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So goes the famous headline from the Times at the turn of the last century, one thats often trotted out to explain the strange relationship Britain has with Europe. Last weekend saw me surrounded by close friends, awash with an assortment of fiery beverages and obscure comestibles from across Europe, as we got nice and tight to enjoy the annual Eurovision Song Contest.
The media in Britain have been much exercised by our entry coming last, again. For those who are unfamiliar with the contest, it has been held since the early fifties, and is a kind of cultural version of the European Ideal. For many years it featured reasonably well established performers, backed by the house band of their state broadcaster, delivering some inoffensive easy-listening. This would be followed by phoned in jury votes from all the competing countries, one would get the most points, Iceland would get nothing, and we'd all trot off to the winners country next year.
It provided simple, comfortingly familiar elements. Bad costumes. Germany sending someone slightly deranged. Short 45 second films between songs for the scene-shifters to get busy that featured tourist board approved aerial swoops. Hilarious communication breakdowns and link delays during the voting. Best of all her in Blighty, long standing commentator Terry Wogan getting steadly more tipsy and making ever more ascerbic remarks on the acts, the hosts, the jury decisions.
However, in recent years, Britain has become vexed by the increasing number of eastern European countries that have appeared, and the apparent block voting of some of these countries that has all but locked out the old western European stalwarts. No post-Berlin Wall peace dividend for these nations purveyors of pop. The only surprise, given that Greece and Cyprus always gifted each other the maximum 12 points, was that these people were surprised.
It all came to a head this year. Terry is suggesting he no longer wants to be involved, and has seriously suggested whether we as a nation should also keep plugging away at it. Russia won with 272 points, Britain got 14. The general vibe here is that eastern Europe en masse has got uppity and really doesn't understand that a) this is a song contest and b) our song was clearly the best. This whole former-communist back-slapping and mutual appreciation society has simply got to stop.
For me though, its not the voting. The spectacle has ceased to be entertaining. With 47 countries now taking part, there are two 'qualifying' sessions to see who joins the five countries (Britain, Spain, France, Germany and last years winner) who are automatically through to the Saturday night final by dint of paying for the whole darned thing. Eurovision was fun for two reasons - surprisingly awful entries and politically skewed voting. Now, with all the entries' carefully choreographed videos on line, and the qualifying sessions, there are none of the surprises. No more the sudden delight that Estonia is being represented by three transvestite air hostesses. No more the quiet awe at finally seeing a German about whom we only knew that he described his hair as 'meat coloured'.
The voting has suffered too. But this is only because, to get through all 47 telephone voting results, only the top three scores from each are verbally announced now, meaning that its difficult to keep track of whats happening. Its an anti-climax, when it used to be the time for the greatest laughs.
Its also damned difficult to get hold of traditional Azerbaijani food in our local supermarket.
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Posted by Perigo_Minas on 2008-05-27 15:44:35 | Rating: | Views: 124
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Hooray, another Eurovision blog entry! I thought it would just be me.
You're right, it's just not as much fun as even just a few years ago and without Terry Wogan you wonder how it can be in future...
BTW what mines?
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Posted by rose22
on 2008-05-27 16:06:35
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