so long before), and more than that think it's important enough to be prepared to vote. Many Romanians in Spain aren't having the easiest ride, they're facing a lot of discrimination, likewise many Turks in Germany, so why not give yourself a little light relief and try to influence a result to have, at least for an hour till the end of the show, a little bit of national pride rather than relentless prejudice?

None of this explains away the Scandinavian block voting though. Obviously I'm a bit prejudiced in favour of the east Europeans because of my background, but I do think their situation is different. There's no excuse for Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland to trade high marks.

One thing people are saying is that the contest is not valid as it's no longer about the music. Please please don't blame the eastern Europeans for that - it hasn't been about the music for many years before they were able to participate. Boom-bang-a-bang, Diggi-loo-diggi-ley anyone?

I can't believe I've just spent 15 minutes of my life ranting here about Eurovision. I think I need to get out more. Going to parties and watching the whole thing is one thing, a valid use of my time, but sermonizing about it? Good grief!