Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE ONGOING EUROPEAN financial crisis has taken an unlikely toll – forcing two countries to pull out of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Portugal has followed the lead of Poland by reportedly indicating it will not send an entry to next year’s content in Malmo.
Poland had withdrawn from last year’s contest – having finished last in its semi-final when it last participated in 2011 – and has confirmed it will not be participating when the show returns to Sweden next year.
However, it is now reported that Portugal’s national broadcaster RTP has had to pull out – though its enthusiasm for entering in 2013 was probably tempered having come second-last in Poland’s 2011 semi, and only 13th in its semi-final in Azerbaijan this year.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has refused to confirm the withdrawal of either country for the time being, however – though neither country features in a provisional calendar of national heats listed on EBU’s website.
Poland’s withdrawal last year was on the basis that the national broadcaster, TVP, was otherwise occupied concentrating on its role as a host broadcaster for the UEFA Euro 2012 championships held in Poland and the Ukraine, as well as the costs of covering the 2012 Olympics in London.
The withdrawal of Portugal from the contest may also prove to hamper any Irish hopes of regaining the Eurovision crown it last won in 1996 – Ireland ranks fifth among the countries that Portuguese juries have preferred in records beginning from 1975.
The UK – which is guaranteed entry into the final each year, because of the BBC’s financial contributions to the EBU – will fare even worse, however: UK entries have proven the most popular since 1975.
Neither Ireland nor the UK feature among Poland’s most regular points donors – though since televoting was introduced in 2004, Ireland has been the most generous country to Poland in terms of votes.
Ireland will remain in the contest for 2013 at least; earlier this month RTÉ announced its list of five mentors who will identify acts to participate in Ireland’s Eurosong 2013 series.
The five mentors will be broadcaster Mairead Farrell, Eurovision-winning songwriter Shay Healy, DJ Mark McCabe, songwriter Niall Mooney, and stage producer Stuart O’Connor.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Please say we’re next
Would be a great idea if Ireland withdrew from this too ! It is no longer a singing contest it’s about neighbours voting for each other ! Worse than the X Factor and that us saying something
One good thing from recession…hope the rest pull out
RTE should withdraw from this ghastly farce. Maybe time to drop the Rose of Tralee as well.
Always confused me how Israel sneaked into Europe……….
Because all their neighbours hate them and with good cause.
Israel is a Member in good standing of the European Broadcasting Association and it is their membership who have a right to participate in the annual competition.
Any country that is in Europe, or that borders the Mediterranean can enter the Eurovision. Morocco did once in the 1980s. Lebanon wanted to enter, but when they stated that they would refuse to broadcast the Israeli entry and would show a picture of a vase of flowers for three minutes instead, they were told that they could not enter.
I’d say we should just drop RTE. it’s become a monster that’s out of control. When the big bosses like Noel Curran manage to retain their high paid positions after the prime time fiasco, it only goes to show that its become a jobs club for the well connected. Either get rid of it, or restructure it altogether.
But then we’l have no love/hate!!!!!
If we pull out too, Derek Mooney will go into a darkened room with a bottle of Jameson and a revolver.
That’s a fairly black humoured comment there Ryan. Although, Mooney would probably be the first to laugh at it.. Still, a mitigating factor in his defence, is the fact that he slags off absolutely everybody, including himself. No one is immune, not his co-presenters, his guests, or his listeners. For that reason, I hope that somebody would swap his live bullets for blanks, if it ever came to that.
Why always poor ol Jameson
So would I. XD
Financial crisis??? In Poland?? I live in Poland and it’s like being back in 2006 in Ireland. The bank rang me the other day offering me a credit card with an 8,000 zloty limit (€2,000) and I never even asked for it. Everyone’s buying SUVs, the skyline of Wroclaw is filled with cranes and there are ads everywhere for “investment opportunities” in property. Everyone here is looking at how Ireland fared and is afraid of where this is going, but it hasn’t stopped booming just yet.
State broadcaster and RTÉ’s long lost cousin, TVP, probably pulled out because they’re shockingly awful, and as a result, only about 10% of people pay their licence. Hand the Eurovision over to rival network TVN who know how television programming is supposed to be made and Poland will be back in the Eurovision, guaranteed.
Donncha: the problem with Poland pulling out and tvp (equivalent to RTE) is that most people don’t pay tv license and they (tvp) are stuck more and more for funding. Also tvp is renowned for its bad politics, overpaid staff and overpaid useless tv shows. Anyway I never liked Euro Vision contest too much politics behind it and bad singing…so won’t miss that too much.
Sorry you actually wrote it, I somehow managed to read only part of your post where you did a spacing :)
You’re grand. :-) It’s Sunday evening. None of us are our sharpest.
What the f#ck is dj mark mccabe doing on the panel??? Oggie oggie oggie… OI OI OI, FFS!!
Sure why don’t we pull out of all soccer competitions too while we’re at it. Not exactly covering ourselves in glory there of late. Think our participation in eurovision is justified seeing as we have at least qualified for the final for the last 3 years. Also, eurovision gives the country a lift for the week that it’s on and it’s worth it just for that.
Sorry to see Portugal and Poland pull out. Their songs are generally good, just Europe hasn’t taken to them lately.
Its a shame and I for one hope we don’t drop out. There’s not a lot left on our screens that’s just about fun. The euro vision is just a fun competition to get Europe together. What’s wrong with that. Do you not think we have enough doom and gloom on the tv?
Jaysus.. I’d say your a bag of laughs.
the eurovision is not fun. it is manufactured fun… the antithesis of actual fun
You sai Ireland can’t sign did we not play crap football in Poland but win the fans singing competition or something like that.
They seem to wheel out shay Healy for every Eurovision – given our dismal recent record lets try something radical – ditch the tired old men who are not in touch with modern music
It stopped being a song contest a long time ago, – can anyone remember the winning songs for the last few years…??
I don’t think any of them would pass the ‘old grey whistle test’.
All the Eurotrash countries voting for each other has turned it into an even bigger joke.
Maybe, if there was an international song contest ;- one singer, no dancing, 4 musicians max. – then we might see a return to genuine, quality song writing, instead of the apalling drivel of late…
I’d be glad if we pulled out of it. Either that or send Dana back again year after year till everyone else submits.
A good ploy by the journal to engage the reader misleadingly because the headline doesn’t relate to what’s going on really.
Headline made perfect sense to me, perhaps you should re-read it, you seem to have mis-understood it previously!
Pooland can’t sing :) neither can Ireland :)
You do realise you’re saying that about the country that’s won it more times than anyone else, dont you??
Send twink… Our “national treasure”
Shut up all of you Eurovision RULES its an opportunity for singer songwriters from all over the world to get together and for one night unites the whole of Europe! I agree you prob appreciate it a lot more if you’re a singer yourself as I am but I love it. we watched it every year in our house and still do! It’s watched by millions and is an incredible platform to launch your career just look at the millions upon millions of copies of euphoria sold by last years winner Loreen. LONG LIVE EUROVISION!
It is time to bury this turkey once & for all
have your say