May 29, 200817 yr Author As was proved both in 2006 and 2007, looks mean nothing in Eurovision! I would've said Lordi's looks definitely added to the performance...
May 30, 200817 yr And here's why I don't buy the diaspora thing either: * Germany has over a million Poles. Poland got nothing from them. * France has nearly a million Poles. Nothing from them. * Belarus has a sizeable population of Poles. Nothing from them either. Poland got their highest score - 10 - from Ireland. (Which has just 63,000 Poles.) Edited May 30, 200817 yr by DitzyNizzy
May 30, 200817 yr Poland and Ireland have strong links. That's probably why we gave 10 points to them. :)
May 30, 200817 yr Diaspora voting clearly does happen, though if there are that many Poles living in Germany and France I'm not sure why they don't vote for themselves tbh. But France giving Turkey, Armenia and Israel votes year after year IS because of the Turks, Armenians and Israelis living there, unless you're suggesting that French people just happen to like those entries every year. :P Same goes with the Netherlands and Belgium voting for Turkey and Armenia, Germany voting for Turkey, Denmark voting for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Spain voting for Romania, Portugal voting for Ukraine, and to some extent the United Kingdom voting for Greece and Turkey...
May 30, 200817 yr And here's why I don't buy the diaspora thing either: * Germany has over a million Poles. Poland got nothing from them. * France has nearly a million Poles. Nothing from them. * Belarus has a sizeable population of Poles. Nothing from them either. Poland got their highest score - 10 - from Ireland. (Which has just 63,000 Poles.) Poland is an easy one to pick on surely, considering they were a bit rubbish this year? No-one anywhere thought they were any good, Polish or othewise?! How about looking at Russia's diaspora? Approx 11 million Russians in the Ukraine - surprisingly they gave Russia 12 points. About 1.3 million Russians in Belaus - they gave Russia 12 points. Something like 1 million Russians in Israel - Shock horror, 12 points from Israel to Russia!! Half a million Russians in Moldova - 10 points go to Russia from Moldova. Of couse one could argue that these could have been based on the song rather than purely diaspora, given that all but 6 countries gave Russia points, but you know what I'm saying I'm sure.
May 30, 200817 yr Author It's also likely that often a country would earn points anyway. It's quite feasible that the likes of Turkey and Russia's songs would've got 6+ points anyway, although it's obvious diaspora voting does have an effect. Edited May 30, 200817 yr by RabbitFurCoat
May 30, 200817 yr It's also likely that often a country would earn points anyway. It's quite feasible that the likes of Turkey and Russia's songs would've got 6+ points anyway, although it's obvious diaspora voting does have an effect. I agree, in case some of the posters think I think otherwise, there is no question that the UK is at a handicap of up to 50 points compared to some other countries because of diaspora (although why we fail to get points out of Spain, considering the number of ex-pats there remains a bit of a mystery). But that is far from an unassailable disadvantage. For example the last year that UK won was in 1997 by a margin of 70 points (and we beat the 3rd placed song by over 100 points).
May 31, 200817 yr I agree, in case some of the posters think I think otherwise, there is no question that the UK is at a handicap of up to 50 points compared to some other countries because of diaspora (although why we fail to get points out of Spain, considering the number of ex-pats there remains a bit of a mystery). But that is far from an unassailable disadvantage. For example the last year that UK won was in 1997 by a margin of 70 points (and we beat the 3rd placed song by over 100 points). That's true, and I don't think it is impossible for the UK or a western country to get a good result. However that handicap is enough to mean that a country like the UK with few neighbours and practically no diaspora, needs an exceptional song to get a good result, whereas a country with alot of neighbours and ex-pats, can get an equally good result with a song little over average quality. Basically the UK, Ireland, Spain, and others need a song worth 50 points more than one from Russia, Armenia, Serbia etc to get the same result. Whatever people think about the impact the voting has on the outcome, this one point is a mathematical fact and I don't think it is acceptable.
May 31, 200817 yr And here's why I don't buy the diaspora thing either: * Germany has over a million Poles. Poland got nothing from them. * France has nearly a million Poles. Nothing from them. * Belarus has a sizeable population of Poles. Nothing from them either. Poland got their highest score - 10 - from Ireland. (Which has just 63,000 Poles.) Diaspora voting clearly does happen, though if there are that many Poles living in Germany and France I'm not sure why they don't vote for themselves tbh. But France giving Turkey, Armenia and Israel votes year after year IS because of the Turks, Armenians and Israelis living there, unless you're suggesting that French people just happen to like those entries every year. :P Same goes with the Netherlands and Belgium voting for Turkey and Armenia, Germany voting for Turkey, Denmark voting for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Spain voting for Romania, Portugal voting for Ukraine, and to some extent the United Kingdom voting for Greece and Turkey... Well its hard to say what extent diaspora voting has on the outcome - as its hard to say whether all the Poles in the UK are actually watching the ESC, out drinking at Walkabout, working in a hotel or whatever at that time...(tho as far as the normal Top 75 goes i think it would be good if Polish songs made an entry on downloads...i guess there is a whole lot of stuff going beneath the radar of the charts) ....and also its hard to say whether all the votes where counted properly or an Ant&Dec accident happened to them
May 31, 200817 yr tbh i think we can only gauge things properly when we send a bloody good song then see what happens...
May 31, 200817 yr tbh i think we can only gauge things properly when we send a bloody good song then see what happens... EXACTLY....
May 31, 200817 yr tbh i think we can only gauge things properly when we send a bloody good song then see what happens... .... and that is it in a nutshell.
May 31, 200817 yr .... and the best post of the week goes to RabbitFurCoat who understands how Eurovision works. Not some older person who never watched the competition or only watched the results and then moans about anti-British bias (because they've heard the result on the news & agree with Terry Wogan's bitter Xenophobic comments) because the UK finish last with a dated song that is a very inferior rip off of Sydney Youngblood's If Only I Could, performed by someone who danced like a Dad/Uncle dancing at a wedding. While the song is so popular in the UK it can't even make the iTunes Top 100..... Actually the Superman Lover's Starlight has just come on my compilation - and i am imagining A.A. singing it on stage in Serbia as 'we speak' now that what I call a bloody good song...
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