Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest was controversial again - we finished joint last with Poland and Germany (who I'm sure were not in harmony), actual last on countback, best song did not win the contest again.

BBC need to use their financial influence as one of richest Big 4 host broadcasters to threaten withdrawal due to unfair dominance of Eastern Europe unless changes are made to allow a FAIR FOR ALL competition or the British Broadcasting Corporation will end the 51 year history of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest (that is if the ITV or Channel 4 do not bid to be broadcaster should, just should the BBC pull out).

7 million watched last night, down a couple of million last year, if Wogan "reconsiders his future" as BBC commentator, the contest will lose even more UK viewers and it could well be the road to ruin.

Does anyone else really give a toss about the eurovision song contest???

or just you kentish, personally i think its a waste of time.

I support the UK at this contest because I am British.

I believe that if conditions were better we could win this contest again because I was told from a very age that if you believe when nobody else seems to want to believe than something magical can happen because they are the right values to have.

If I didn't believe that Pools could one day get to the play off final and win promotion after being constantly bottom of the League and on the verge of non-existence twice in my life time I wouldn't support them - I believe that I'm part of a very SPECIAL club, unlike the Southern kids of my age who become gloryhunters whilst claiming to "support" Arsenal and Man United and they don't any of the history of those clubs if you'd asked them.

Some people today have no fanatical endurance and determination.

It's the same philosophy I've had in life, in supporting Pools and so these are the same beliefs and values we should have in regards to this contest - all part and parcel of being a fan.

I am proud for Andy Abraham that Eurovision has given a man who only three, four years ago was a humble binman the chance of singing live in fron of 100 million people worldwide - there is no other television programme in the world that can automatically give that much spotlight to such a humble person.

Certain events in our history at this contest have led to frustration, which has lead to bitterness and disenchartment.

But why should we put up with all that just for the sake of Andy Abraham? What has he ever done to deserve it, eh?

Get him back on the bins, I say

You forgot though. It's the fucking Eurovision Song Contest. That's the biggest post of heartfelt non sequitur bollocks I've read in a long time. I'll repeat - it's the fucking Eurovision Song Contest. Not a self-analysis of socio-cultural pressures reflecting upon the immediate international stage through the medium or audio-visual artistry.

The only reason we're so shite half of the time is because of self-sabotage. None of the acts in the last 6 or 7 years are well known at all. When we used to dominate, it was with actual musicians, not one hit wonders that are only created as an excuse to have yet another fucking knockout competition on BBC.

If we put our version of Dima Bilan out there, whoever they are, we might do it. Bilan could've sung Baa Baa Black Sheep and won because he has so many fans. Until then, it's a fucking joke. It's not even European - other countries that have the ability to enter include Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. It's like UEFA... they don't know how to define Europe.

And Andy the Binman isn't the only example of this rise to fame from partial pity. Besides, another binman made it big on The Apprentice USA a while back, who also fell at the final hurdle. Still earns a packet. He's arguably also doing better than Andy Abrahams, who not everyone here knows, never mind European Song Contest watchers. Maybe we should've put him in council overalls?

All bollocks. Useless contest and a waste of money, and has been for the last 20 years

If it were pools in any contest similar to this i'd support them until my last breath, but i have never had an interest in the euro mong/sing a long for planks around europe, and i never will, waste of my tv licence fee.

Couldn't get that excited about it.

All a bit crap with formulaic songs and performers selected cos they 'look right' rather than any sort of musical talent. The most interesting thing was the mangled English of that horsey looking female presenter with the blonde hair.

Television really is trash.

See he agrees me because if you are a fan of something, it is something that you have had a paaion for all of your life (Eurovision isn't my biggest passion, Pools are) but all the same that passion disappears, even how small it is it's going to affect you.

Great shout for Greece, Mutley - it should have won even though she was Greek-American, she had great charisma I thought.

The only thing I question though is Latvia - I hope that 1 next to it doesn't mean you wanted it to win - I found it daft and (entertaining) but personally compared to Greece's very modern "Shakira" like entry I thought there was no contest.

Germany I thought were off-key at the start and thought they would get nil points.

Finland deserved to be top half - obviously well into their heavy metal in Finland.

France and Croatia felt very cool and classy entries and deserved to better.

How the hell did Bosnia-Herzegovina get 110 POINTS ???????

How the hell did Spain get 55 POINTS ?

I quite liked Armenia and Georgia for the quickest length of time taken by a blind lady to change her dress halfway through an act.

I thought a very good song from us (Wogan helped choose it during national final) - would have been happy with a top half finish but for the second year in a row, the UK have received the second worst result in OUR history.

As I say, we've got to use our influence as a Big Four country to make the contest fair to East and West so that eventually the right song does win on the night (maybe bring back juries) or it could be the end of a beautiful friendship.

I've heard on good authority from someone that works in TV that Wogan drinks Baileys steadily while he's doing the Eurovision, it is quite detectable as the night wears on that he gets more and more controversial!

I caught a bit last night and as loads of rarfs were whooping like goons in the green room with some over excited hosts describing the 'great party' back stage he came out with "That is the type party that I wouldn't even want to attend if I was on my death bed".

Without Wogan it would be the single worst thing that is ever on British television. Did you see that lad presenting the Swedish results? He was jabbering like he had a terminal illness.

No I agree with you there, we (UK) could certainly send something more adventurous to Eurovision seeing as Shakira nearly won for Greece, which would have been a little odd for this contest.

Quality of the entries that go through to the national final could be better.

End of term report: UK could do better. Not good enough.

We didn't even get through the night without the Czech Republic cocking up the announcement of the votes. Nearly had to start again.

They always seem to go mad waving flags in that green room - it wouldn't be Eurovision without it.

There was an article announcing the five worst ever ideas during last week. The atom bomb and reality television were amongst the top five, but Eurovision came nowhere. The idea of a European music contest in theory works but the standard of some entries (IE Ours) and the voting system needs to improve. We need to take it seriously like we did in the 1990s.

Remember: ELEVEN YEARS OF HURT....NEVER STOPPED US DREAMING.

We couldn't do any better though whatever they send because the way it's voted for by people who don't like us.

We'd be better off sending some Eastern European immigrant singing some absolute Euro guff to get a few votes off the Baltic states, no fooker in Europe likes us.

We should do shite in the Eurovision song contest as surely we're above it, I'd rather we sent that fat lass with the dress off the X Factor or a one eyed hermaphrodite prostitute to masturbate in front of the audience. It would get as many votes.

Oh and were do you get the motivation to be so bothered about such shite?

Could do better? Should do far worse for me!

I think I'm a genuinely passionate person....passionate about all things, Pools.

I like/ liked (delete where appropriate) this programme because I grew up to learn that I thought it was dare I say it, a British institution. The mighty United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the world's greatest singing competition, the Eurovision Song Contest. Good evening Stockholm, this is London calling...and all that. I like because it's a television programme with a lot of history and class behind it.

I know the problems of this contest in the last decade have caused people to be bitter and dispondent, but I would say you are even where this is concerned more negative than others.

Jesus Kentish are you related to weeping Loid Gary Mann? (see avatar )

Get a fucking grip mate it's the Eurovision song contest, even Wogan thinks it shite thats why he makes it worth watching! He said at the end of it last night "I've got to go and decide whether I want to do this again" I think if he rapped in they wouldn't show it on BBC One anymore as it wouldn't be worth watching.

Ladies and gentleman, I would like to confess that I am the bkloke who cried when we got relegated three years ago and when we lost to Bristol City in the play-offs. I am not afraid to confess that.

As a fan, however hard you may want to believe it, passion does make you do some extraordinary things.

I'm as passionate a Pools fan as you could meet. I'd also like to think however that I have some perspective when realising what the really important things are in life.

Football is just a game, a great one yes but nothing more. The Eurovision song contest is light entertainment car crash television nothing more get a grip!

Can someone help me. My computer seems to have gone haywire, I believed I logged onto a site called POOLIE BUNKER, but for some reason I getting posts on the biggest load of B****X to ever be shown on tv. Mainly the Eurovision song contest.

I mean the Eurovision song contest, Im absolutely dumbfounded.

Looks like i need a new computer cos THIS ONE HAS THE MOST SERIOUS VIRUS I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED

If we cant win......... or even get close with 'Ooh aah Just A Little Bit' we really might as well give up.

'We Are Robbing You Blind....I Hope You Don't Mind'!!!!

I thought my negative post would finish this thread off but its run and run. Whats going on, it really was crap and not worth a moments attention, not even worth the miniscule use of electricity and consequent contribution to global warming caused by switching the box on to see it.

IT WAS BLOODY AWFUL.

See there's been a stabbing in Kent.

It's nice to know that although my reply was ignored, PJ Poolie was gallantly able to take on the helm. FFS, it's Eurovision. Passionate about Pools or not, it's not the fucking same thing. Jesus fucking Christ, I think I'm going insane reading the diatribe on here

anyway, did anyone watch the eurovision song contest the other day?

Excuse me Bob but can I just remind the Bunkerites of some of the absolutely fascinating and intriguing non-Pools related topics that we had in the last week or so and the main culprits:

the things you do when you are bored - poolieinnottingham
rag and bone men - townendtimmy
which 5 people would you er ? - Warwick Hunt
Skip Hire - alybaba
Climate Change: Your Thoughts - parmopooly
Had A Game Of Monopoly - mouldy old dough

....and so on and so forth.

At least I didn't have the audacity to wrtite in the subject box: POLITICAL VOTING IN THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST.
I delibertately used a neutral title so the topic would not sound so disconcerting.

Yeah but it wasn't me Frodraff.

Was it on like, I thought someone would have mentioned it to let us all know like

will all of yous stop adding to this fooking post every time i log on it comes up that i havent read all the posts so have to reopen it just to read more crap

more important things have happened since the song contest

fooking leeds got beat for one

now forget about this and look elsewhere there might be something worth reading

I'm tempted to buy this year's compilation album seeing as it was Eurovision of Pools Centenary Year...

Or I might even torrent it off the Internet.

Much much better overall 2008 than last year's except for Bosnia (didn't know what the hell they were singing about), Spain (?) - I think Latvia's growing on me though.

Nope.

Wrong again.

OI!!! I NEVER STARTED THAT DEBATE!!! I finished it though!!!

That was me actually.

But climate change is all over the news and affects us all, and everyone has an opinion on it.

The Eurovision Song Contest does not. Ever. End of.

Here Mutley where'd you get the tracks for that CD, I don't know whether the torrent for the Eurovision soundtrack is on the Internet yet, you couldn't sort me out with something if you were to pm me, could you ?

Thanks Mutley.

This shows most people take it seriously - it's on CNN's news site:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/24/eurovision.contest.ap/index.html

This is a beauty....and so is she....

By the way Kent, although it seems that you've ignored my points against your strong, heartfelt and somewhat tearful views of a song contest which we've finished sub-15th in over the last 8 years, I'm still wondering why you class the threads you do as awful compared to yours.

The threads are the kind which people come on message boards for. I don't really know how your thread is better than mine about climate change when in reality it was a basic poll with a (proper) current affairs topic that everybody has a view on. Things we do when bored is apt given that the Bunker is one of them. Rag and bone men have been a feature of the community for as long as I remember. Yours was a serious tirade against a long outdated Eastern Bloc-run bag of shite that you somehow found paralleled your tireless and emotional efforts as a Hartlepool United fan.

Dug your own grave on this one I'm afraid. Not that I expect a reply to my original post

You know it did start as a friendly discussion but if you're going to take it like that, than it's quite unfortunate.

We were quite passionate about this contest, the only reason why there our people who seem to have lost the passion that people had for the contest is because the poor results of the last six years have caused people like yourself to become bitter and disenchanted and frustrated. It becomes a vicious circle, with moor bad results leading to even more bitterness and that is causing to be more divided then we were ever before.

We should not argue. For the sake of all the British viewers and fans and for the sake of our country, we should at least in our way give our representative some sort of support, whether it be psychological or physical - the type of which turned a little football club I once knew that were on the brink of the Vauxhall Conference, which led us to the brink of the highest level in our 97-year history.

We did not stop believing that we couldn't one day win another promotion when we finished near bottom of the League every season and and the tax man nearly shutting the club down.

Even though we lost all those play-off semi-finals, we still kept our belief that one day we would reach the valhallah of Cardiff and the greatest day in the history of the club and we did it because we believed.

Those our important belief systems to have, our children don't leran that supporting the likes of Arsenal and Man United who seem to succeed every year and when there is a crisis at their club, nobody can seem to cope but when your a Hartlepool supporter or supporter of any small club, the philosophies that you are equipped with through supporting a club where success seems sparse. Why can't, we as normal unsuccessful people who have to strive and work through life, use those thought processes here ? The Reps are people as well - not easy in front of a worldwide audience, pressures of a country disenchanted and disbelieving etc.

Because I know that support from each other makes us stronger as a unit.

(Both hands up.)

But do we really want to see images like these yet again ?

Not at all.

I just lampooned you by putting my belief in an overblown manner.

Then ended it with a hard hitting fact.

Even if it's non sequitur or just to prove that I'm my own man.

Or that I'm never wrong.



And come on Kent, don't get all prudish and confrontational. The essence of message boards are arguing about stuff, particularly pointless shite. Which is what most people class Eurovision as. You say it's a friendly discussion but the discussion never began because you completely overlooked my (albeit purposely OTT) view.

I think you jumped in with allegories and metaphors a bit too quickly, you can relate being a fan of Hartlepool United to anything because for most people here it's central to their character.

As I say, it's Eurovision. Out of everyone I know, the only people who watch it only like it for Wogan's overt mockery or the plain awfulness of the songs.

If you wanna relate British Eurovision to Pools, think of the British as Danny Wilson or Martin Scott. Although we think we'll get something out of it, we don't play our strongest card and then kick ourselves when we lose. It's simple. If we took it seriously, we'd win. We just need a proper band regardless of music taste (I mean Lordi won it, right?). People will vote because they like the band, not the song.

The entrants are well aware that most of the country don't care. Most of them just prefer to get the exposure, a bit like Andy Abrahams on Pop Idol. They get paid, regardless of winning.

And criticising me for taking it too seriously, Kentish? Please... the hypocrisy is killing me!

Yeah, but what happens when a mere television programme becomes bigger than what it was in the past...anyone else would agree with me that Eurovision isn't just any old programme (or at least it should never be anyway) especially with such a rich and controversial history.

We used to take this competition seriously. It's frustrating to the fans that in the last eleven years interest seems to have declined in various ways. If we aregoing to win this competition again, as well as the East's unfair advantage needing to be taken away, we should take this contest seriously like we did ten years. It has been frustrating to see how our attitude seems to have chnaged over the last eleven years as well.

I think there are plenty of people in this country who care about the deterioration of the contest over the last eleven years, not just Eurovision fans and dare I say it, people who may have Stonewall membership cards. I hope they don't prefer just to get the exposure, I believe it should be something more like a piece of charity to your fellow man. I know that if I won the honour of representing our great country at this contest, I would pay back my wages if I received below a certain amount of points and I would allow people who bought my single if pre-released to claim their money-back if the entry did poorly.

That's like saying that most people like to indulge in a bit of scat because there are websites dedicated to it on tinternet.

Some people today aren't complete headbangers either........

I don't care about a winkywanky song singing competition

I do care about your quote, please, for the love of God, the sweet baby Jesus, the Angels above and Sir Cyril Knowles, change the fcuking thing, its cack