1. Europe.
So, its 'Non'. Which wasn't a surprise. It is somewhat incongruous that in the UK, the treaty (not constitution) is presented as a Gaullist plot for the French to take over the world whereas opposition in France has come largely from the Left, who view it as a threat to French social consensus. The French Right appears to be somewhat more to the left than our own 'Labour' government, on economic and welfare matters at least.
I do have some sympathy with the French view, and I was never a major fan of expansion of the EU, which I always thought was something which happened too quickly and with no thought as to the eventual consequences. It would have made more sense for an associate membership to be developed for the East which could have transformed into full membership over time.
What is mildly amusing is that, of course, the Nice treaty remains intact, which is far more centralising than the provisions voted down in France.
I have always been a strong pro-EU advocate, but I can't say that I find the Blair vision for Europe appetising. The EU needs to be an alternative power bloc to the US, not slobbering at its coat-tails Blair-fashion. So, future development will be interesting
2. The Church.
Talking of failed, irrelevant institutions...have you heard the latest? The pathetic hand-wringers who are the 'liberal' face of the Church and are skilled only in vascillation and fence-sitting, have realised that they have got to abide by the Governments new regulations about gay and lesbian partnerships, and so have said that priests can have civil partnerships - but they must assure their bishops that they are not having any of that naughty sex stuff.
Now. lets have a bit of honest truth here ( yes, I know 'truth' and the 'church' are inherently incompatible, but try and suspend incredulity for just a moment......)
First, that gay priests in partnerships sleep together and have sex. That includes those who lie and say they are celibate. On one level I can understand their lies, but they are lies none theless and the reactionary wing of the Church knows it
Two, that there is absolutely no way that the Church would be able to police this other than CCTV in the bedroom.
Three, that one should perhaps serioulsy question whether any well-adjusted gay man would choose to become a functionary in an intrinsically homophobic institution in any case.
The outcome , I think, should be that gay priests should simply lie, and have no problem with doing so. The Church is a despicable institution, and I see no moral problem with lying given their homophobia. They can then wriggle and writhe as they decide what to do, given that there is nothing they actually can do!
But there is a wider issue - that whilst the rest of life continues, the Church remains locked into the values and views of another age, defending the indefensible, failing to face up to the reality that many of its traditional dogmas are simply not credible in the contemporary world - yet people cling to them, as security.
There is so much that Christianity, a forward looking, brave Christianity, shorn of its premodern shortcomings, could still have to say. But I don't believe that the Church as it stands has any possibility of being able to say it whilst it cannot break free from the dogmas and prejudices of the past. Indeed, it remains the major force of reaction in contemporary British society, opposing nearly all worthwhile reform, whilst propping up the Third World industry and failing to be honest about who is really to blame for African poverty (Africa!)
Since I stopped attending these things become all the more clear. I have to think seriously about whether I actually want to be part of this institution any longer. There are some good things going on - read Giles Fraser's columns in Church Times - www.churchtimes.co.uk - and the Guardian, or look at the Inclusive Church website - www.inclusivechurch.net - or John Spong's work. But whilst the CofE is led by a weak, other-worldly hypocrite like Rowan Williams, don't expect a great deal of change. Hand-wringing, guilt, warm words, yes, but not the resisitance to the voices of reaction which are needed if the Church is going to be worth being part of.
I addressed a meeting in recent months where someone said that the Church is going to have to effectively die before something new can arise and fill the gap left in terms of spirituality Perhaps they are right.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
About time I updated...
Though not a huge amount to say.
Have now submitted the bound PhD, which looks quite impressive if I say so myself.
May as well get religion and politics out of the way. Still haven't returned to church, and so far haven't missed it all that much - the latest is that the CofE have agreed that vicars can have civil partnerships as long as they promise not to have any naughty naked sex. Were it not that wanking is quite a healthy pursuit, the noun could have been invented especially for them. Cretins. Are they going to suggest CCTV in each clerical bedroom? And then they wonder why the church is despised. The local Diocese had its consultation meetings relating to the topic, following on from the study group I was part of, and I didn't find it very helpful. The fact is that there is not going to be agreement. So either we agree to differ, or we split.The latter is inevitable and I just wish it would happen quickly.
Politics. I have an application form to join the Labour party again. Should I do so? I really don't know. Part of me thinks, now the election has happened, its time to go back and work for change from within. But its hard to be entirely enthusiastic. The Tories, naturally, have thrown themselves into internal turmoil and argument following their election defeat. The husband of our local MP has been fined for criminal damage, flyposting over Tory posters during the election. There is plenty of mock-outrage in the local paper but I think its all a bit mannered and false.
Oh, and that bloody FROG thing is driving me mad.
Have now submitted the bound PhD, which looks quite impressive if I say so myself.
May as well get religion and politics out of the way. Still haven't returned to church, and so far haven't missed it all that much - the latest is that the CofE have agreed that vicars can have civil partnerships as long as they promise not to have any naughty naked sex. Were it not that wanking is quite a healthy pursuit, the noun could have been invented especially for them. Cretins. Are they going to suggest CCTV in each clerical bedroom? And then they wonder why the church is despised. The local Diocese had its consultation meetings relating to the topic, following on from the study group I was part of, and I didn't find it very helpful. The fact is that there is not going to be agreement. So either we agree to differ, or we split.The latter is inevitable and I just wish it would happen quickly.
Politics. I have an application form to join the Labour party again. Should I do so? I really don't know. Part of me thinks, now the election has happened, its time to go back and work for change from within. But its hard to be entirely enthusiastic. The Tories, naturally, have thrown themselves into internal turmoil and argument following their election defeat. The husband of our local MP has been fined for criminal damage, flyposting over Tory posters during the election. There is plenty of mock-outrage in the local paper but I think its all a bit mannered and false.
Oh, and that bloody FROG thing is driving me mad.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
2005 Eurovision Song Contest -my review....
So, its all over, the favourite won, and for a change nearly all the songs I like made the top 10!
Here's my verdict, with my marks out of 20
Hungary
The first of many, many ethno-pop songs of the night. Sort of Riverdance-meets-Wild Dances, with a weak lead singer and lots of choreography. The song was forgettable and frankly, irritating. The Hungarian national final featured some really good songs too....but i hope they wilkl drop the ethno next year! 9
United Kingdom
Sounding very similar to the preceding song, this just didn't sparkle. Javine appeared out of breath in places and the vocal was harsh. It was never much of a song, and whilst I don't think it was the worst in the contest, nor our worst entry, it wasn't good. The UK has to start taking this a bit more seriously or this low place will become the norm - if it hasn't already. 10
Malta
Fantastic! Not the best draw for a ballad, but Chiara was excellent. Its a simple, soaring ballad, and her singing was amazing. Just goes to show that a simple song, with just a singer on stage, no dancing, no backing singers, can still cut the mustard. Would it have won with a later draw? Or with 50% jury voting ( to break the balkan neighbourly voting) ? Who knows? But I hope Chiara will be back and next time, she may well win. 20
Romania
A good singer, certainly, and it actually won the semi-final. I didn't rate the song much, but she sang well, although it didn't have quite the impact of the semi. Beaty uptempo pop, with an industrial feel.. 12
Norway
I sincerely hope,now this hasn't won, that glam rock will never return to ESC. Straightforward rip off of Living on a prayer, very loud, very unpleasant - but then , I'm not a rock fan. Norway have entered some of my favourite ballads in the past and I hope this is a one-off! 2
Turkey
Ethno, ethno....very colourful performance, and she has a good voice, but a very 'typical Turkish entry' with all the ingredients you'd expect. At least they have a justifiable reason for entering something like this! 10
Moldova
Novelty song of the night. Touches of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, manic and crazy, with the added gimmick of the 80 year old on the drums which may have picked up a few votes. I was scared this would win, particularly when the semi result was leaked, but in the end it came in 6th. Not my sort of thing 9
Albania
More ethno, only this time even more tuneless and tedious than the ones before. Simply boring and forgettable 8
Cyprus
Skin tight while t-shirt, an energetic performance of - yes, another ethno-pop dance entry. One of the better ones all told, with the female guest vocalist used quite effectively,but it did blend in rather with everything else and didn't look like a winner 13
Spain
This was another rip-off - of the Ketchup Song this time. They looked colourful, but this wasn't a song to speak of - another novelty entry, and I don't think it worked. Tuneless noise 9
Israel
Before the contest I wasn't sure about this one, but yes, its a strong ballad from a good singer, though not a patch on Chiara. Still, good to see ballads doing well this year. I think it lacked 'light and shade', though - it didn't 'build' in the way a classic ballad always does. 16
Serbia and Montenegro
Six pretty boys doing some very curious dancing - apparently traditional Montenegran! Dramatic stuff, very well sung, and they looked as if they were enjoying themselves. I thought this was really good - one of my favourites 17
Denmark
The surprise of the night. I've always liked his singing but thought the song was forgettable - but after a few listens its finally made it through the memory banks. One of the best singers of the evening, this deserved to do well. Its a jaunty, mid-tempo easy-listening song, I can imagine it being played on Radio 2! 18
Sweden
With the current craze for retro show songs in the UK, I expected this to get high marks from us - it didn't. I don't know if it was a problem with the singer, but it seemed a bit flat, without the power of previous performances. Should have got more votes than it did though. Funnily enough, on first listyen I didn;t like it at all and predicted relegation to the semi for sweden. I was right 14
Macedonia
Can I admit that I thought this was OK? Martin, the singer, is a chunky, cute young man who really cannot dance at all! He didn't bother much last night! But of the uptempo songs, this wasprobably the one I liked most - its catchy and fun. And he's a sweetie! 14
Ukraine
The chant of the Orange Revolution comes to ESC. Powerful stuff, in the Chumbawamba vein, basically a rap with a chanted chorus. I liked it, but I can understand why it didn't go down a storm at ESC. Still, like nothing else and made a change from the ethno-pop 15
Germany
This was awful. Loud,laboured, tuneless and tedious. It deserved to do badly. 4
Croatia
Another football-chant chorus, which did better than I thought it would (helped by the Balkan bloc, which was well in evidence last night). mid-tempo, singalong stuff, slightly anthemic, but ultimately very average 10
Greece
The winner, and more ethno. I don't really get it, if I'm honest. I don't hate it, and I'm sure its good of its type - its just not the sort of music I would personally choose to listen to. But its catchy and contemporary, and Athens is a favourite city of mine, so well done Greece! 12
Russia
Avril Lasangneski lives! A production line rock chick singing an unmemorable song. Didn't like this. 6
Bosnia-Herzegovina
The first 'typical Euro-schlager' of the night, with a touch of motown rhythm and an Abba chorus. Jaunty, brash, fun, and forgettable. 12
Switzerland
They guaranteed some Baltic votes by picking a popular Estonian girl group who performed a rock track of absolutely no appeal to me. But my heavy-metal loving mate ben thought this was cool! 5
Latvia
A much better performance of a sweet and appealing song. This was, for me, the best actual song in the contest, and at one stage it was in the lead but faded towards the end. Still, 5th is very credible. Its a tuneful, gentle, acoustic ballad, and its simplicity and charm certainly did the trick for me 20
France
if French chanson is noted for anything its beautiful melodies - and whilst French ballad entries haven't won recently, they always do respectably. This was almost completely without a tune, and quite a bemusing entry from France. It could have been rescued by a funky, jazzy treatment, but this was just average 11
So - its off to Athens next year
A few observations:
* The 'Big 4' came last - not undeserved, as none of the songs were good. But they call the tune, financially, so I would expect - at least - some reforms, perhaps a return to an element of jury voting to break the ever-more-ridiculous Balkan bloc voting.
* Ballads did well this year, which i found encouraging
* Too much ethno-pop and exaggerated choreography following Ruslana's win last year. A bit more variety nest time, perhaps?
Here's my verdict, with my marks out of 20
Hungary
The first of many, many ethno-pop songs of the night. Sort of Riverdance-meets-Wild Dances, with a weak lead singer and lots of choreography. The song was forgettable and frankly, irritating. The Hungarian national final featured some really good songs too....but i hope they wilkl drop the ethno next year! 9
United Kingdom
Sounding very similar to the preceding song, this just didn't sparkle. Javine appeared out of breath in places and the vocal was harsh. It was never much of a song, and whilst I don't think it was the worst in the contest, nor our worst entry, it wasn't good. The UK has to start taking this a bit more seriously or this low place will become the norm - if it hasn't already. 10
Malta
Fantastic! Not the best draw for a ballad, but Chiara was excellent. Its a simple, soaring ballad, and her singing was amazing. Just goes to show that a simple song, with just a singer on stage, no dancing, no backing singers, can still cut the mustard. Would it have won with a later draw? Or with 50% jury voting ( to break the balkan neighbourly voting) ? Who knows? But I hope Chiara will be back and next time, she may well win. 20
Romania
A good singer, certainly, and it actually won the semi-final. I didn't rate the song much, but she sang well, although it didn't have quite the impact of the semi. Beaty uptempo pop, with an industrial feel.. 12
Norway
I sincerely hope,now this hasn't won, that glam rock will never return to ESC. Straightforward rip off of Living on a prayer, very loud, very unpleasant - but then , I'm not a rock fan. Norway have entered some of my favourite ballads in the past and I hope this is a one-off! 2
Turkey
Ethno, ethno....very colourful performance, and she has a good voice, but a very 'typical Turkish entry' with all the ingredients you'd expect. At least they have a justifiable reason for entering something like this! 10
Moldova
Novelty song of the night. Touches of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, manic and crazy, with the added gimmick of the 80 year old on the drums which may have picked up a few votes. I was scared this would win, particularly when the semi result was leaked, but in the end it came in 6th. Not my sort of thing 9
Albania
More ethno, only this time even more tuneless and tedious than the ones before. Simply boring and forgettable 8
Cyprus
Skin tight while t-shirt, an energetic performance of - yes, another ethno-pop dance entry. One of the better ones all told, with the female guest vocalist used quite effectively,but it did blend in rather with everything else and didn't look like a winner 13
Spain
This was another rip-off - of the Ketchup Song this time. They looked colourful, but this wasn't a song to speak of - another novelty entry, and I don't think it worked. Tuneless noise 9
Israel
Before the contest I wasn't sure about this one, but yes, its a strong ballad from a good singer, though not a patch on Chiara. Still, good to see ballads doing well this year. I think it lacked 'light and shade', though - it didn't 'build' in the way a classic ballad always does. 16
Serbia and Montenegro
Six pretty boys doing some very curious dancing - apparently traditional Montenegran! Dramatic stuff, very well sung, and they looked as if they were enjoying themselves. I thought this was really good - one of my favourites 17
Denmark
The surprise of the night. I've always liked his singing but thought the song was forgettable - but after a few listens its finally made it through the memory banks. One of the best singers of the evening, this deserved to do well. Its a jaunty, mid-tempo easy-listening song, I can imagine it being played on Radio 2! 18
Sweden
With the current craze for retro show songs in the UK, I expected this to get high marks from us - it didn't. I don't know if it was a problem with the singer, but it seemed a bit flat, without the power of previous performances. Should have got more votes than it did though. Funnily enough, on first listyen I didn;t like it at all and predicted relegation to the semi for sweden. I was right 14
Macedonia
Can I admit that I thought this was OK? Martin, the singer, is a chunky, cute young man who really cannot dance at all! He didn't bother much last night! But of the uptempo songs, this wasprobably the one I liked most - its catchy and fun. And he's a sweetie! 14
Ukraine
The chant of the Orange Revolution comes to ESC. Powerful stuff, in the Chumbawamba vein, basically a rap with a chanted chorus. I liked it, but I can understand why it didn't go down a storm at ESC. Still, like nothing else and made a change from the ethno-pop 15
Germany
This was awful. Loud,laboured, tuneless and tedious. It deserved to do badly. 4
Croatia
Another football-chant chorus, which did better than I thought it would (helped by the Balkan bloc, which was well in evidence last night). mid-tempo, singalong stuff, slightly anthemic, but ultimately very average 10
Greece
The winner, and more ethno. I don't really get it, if I'm honest. I don't hate it, and I'm sure its good of its type - its just not the sort of music I would personally choose to listen to. But its catchy and contemporary, and Athens is a favourite city of mine, so well done Greece! 12
Russia
Avril Lasangneski lives! A production line rock chick singing an unmemorable song. Didn't like this. 6
Bosnia-Herzegovina
The first 'typical Euro-schlager' of the night, with a touch of motown rhythm and an Abba chorus. Jaunty, brash, fun, and forgettable. 12
Switzerland
They guaranteed some Baltic votes by picking a popular Estonian girl group who performed a rock track of absolutely no appeal to me. But my heavy-metal loving mate ben thought this was cool! 5
Latvia
A much better performance of a sweet and appealing song. This was, for me, the best actual song in the contest, and at one stage it was in the lead but faded towards the end. Still, 5th is very credible. Its a tuneful, gentle, acoustic ballad, and its simplicity and charm certainly did the trick for me 20
France
if French chanson is noted for anything its beautiful melodies - and whilst French ballad entries haven't won recently, they always do respectably. This was almost completely without a tune, and quite a bemusing entry from France. It could have been rescued by a funky, jazzy treatment, but this was just average 11
So - its off to Athens next year
A few observations:
* The 'Big 4' came last - not undeserved, as none of the songs were good. But they call the tune, financially, so I would expect - at least - some reforms, perhaps a return to an element of jury voting to break the ever-more-ridiculous Balkan bloc voting.
* Ballads did well this year, which i found encouraging
* Too much ethno-pop and exaggerated choreography following Ruslana's win last year. A bit more variety nest time, perhaps?
Friday, May 20, 2005
Eurovision semi - review
The second ESC semi final televised this evening - for non-fans, there are now too many entrants to the numbers have to be whittled down in a semi final. 25 songs in all, 10 to go through.
Austria.
One of two 'novelty' entries, this was rather like a revisit of dr. Buzzard's original Savannah Band with a spot of yodelling. Very professional performance, but a quirky song which I liked a lot but can imagine a few scratched heads and confused expressions.
Lithuania
Totally forgettable, ordinary, uptempo song. I honestly cannot remember the tune, at all, only an evening later
Portugal
This was a mess. Its good on the CD, but live, it seemed frantic, with the singers too out of breath from their dance routines to concentrate on the song. It could have been good - a powerful chorus - but simply sounded overblown
Moldova
The second novelty entry of the night. Manic stuff, featuring a Granny and a drum, this doesn't appeal to me in the slightest, but 8 year olds will enjoy it. Much the same effect as Alffor Austria some years before. QUALIFIED
Latvia
My favourite song, pre-contest. It wasn't a confident performance from the young singers, but it still has charm a-plenty and with a very favourable final draw, I wouldn'truleout its chances if they are less nervous on the big night. QUALIFIED
Monaco
Fantastic performance from a very good singer. The song, a very dramatic, heavily orchestrated show tune, didn't quite have the automatic appeal needed, but if singing alone was the criteria, she'd have walked it.
Israel
I'm a ballad fan. So, I should love this song. But somehow it doesn't do much for me, and I don'tknow why. Its pretty enough, pleasant tune, good singer - but I didn't like it as much as any of the female ballads which didn't qualify. Just lacks that tingle factor which a great ballad has. QUALIFIED
Belarus
Almost ridiculously over the top, this sounded like a 'lets get the gay vote sewn up ' effort, which coming from a country as homophobic as Belarus is quite amusing! Pure hi-energy, excruciatingly badly sung, and what exactly was she wearing? I thought this would get through, I'm relieved it didn't.
Netherlands
The mystery non-qualifier of the evening. Strong sonmg, great vocal, albeit it is Whitney Houston to a tee in style. Black female singers don't have much of a record in ESC; perhaps its a very clearly American style of music which doesn't appeal widely in ESC terms ( see Bulgaria later)
Iceland
Selma isn't the best live performer in the world, and this stop-start, awkward song never sounded good to me. I didn;t think it wouldqualify and for once I was right. Just too ordinary, and forgettable - and yes,maybe she should have won in 99, but will anyone watching otyher than the diehard fans remember that?
Belgium
A very fine vocal performance indeed - but the song wasn't brilliant . Lyrically very repetitive (as my partner said, every other line, he's saying 'ce soir'). With a good song, he could have done very well. Portugal, choose him next year!
Estonia
A shambolic mess. They looked as if they were enjoying themselves, though, but the song , apart from being almost identical to 'My Heart Goes Boom' (Norway 2000) was predictable and ...loud!
Norway
I can't comment fairly on this. I hate and loathe rock music, and so trying to judge whether this is a good version or not is meaningless. Suffice to say, I hate it, and its the one song on the CD I havenever listened to and never will. Having Moldova in the final may well split its support. QUALIFIED
Romania
The surprise of the evening. A splendid performance and a very good, strong voice. Its not the greatest song in the world - tuneful, upbeat pop - but she did Romania proud and fully deserved to qualify. A bit like Albania last year- lets hope the sound engineers don't wreck her chances on Saturday QUALIFIED
Hungary
Ethno-pop, with a touch of Riverdance, a bit of Eastern promise, and a singer who, to me, looked as if she couldn't wait for the three minutes to end. Well choreographed, certainly, but I can't see what all the fuss is about. Boring song. QUALIFIED
Finland
Another very strong singer, but the song is seriously downbeat and mournful. Now, I like downbeat and mournful, but on the whole, this sort of song never does well. I liked it but it was never going to qualify
FYR Macedonia
Mmmmm. Thats for big, chunky Martin, who certainly floats my boat. Before the contest I thought this would provide our Jemini moment, but I was pleasantly surprised - he was fine, and whilst its not world class, its a catchy pop tune - which ,interestingly enough, was the song I hummed to myself after the contest. QUALIFIED
Andorra
Another very, very professional performance of a complex and difficult song - perhaps just too classy and uncommercial for mass appeal. It got a vote from me
Switzerland
This one mystifies me. Its a drab and dull song, very averagely performed, and I think the least deserved qualifier of the night. Just plain boring QUALIFIED
Croatia
An anthemic ballad with a football chant chorus. He sang it very well, and did look as if he was enjoying himself - makes so much difference. One day croatia will produce a real corker and win, but i don't think this is it QUALIFIED
Bulgaria
Another very well performed song, but again, laid back jazz isn't going to be a big scorer at ESC. This is the sort of music I liten to most, and it was probably the one I enjoyed most on the night, but I wasn't in the least surprised it didn't make it. I can imagine it being played alongside Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua on R2 though.
Ireland
What does Ireland do well, when it produces a good song? Ballads. Unfortunately, recent years have produced weak singers murdering pleasant ballads meaning few points. They sung well, but the whole thing had the effect of 'lets write a song which isnt a ballad for ESC' and tragically enough, Donna and Joe would have perfectly suited a sugary Disney ballad which could well have got through.
Slovenia
My partners favourite. Cute Omar sang well enough, and I was surprised it didn't qualify, but the effect of the loud rocky backing and the female backing singer was a shade of overkill. They should have stuck to the original instrumentation.Didn't stop me voting for it,though
Denmark
A very good, assured performance of a totally unmemorable song. At least it broadens the varity in the contest, and its nothing less than pleasant and well sung - but I don't think its a great song by any means.
Poland
Frantic Roma wedding music. Reminds me of an Israeli entry from the 80's - energetic enough, but not my sort of thing.
So - of the five I voted for ,only Latvia got through (no change there!). The draw has been kind to both my favourites, Malta will stand out in a sea of noise, and Latvia has the coveted penultimate spot - always good for a quiet, gentle ballad. They will be my votes on Saturday
Austria.
One of two 'novelty' entries, this was rather like a revisit of dr. Buzzard's original Savannah Band with a spot of yodelling. Very professional performance, but a quirky song which I liked a lot but can imagine a few scratched heads and confused expressions.
Lithuania
Totally forgettable, ordinary, uptempo song. I honestly cannot remember the tune, at all, only an evening later
Portugal
This was a mess. Its good on the CD, but live, it seemed frantic, with the singers too out of breath from their dance routines to concentrate on the song. It could have been good - a powerful chorus - but simply sounded overblown
Moldova
The second novelty entry of the night. Manic stuff, featuring a Granny and a drum, this doesn't appeal to me in the slightest, but 8 year olds will enjoy it. Much the same effect as Alffor Austria some years before. QUALIFIED
Latvia
My favourite song, pre-contest. It wasn't a confident performance from the young singers, but it still has charm a-plenty and with a very favourable final draw, I wouldn'truleout its chances if they are less nervous on the big night. QUALIFIED
Monaco
Fantastic performance from a very good singer. The song, a very dramatic, heavily orchestrated show tune, didn't quite have the automatic appeal needed, but if singing alone was the criteria, she'd have walked it.
Israel
I'm a ballad fan. So, I should love this song. But somehow it doesn't do much for me, and I don'tknow why. Its pretty enough, pleasant tune, good singer - but I didn't like it as much as any of the female ballads which didn't qualify. Just lacks that tingle factor which a great ballad has. QUALIFIED
Belarus
Almost ridiculously over the top, this sounded like a 'lets get the gay vote sewn up ' effort, which coming from a country as homophobic as Belarus is quite amusing! Pure hi-energy, excruciatingly badly sung, and what exactly was she wearing? I thought this would get through, I'm relieved it didn't.
Netherlands
The mystery non-qualifier of the evening. Strong sonmg, great vocal, albeit it is Whitney Houston to a tee in style. Black female singers don't have much of a record in ESC; perhaps its a very clearly American style of music which doesn't appeal widely in ESC terms ( see Bulgaria later)
Iceland
Selma isn't the best live performer in the world, and this stop-start, awkward song never sounded good to me. I didn;t think it wouldqualify and for once I was right. Just too ordinary, and forgettable - and yes,maybe she should have won in 99, but will anyone watching otyher than the diehard fans remember that?
Belgium
A very fine vocal performance indeed - but the song wasn't brilliant . Lyrically very repetitive (as my partner said, every other line, he's saying 'ce soir'). With a good song, he could have done very well. Portugal, choose him next year!
Estonia
A shambolic mess. They looked as if they were enjoying themselves, though, but the song , apart from being almost identical to 'My Heart Goes Boom' (Norway 2000) was predictable and ...loud!
Norway
I can't comment fairly on this. I hate and loathe rock music, and so trying to judge whether this is a good version or not is meaningless. Suffice to say, I hate it, and its the one song on the CD I havenever listened to and never will. Having Moldova in the final may well split its support. QUALIFIED
Romania
The surprise of the evening. A splendid performance and a very good, strong voice. Its not the greatest song in the world - tuneful, upbeat pop - but she did Romania proud and fully deserved to qualify. A bit like Albania last year- lets hope the sound engineers don't wreck her chances on Saturday QUALIFIED
Hungary
Ethno-pop, with a touch of Riverdance, a bit of Eastern promise, and a singer who, to me, looked as if she couldn't wait for the three minutes to end. Well choreographed, certainly, but I can't see what all the fuss is about. Boring song. QUALIFIED
Finland
Another very strong singer, but the song is seriously downbeat and mournful. Now, I like downbeat and mournful, but on the whole, this sort of song never does well. I liked it but it was never going to qualify
FYR Macedonia
Mmmmm. Thats for big, chunky Martin, who certainly floats my boat. Before the contest I thought this would provide our Jemini moment, but I was pleasantly surprised - he was fine, and whilst its not world class, its a catchy pop tune - which ,interestingly enough, was the song I hummed to myself after the contest. QUALIFIED
Andorra
Another very, very professional performance of a complex and difficult song - perhaps just too classy and uncommercial for mass appeal. It got a vote from me
Switzerland
This one mystifies me. Its a drab and dull song, very averagely performed, and I think the least deserved qualifier of the night. Just plain boring QUALIFIED
Croatia
An anthemic ballad with a football chant chorus. He sang it very well, and did look as if he was enjoying himself - makes so much difference. One day croatia will produce a real corker and win, but i don't think this is it QUALIFIED
Bulgaria
Another very well performed song, but again, laid back jazz isn't going to be a big scorer at ESC. This is the sort of music I liten to most, and it was probably the one I enjoyed most on the night, but I wasn't in the least surprised it didn't make it. I can imagine it being played alongside Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua on R2 though.
Ireland
What does Ireland do well, when it produces a good song? Ballads. Unfortunately, recent years have produced weak singers murdering pleasant ballads meaning few points. They sung well, but the whole thing had the effect of 'lets write a song which isnt a ballad for ESC' and tragically enough, Donna and Joe would have perfectly suited a sugary Disney ballad which could well have got through.
Slovenia
My partners favourite. Cute Omar sang well enough, and I was surprised it didn't qualify, but the effect of the loud rocky backing and the female backing singer was a shade of overkill. They should have stuck to the original instrumentation.Didn't stop me voting for it,though
Denmark
A very good, assured performance of a totally unmemorable song. At least it broadens the varity in the contest, and its nothing less than pleasant and well sung - but I don't think its a great song by any means.
Poland
Frantic Roma wedding music. Reminds me of an Israeli entry from the 80's - energetic enough, but not my sort of thing.
So - of the five I voted for ,only Latvia got through (no change there!). The draw has been kind to both my favourites, Malta will stand out in a sea of noise, and Latvia has the coveted penultimate spot - always good for a quiet, gentle ballad. They will be my votes on Saturday
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Election postmortem
On the whole, I'm happy with the result.
Labour held on here as well - and despite my disagreements with the MP: she works hard locally and the cable channel presenter the Tories put up wasn't credible.
I would think that Gordon's accession will be unopposed and should happen sooner not later.
But the Tories, looking beneath the surface, really are in trouble. The rise in the LD vote was largely disaffected Labour voters. Get rid of Blair, replace him with Gordon, and without the Iraq war factor, many of those voters will return. They certainly weren' t considering a move to the Tories who seem unable to get above 33% of the vote.
If I were a Tory, I'd be seriously looking at how the party MUST change and accept the reality of the 21st century. A bit like the Church, really....
Labour held on here as well - and despite my disagreements with the MP: she works hard locally and the cable channel presenter the Tories put up wasn't credible.
I would think that Gordon's accession will be unopposed and should happen sooner not later.
But the Tories, looking beneath the surface, really are in trouble. The rise in the LD vote was largely disaffected Labour voters. Get rid of Blair, replace him with Gordon, and without the Iraq war factor, many of those voters will return. They certainly weren' t considering a move to the Tories who seem unable to get above 33% of the vote.
If I were a Tory, I'd be seriously looking at how the party MUST change and accept the reality of the 21st century. A bit like the Church, really....
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I'm voting Labour
The priority has to be to keep the Tories out.
Vote Labour if its a marginal seat where the Tories may be elected and Labour are in first or second
Vote Lib Dem if its a marginal seat where the Tories may be elected and the LibDems are in first or second.
Just don't give the Tories any satisfaction from their disgusting racist campaign. And to make it even worse, Dracula supports the Redshite.
Vote Labour if its a marginal seat where the Tories may be elected and Labour are in first or second
Vote Lib Dem if its a marginal seat where the Tories may be elected and the LibDems are in first or second.
Just don't give the Tories any satisfaction from their disgusting racist campaign. And to make it even worse, Dracula supports the Redshite.
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