Eurovision 2006

'not true at all'?... sounds like I was just about right then!: some were in 1997, some were doing it in 1998 and the rest took a bit longer!

A few countries were a long way behind with phone voting because their phone systems just weren't up to it

Fair enough. Your post suggested that for quite a while, only a few countries were televoting. But that was just how I read it, I suppose.

I would suspect, though (and I may well be wrong), that Greece and Cyprus had televoting by 2000.

In all my nitpicking, I forgot to make a point.

As far as I'm concerned, neighbourly voting is inevitable with phone voting, but we're in no position to complain about it. In recent years, the UK and Ireland have given each other some quite undeserved 7s and 8s. We're just unfortunate in not having more neighbours.

....and countries that like us

I reckon we should improve our figures by getting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland into the contest

It's practically a given these days that most of the countries in "Ancienne Europe" (to Rummy-fy the west part of the continent) has a hope in heck of winning at all anymore, unless you get some miraculous song entry, sex it up beyond recognition and add cavemen and skimpy leather.

That's a bit different to giving each other a 12 every single year for four years so far in a row. If the organisers just allow this year after year they are probably allowing all sorts of fiddling going on. So what is the point of a Song Contest where the Contest is a complete farce?

Interesting programme tonight - 50 Years of Eurovision. Made me realise that without Terry's wit, ratings would flop big time.

As for Daz's song, the rendition tonight seemed a little hurried and out of tune, hope it doesn't go like that on Saturday. Anyway we'll have to see what happens on the night.

That's very interesting. I do fear that it'll dramatically shorten the voting part of the show, which for me is by far the most enjoyable part.

It could also potentially wreck the climax when it approaches to the very end of the voting, because those piddly little points from 1 to 7 could be deciding points. It'll really take the drama away if the points just appear automatically on the scoreboard without being read out. I think that's the Eurovision equivalent of failing to broadcast a penalty shoot-out at the end of a football match!

Perhaps one solution to all of this political wrangling is to use both televoting and a national jury system for each country, weighting each as say 50/50. So the public vote would combine with the more neutral viewpoint of music professionals to produce a more balanced result from everyone.

Very good idea to only list the results from 7 up, though I would have gone from 5 myself, and all of the points for the final three contires if theings are getting close. Even earlier a lot of entertainment can be derived from the 5-7 vote range by where they are allocated by certain countries.

By far the best part of Eurovision for me is these links and how television presentation differs across Europe and how they're all putting their best foot forward. It's a shame how downhill the BBC have gone in recent times in their efforts. The straight-laced, distinguished London calling presentation was a classic, with Colin and the Palace of Westminister or similar in the background etc. It's become very tacky, making it very apparent the Establishment of the BBC no longer want to be associated with it.

Actually...I did forget to mention that the last 3 (or 2...I can't remember) countries will read out their votes in full - regardless of whether or not its a close finish.

Hmm - you raise some interesting points, Inspector..

Wogan calls it a political vote, so it must be true...

Thank you - the flaw in televoting with no restrictions. Sod how bad the song actually is. They used to be one of us, so let's be unimaginative and pick that phone up and give them our vote.

Disagree. Look at the anti-English feeling during the World Cup next month from Scotland. Scotland would give 12 to Wales and Wales would give 12 to Ireland.

Hurdle over that problem by reversing the running order during the number run-down after the last song performance.
So song 26 hits the screen first and song 1 is on last.


That way is a lot fairer than the current system of voting from your neighbourly mates...



Technically you can draw a line from the UK to Portugese landfall in a lovely arc and not hit another country - under my rules, that's a border!

However as it's sugesstive, then I'll let 12 from the good folk of Portugal (even though the only thing they gave the world was Pri Pri Chicken).

OK the point about Israel is noted, and ORF, SSR and ARD may start to look about not renewing membership of the EBU, but I feel my 6 point rule advantages would help to level this playing field somewhat.

Thank you, a fellow voice of common sense. I made that point about considering national juries and working those points into the final national points in my original post. As long as the jury IS made up across all nations with members of the music industry (and not cab drivers as one country did in the early 90's) then that would be fine.

Another rule you could introduce of course, is, if you gave maximum in one year you can't give another maximum to the same country in the next year. Easy to administer as well. Just switch the 10 and 12 point countries around.