🇬🇷 A very competitive country with a high standard of entries so not an easy decision to make.
:12: 2001 "Die For You"
:10: 2005 "My Number One"
:8: 2022 "Die Together"
:7: 2014 "Rise Up"
:6: 2013 "Alcohol Is Free"
:5: 2006 "Everything"
:4: 2010 "Opa"
:3: 2007 "Yassou Maria"
:2: 2004 "Shake It"...
It pains me to say it but seeing them all together is just depressing.
Ireland simply didn’t bother at times including sending perhaps the worst, and certainly most cynical Eurovision song ever 🦃, all the time wingeing about the 1990s, “Eastern Blockers” and political voting.
:12: 2006...
Unless something has changed, Kosovo will need to be in the ITU to join the EBU. As the ITU is a UN agency they aren’t currently able to join. I do believe I heard somewhere that the EBU were reviewing the ITU requirement which would potentially open the door to Kosovo’s participation...
Russia’s and Belarus’ absence doesn’t make much difference in my view. If we look at the last decade it’s always going a bit up or down either side of 40.
And we don’t actually know what efforts are made to convince other countries anyway.
My thoughts on Ireland are:
1. Go the Dutch route. Get a good artist with a good song, not something consciously crafted for Eurovision from a perspective that doesn’t even appreciate what Eurovision is in 2022.
2. Keep it authentic, don’t buy something in from abroad. Why not something in...
:12: 2009 "It's My Time"
:10: 2002 "Come Back"
:8: 2013 "Believe in Me"
:7: 2014 "Children of the Universe"
:6: 2016 "You're Not Alone"
:5: 2022 "Space Man"
:4: 2018 "Storm"
:3: 2005 "Touch My Fire"
:2: 2007 "Flying the Flag (For You)"
:1: 2017 "Never Give Up on You"
:12: 2012 "Quédate conmigo"
:10: 2003 "Dime"
:8: 2019 "La venda"
:7: 2002 "Europe's Living a Celebration"
:6: 2016 "Say Yay!"
:5: 2015 "Amanecer"
:4: 2014 "Dancing in the Rain"
:3: 2022 "SloMo"
:2: 2011 "Que me quiten lo bailao"
:1: 2009 "La noche es para mí"
I don’t see any sign of a crisis in terms of withdrawing participants impacting the contest’s viability.
Entering Eurovision is a pretty significant commitment for a broadcaster, even larger ones, (not necessarily financially but in terms of effort and resources to ensure success - however...
I think the beauty of Ukrainian culture is that they have a very strong visual identity which could be incorporated in many ways.
I’d like to see Ukrainian artists in every interval act and wouldn’t be keen on Sam Ryder handing over the trophy. Eurovision itself is a statement of unity...
Some quite underrated songs here (I really like their debut from 2005 for example) and 12 points go to one of my favourite songs of recent years.
:12: 2016 "If Love was a Crime"
:10: 2017 "Beautiful Mess"
:8: 2018 "Bones"
:7: 2021 "Growing up is Getting Old"
:6: 2005 "Lorraine"
:5: 2012...