Should Australia be included in the Eurovision Song contest?

Doesn’t make sense to me, but if they allow it then who am I to criticize. Maybe they will eventually rename it and expand it to even more countries.

Well, technically Australia is still part of the British Commonwealth, with the Queen as the Monarch. So I think they qualify.

So, are they going to allow South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Canada, South Yemen in? What about New Zealand? Why not?

No! @zenvelo, does South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Canada or South Yemen love Eurovision like we Aussies do? No. I’m guessing they’re inviting us because a large percentage of the Aussie population watches the SBS (one of our public broadcast stations) coverage of Eurovision.

What they’ve missed is that the SBS coverage is something of a piss-take. We don’t love it in a ‘WOW! We want a piece of that!’ way. It’s more like ’... oh my fucking stars… look what the people from xxx are wearing!’ Or ‘This song is so crappy, it’s brilliant’.

I think maybe they think we really, really like it.

Oh and I don’t think Germany, France, Serbia etc. etc. are part of the Commonwealth. I don’t think that is a requirement.

I just hope we say no.

That’s… pretty funny. They can’t rationalize adding Australia and not the other Commonwealth countries – and even if they could, what kind of criterion is that? I can’t think of any other event that limits membership to Europe + Commonwealth. They might as well accept anyone who wants to enter.

The whole Eurovision thing is so perplexing to me. I’m always surprised when questions about it turn up in quiz shows. Like, “That thing is still going?” “People actually take note of who won??” I like your interpretation of the situation – please let us know what happens.

How about a Worldvision contest?

Well if pop culture is your strong suit, perhaps you can be forgiven an ignorance of geography.

I think if Australia is going to participate, Canada, New Zealand and the US (at the very least) should also have to suffe… I mean, enjoy the experience.

That’s crazy. I hope it happens.

Rest assured, world: We laugh at the thing, too. The only ones who take it seriously are the performers :D

I think @Ragingloli’s and @zenvelo‘s point makes perfect sense. I don’t see what Germany and France have to do with what they said. Those countries are part of Europe! It isn’t a British contest, it’s a European contest. They are saying can the commonwealth countries be counted in as well.

It’s not a competition for Commonwealth countries @JLeslie. It’s for European countries. Why should Commonwealth countries be included? Should any former colonies of Germany and France be included? Apart from Australia being a Commonwealth country I don’t see what the Commonwealth has to do with Eurovision or countries qualifying to participate in Eurovision.

If you want an excuse for Australia to participate, a possibly valid one is it is part of Britain, so by extension part of Europe. Just like Guam is a US territory, but isn’t part of the American continent. Then we could also add US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and others.

I don’t want an excuse for Australia to participate. I think it’s a ridiculous idea. And Australia is not part of Britain, and it is not a British territory. It is also not part of Europe. We are part of the Commonwealth but are no more a part of Britain than India or Canada. Australia is an independent country.

Haha, maybe the dis- organisers of the farce took into account Australia’s gay community.
Gay people love it for all the camp nonsense, even hosting parties & shit.
Everyone else loathes the cringeworthy crap, save for Graham Norton’s hilarious piss taking.

@ucme, now that may very well have influenced this decision.

I know it’s a commonwealth. Never mind. If you think it’s logical for Australia to participate just because they like it then fine. I’ll go back if my first answer: it doesn’t make sense to me.

@Earthbound_Misfit Absolutely, so I guess we can rule out Iraq then :(

The Iraqi entry…Well Hung by Saddam & The Executioners

Hell yeah! Oi oi oi!

Well, if they want in, I say let them. I don’t think the Kiwi’s want in so it won’t be any skin off their beaks if their Australia neighbours (get it… like the soap, ‘Neighbours’ aka from where Kylie Minogue started?) got involved. The Eurovision Song Contest is a guilty pleasure for some, but for others it has too much ‘ick’ factor involved. The last one I watched, Norway had a very decent entry.. ended up winning. Way to go, Alex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiH4BFTELME

I suppose it raises the question of Europe as a geographical designation vs Europe as a cultural designation and which is more important. Australia may not be European geographically, but would it be off the mark to consider Australia culturally European? Same with Iceland. Geographically speaking Iceland is part of North America, but it’s considered a European country.

They could break Rolf Harris from jail & Two Little Boys (I felt) would be the Aussie entry.

Iceland is part of North America? According to who? I put Iceland with Europe. Maybe some countries teach it with North America and I am unaware?

As I said, culturally Iceland is European. Geographically, however, it’s part of North America. It’s closer to the North American mainland than it is the European mainland, and it sits on the North American Plate.

Like I said, geographically I was taught Iceland is part of Europe. Where is Iceland considered part of the Americas?

It sits on the ridge of the two plates I thought? Not that it matters. The classification of continents is a little arbitrary. In America we learn there are 7, most other countries use the 6 continent system, some the 5.

@Darth_Algar Iceland actually straddles both plates. http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/physical/earth/plate%20boundaries.html And I’m not sure how an Icelander would feel about being called an American, but I would love to be in a room and watch.

@cazzie

Then I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t say that Icelanders are Americans.

@cazzie Yup, you can put one foot on each plate in Iceland.

Anyway, we’re quite getting beyond the point which was – could Australia be considered culturally (if not geographically) European?

I don’t see what anything has to do with whether Australians are culturally European. I personally don’t think of them as culturally European. I know people from England who don’t like to be classified as European for that matter. Actually, I have no idea how other countries in Europe feel about being called European. I think it is a little odd to be identified as North American, I just think of myself as American, even though I do use North America, South America, Central America, Latin America, and the Americas when describing the continent depending on the context. I never would say my husband is North American, I just say the country he is from—Mexico.

When I am in Quebec City they seem very European to me, do they get to play?

@JLeslie “When I am in Quebec City they seem very European to me, do they get to play?”

Why not? Really, should the Eurovision organizers not be able to allow whoever they wish to participate? I always thought one point behind the Eurovision contest was to go beyond nationalism. Saying people from X country can’t enter because they’re not Y seems like another form of nationalism to me.

@Darth_Algar Sure, I agree with you. I just wonder if the OP agrees; and, I think it has nothing to do with European culture, but rather the organizers can allow in whatever country they want period. Whether it makes sense or not.