Eurovision Song Contest: What is bloc voting and why isn't it popular?

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Ahead of this year's Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final, taking place in Basel, Switzerland, learn more about 'bloc voting,' what it is, how it works and why some consider it a 'dirty word' in the fair world of Eurovision.

Transcript

00:00Ah yes, it's not that long until Eurovision 2025 taking place in

00:05Bale in Switzerland by virtue of Nemo's The Code winning last year's. Less said about the UK to

00:12better, eh? But for those of you who have returned once again to the wondrous European musical

00:19extravaganza that is Eurovision, hello there, welcome back. But for those of you who might be

00:25new to the occasion, you might be wondering what certain terms are, nul trois for example,

00:32and the dreaded bloc voting. Ah yes, bloc voting. But you might be confused, so

00:38what is bloc voting and why is it considered a dirty word in Eurovision?

00:43Well, simply put, bloc voting is the perceived tendency for groups of countries to consistently

00:49give high points to each other year after year. It suggests that factors other than

00:54just the music can influence how countries vote, which goes against the principles of Eurovision.

01:01Now, these blocs are often linked by things such as geography, neighboring countries, sharing

01:08cultural similarities, culture itself, either shared languages, history or traditions,

01:14politics, and diaspora, large populations from one country living in another.

01:21Now, let's take a classic example, which is the voting between Greece, Cyprus, and on the odd occasion,

01:27Malta. These countries frequently award each other top points. Why? Well, Greece and Cyprus share a strong

01:36cultural and linguistic bond. Malta also has cultural and historic ties to the region, but it's crucial to be

01:44clear, this doesn't automatically mean the voting is, quote unquote, unfair. These countries often send

01:52strong entries that are legitimately popular, and it's about recognizing that other factors are at play.

01:59So why does bloc voting matter? Well, there's a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the perception of

02:06fairness. Now, it can raise questions about whether the best song truly wins.

02:11It's influenced changes to the Eurovision voting system previously, like the introduction of jury

02:17voting to balance out the televoting, and it helps us interpret the voting patterns and see the contest

02:24in its full complexity. So the key takeaway is that bloc voting is a complex phenomenon. It's not always as

02:32simple as good versus bad, but it's about understanding the different influences and cultures that can shape

02:38the Eurovision results. And as much as people will say it's certainly not a political decision why

02:44people voted that way, let's be honest, there's a reason why the UK came pretty much last after Brexit.

02:51But you tell me, do you think bloc voting is fair or unfair? Drop a comment wherever you see this

02:56video, and more importantly, happy run up to Eurovision everybody!

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