ScottyEm

Jeremy Corbyn. A hard left Labour will always struggle to make in roads and we’ll be left under the grip of a Tory government, hence why I hope he eventually steps down for a more pragmatic centre-left leader.

This is quite subjective. I’d argue PC kicks in from the centre onwards. The goal post on PC has shifted. No one would think twice at using derogatory words to describe gay people say 30 years ago, for example. Now it’s considered that such slurs only are typically used by the alt-right. By contrast, hard left goes into borderline overly virtuous and can end up causing problems and shutting down debate rather than educating.

I think Cyprus is a very feasible jury winner. Big pop banger that is chart ready, performed brilliantly she she looks like a true pop star.

I had Ireland as a no-hoper until I seen it on the night. I think it’ll do well in western states. Either way, we’re looking at a very unpredictable final potentially.

I hope the EBU are Uber twats and put Norway on first again ha!. In all honesty, there’s so few candidates. It has to be steady, enjoyable enough to lure in the viewer but not too niche or leftfield to detract. Hello SuRie?

I missed the first 20 mins but Norway have drifted to 5th place with the bookies.

I’m not convinced Norway are winning this semi. Are juries really gonna side with him that much?

Good lord that looks sensational

You’re allowed (I think) to vote 20 times. Rest assured Saara is getting every single one of them.

I love Fuego but I don’t envisage it winning? I still think Estonia/Israel top two.

Switzerland 3rd, Israel 12th. The press centre can jog on... now just imagine if this top 19 in some way reflected the outcome?!

I only lost Belgium but I wasn't massively precious about it tbh. Great final overall.

Unlawful

Greece and Armenia I think are out. Too niche, will fail to translate outside the Balkan area IMO. These sort of entries need to create a striking mood or feeling to pull off, which apparently both have failed to do in the staging (and given I dislike both entries, I’m secretly pleased :)). Belgium or Finland to get the last announcement, agreed.

The Polish entry is absolutely dreadful. Like a bad David Guetta track made on a Fisher Price toy. Everything else seems good though!

UK jury this year includes a 23 year old gaydio DJ. 12 points to Saara thank you please.

I can say with confidence I’d rather have our ten going through over the ten from tomorrow for real.

Watching Sonia come second in 93. 20 years later going to Malmo, thinking it would be a one-off. On Friday, I’ll be on my way to the jury final for my 5th time!

I think Saara and her team have done enough to get her into the final. It would devastating for her to miss out. What has helped her case is Greece and especially Armenia have received a very muted response from the press centre. I think Belgium could be a bit too boring televoters to appreciate, so I’d expect Sennek to be in trouble?

If it’s any consolation, it’s had a relatively good (not amazing) response from the press conference. General thoughts are this is going through. Hard to gauge on 30 seconds even if they’re a bit iffy.

Done. Semi 2 is an unbelievable shower of shite - I would say I just about like 4 songs. I’m watching this purely as a formality.

Semi 1 Prediction 1 Israel 2 Bulgaria 3 Estonia 4 Czech Republic 5 Cyprus 6 Lithuania 7 Austria 8 Finland 9 Belgium 10 Azerbaijan 11 Switzerland 12 Albania 13 Belarus 14 Greece 15 Armenia 16 Croatia 17 Ireland 18 FYR Macedonia 19 Iceland Some thoughts - Based on reactions and clips, which have helped in some instances (bye Macedonia), this is my prediction. I’ve gone bold with having Azerbaijan retaining their 100% records - just. I think the package is just about satisfactory to slip through. Finland I think will be pegged up by UK, Estonia and Ireland enough to make it but I’m flip-flopping over this, which is unnerving me as it’s my favourite this year. I also think Bulgaria could win the jury vote - it has everything they will love, like Love Injected but with an even thicker production. Armenia would’ve only gone through if they were able to create a mood, which apparently they haven’t have succeeded at. I’ll decide on semi 2 once I’ve seen the footage to all.

7lxtg_78rTc *SPOILER ALERT* Official clip of what this will look like on TV. Undecided on this snippet? It's getting a lukewarm reception from the press room at best.

If you look at the top 3/5 of juries from past years, they are either contemporary pop songs or have a classic sound. Rybak has neither - this verges into novelty and I’m trying to fathom juries putting this even as high as left side. It’s insipid.

I think part of the explanation of the odds shortening is people getting wind of the return of Rybak and placing bets. I hope your gut is right. There is an outside chance he may not qualify as I think it’s feasible for juries to absolutely tank this to the bottom (where it rightfully deserves to be... I genuinely hate this with every fibre...)