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Eurovision - all in English?


norfolk dumpling
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Having seen the Eurovision Song Contest it's convinced me even more that we are not the same. I notice you can't vote for your own country, but looking at the huge popular vote for Poland it can only be because there are so manny Polish people living outside their own country, they can boost the Polish vote by voting for themselves from outside of Poland.

Edited by Fisheruk
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Years ago it was just about singing a song and their were some real random things on there but now it is a big stage managed event by a load of loveyes and it is a total load of rubbish. For several years I start to watch it but I soon go and find something else to do because I can't put up with it. the wife likes to watch it. The hound and I go off. The hound has better taste in viewing than the wife.

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I looked at it on and off and thought that most of the songs was not that bad but they had to spoil it at the end by voting for the that stupid song putting Russia down why can people not get above that sort of thing after all it is supposed to be a song contest so vote for the best song.

 

One thing that made me smile was at a time when lots of us British people would like to get out of Europe they all even the French decide to sing in English how ironic.

Edited by four-wheel-drive
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I noticed the point about it all being in English, I feel that is deeply significant but I can't quite put my finger on why I think so. It was the first one I have watched in many a long year.

 

It also makes me realise how many titchy little countries there are in Europe now that barely register in my mind as actually being countries. Again, deeply significant when they all have voting rights not only in Eurovision but many also (more worryingly) in the EU parliament. :no:

 

The thing that baffles me about many of the songs is how several of the country's deciding committees can listen to their particular entry and think "Yes! we will go with that, its a winner"

Edited by Vince Green
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Could the reason for singing in English not just be in order to have a song that is in the most widely spoken first and second language in Europe and therefore most widely relatable to the voting audience?

No. It's clearly a EU conspiracy funded by the BBC and engineered in an island volcano by David Cameron and Barack Obamy. Edited by FalconFN
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One thing that made me smile was at a time when lots of us British people would like to get out of Europe they all even the French decide to sing in English how ironic.

I'm not sure we do want to get out of Europe, we'd need some pretty big oars if we did. Singing some cheesy pop songs in spandex isn't quite the same league as the political union we are now in. Although I'm not sure which is worse.
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I think the whole country should take a vote on whether we stay in the Eurovision or not - although if we stop writing and singing songs who knows what could happen - more likely to be a War for one , I should think, and exports would plummet as well as the cost of food increasing :whistling:

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Could the reason for singing in English not just be in order to have a song that is in the most widely spoken first and second language in Europe and therefore most widely relatable to the voting audience?

I think its more to do with the marketability of the song afterwards. English is becoming the world language in every sense. In Amsterdam you hear the locals talk to each other in English, its trendy or whatever to do so. At the Van Gogh exhibition we were behind a German family in the queue but I noted that they spoke in English in order to buy their tickets. Didn't notice many Germans at the Anne Frank exhibition.............

Part of the spread of English/American is TV. Thousands of channels around the world now relies on recycling all those old programmes we and the yanks churned out over and over. What people in Belrus make of On the Buses god only knows but its cheap TV.

 

A friend in Arizona is hooked on New Tricks but has to email me to ask what some of the words mean.

Edited by Vince Green
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I went to see it once (free tickets :) ) in Belgrade it was a surprisingly good night. At the door you were given a flag of your country to waive. They were so surprised to see some one from UK there they did not have a flag to hand and brought me one in the audience. Impressive co operation by the Slavic countries on the voting and also how serious everyone took it.

 

I see last night Australia were competing! Looks like a new EU recruit don't you think? :lol: May have to be a bit more flexible on their immigration policy.

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English is becoming the world language in every sense. In Amsterdam you hear the locals talk to each other in English, its trendy or whatever to do so

 

I chatted to an ex-pat in Amsterdam a few years ago. I asked if he spoke Dutch and he said he could get by speaking it although he read it far better. He said that he didn`t really need it though as all his Dutch friends just wanted to practice their English whenever he was around.

 

It`s the same throughout most of Europe, virtually all the younger generation have some level of English. I know we`re often criticised for not learning other languages, and I wish I spoke something other but really, for the most part it`s unnenecessary these days.

 

People can say what they like about Britain, say that we`re no longer a global power, that we have lost our influence on the world stage. But when it comes down to it, it`s our language that is the language of trade and diplomacy, maybe music too.

I went to see it once (free tickets :) ) in Belgrade it was a surprisingly good night. At the door you were given a flag of your country to waive. They were so surprised to see some one from UK there they did not have a flag to hand and brought me one in the audience. Impressive co operation by the Slavic countries on the voting and also how serious everyone took it.

 

I see last night Australia were competing! Looks like a new EU recruit don't you think? :lol: May have to be a bit more flexible on their immigration policy.

 

My Serbian mate lives in Belgrade, he`s a huge Eurovision fan.

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I was in Prague in the Czech Republic in January and EVERYONE spoke English, from the street cleaners to the President (didn't meet him, he was on telly). I only watch ESC as some of the 'music' is so awful I find it compulsive viewing, to see each year to what new depths it has sunk, and also for Graham Norton's tongue in cheek commentary, following in the footsteps of Terry Wogan. I see it as an annual event that should NOT be taken too seriously.

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