Update: Thanks to your help, we've cleared the first hurdle - enough signatures have been received for the petition to be checked to see if it qualifies for publication. It looks like no more signatures can be accepted until that happens, so I've removed the links to the petition for now, and I'll keep you updated.
In view of the embarrassment of Scotland being associated with the latest "United Kingdom" nul points fiasco at the Eurovision Song Contest last night (in reality there's been no Scottish involvement in the UK entry since 1988), and bearing in mind that the Panelbase / Scot Goes Pop poll in April found 60% support for Scotland having its own entry at the Eurovision, I thought the time might be ripe to start a petition on the UK Parliament website.
In theory, if the petition goes live and attracts a very large number of signatures, it would trigger a debate in the House of Commons. That's an enormous 'if', though, and the first hurdle to jump is to get five signatures to qualify for possible publication of the petition.
Petition title: Legislate to give Scotland its own entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.
What is being requested: Powers over Scottish broadcasting are reserved to Westminster. As the BBC have ignored representations to respect Scottish public opinion and give Scotland its own representation in cultural events including the Eurovision Song Contest, the UK Parliament should legislate to require this to happen.
More details: There is overwhelming evidence that the people of Scotland wish to be represented by Scottish entries, not UK entries, at cultural events such as the Eurovision. A reputable poll conducted in April found 60% support for Scottish representation, with only 40% preferring a UK entry. The BBC's ignoring of licence payers' wishes has become particularly intolerable in view of the annual embarrassment of the UK's Eurovision performance. For national dignity, Scotland demands its Eurovision freedom.
SEEMS we can expect at most a 60% YES vote for IndyRef2 - the SNP must crack the whip and get the IndyRef2 preparations underway - be bold and exciting. THE IndyRef1 campaign was the dullest independence campaign ever.
ReplyDeleteEnglish go to war like if it was a song contest, then they go to a song contest like if it was a war.
ReplyDeletejust signed!
ReplyDeleteTaking the independence issue aside. The UK has a massive music industry and we export all over the world. Yet when it comes to Eurovision, we send folk that *we've* never heard off. The song was ok, but the staging was boring. Whilst it didn't deserve zero, the claims that this is purely political (why would Australia care about BrExit?) diminishes the fact that the UK doesn't really take it seriously
ReplyDeleteWould love to see Adele represent the UK
Indeed. Along with the US the UK has a virtual duopoly on the most succesful recording artists. It also has record producers who have made their careers and money on finding a singer, providing them with catchy songs that they know will sell well and then marketing them so that they become well know. Stock Aitken and Waterman in the 80's and Simon Cowell more recently are perfect examples of this.
DeleteThe problem is the big artists seem to have no real interest in entering and the record producers either don't get asked to get involved or have no interest.
So no doubt that the UK could produce a song/artist that could do well if it wanted to do. Seems to more that the talent required to do so has no real interest in getting involved.
Scotland's certainly got some great talent.
Deletehttps://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/culture/music/scottish-bands-and-artists
UK is hated all over Europe. UK will always get zero. Are you all to far up yourselves to understand that fact?
ReplyDeleteWhen Scotland does get its own euro vision entry can we retrospectively claim Lulu 1969 as Scotland's first win? Askin for a friend. :)
ReplyDeleteTwo of the five UK winners had a Scottish involvement - Puppet on a String was co-written by a Scot (Bill Martin).
DeleteDid Wings not say this Rhiannon Spear lass wasn't really pro-indy?
ReplyDeleteI dinnae ken her masel, but she seems kindae 'die hard nationalist' indy tae me.
Quite the contrast to Stuart Campbell who hates Scotland ('dangerous place' where most folks are 'evil') and loves England.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/19323161.top-snp-activist-deletes-twitter-account-controversial-post/
Rhiannon Spear: SNP activist deletes Twitter account after controversial post
A SENIOR SNP office bearer has deleted her Twitter account as she faced a backlash after writing on social media that "Scotland hates the UK".
Rhiannon Spear, the education convener on Glasgow City Council and the party's national women's convener, made the comment on Twitter after the UK failed to gain any points in the final of the Eurovision song contest last night.
Wait, haud oan, I thought Wolffe was 'Sturgeon's Stooge', with the baith ae them wir only interested in 'ultimate power'?
ReplyDeleteWas I lied to by Englishmen fae bath?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57221516
It is not uncommon for Scotland's law officers to change after a Holyrood election...
Aye, and unionists fae S. England did their best to push Wolffe and co ouot as they might approve iref2 in law...
One of the great things about Scottish independence will be that when we are invited to become part of Eurovision, we can just say "no thanks!"
ReplyDeleteHmmm. But we won't.
DeleteHmmm, I think you're right.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've heard that one of the main reasons your old pal Stu Campbell is now sparing us his rantings and ravings is that he despairs at the insidious influence Eurovision has on Scottish culture.
Just last night, I was down the pub and my mates were saying "If Nikkie, Conchita and Bilal are all trannies than they cannae be that bad.....just as long as they stay oot the men's lavvies!"
Kinda nuts that the UK is 'getting tough on immigration' when estimates are consistent with 1.3 million people - 2% of the entire population - having already fled England. The problem is mass emigration, not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteQuelle surprise that as the UK tries to reopen, businesses are struggling to do this because there's a huge skilled labour shortage. The 1.3 million (must be much more now) who have been packing the exit gates are of course young, skilled workers. And they're not coming back lest they be arrested and detained by brexit voting border official brownshirts.
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2021/05/uk-retail-faces-labour-shortage-due-to-brexit-covid/
UK is absolutely screwed economically. It cannot possibly recover with a mass labour shortage; economy will be at the very minimum 2% smaller. Then there's the fact the population ill have aged at a rapid rate due to the mass youth brexodus, meaning there's never going to be enough tax to fund public services.
It will be like 1980's Scotland 'without the sunshine or the oil'. A country where 1 in 10 leave in search of a better life, just like the 1.3 million plus a whole host of businesses that already have 'got out while the still could'.
If countries outside of Europe such as Azerbaijan and Israel can enter then why not Scotland?
ReplyDeleteRight now I don't feel any afilliation to the UK entry at all.
Azerbaijan is in Europe. It's a full member of the Council of Europe, and being geographically within Europe is one of the conditions of membership. Israel is in Asia, though.
DeleteEurope ends at the Ural Mountains, neaning that the western corners of quitea few 'stans' are just about eligible. As would all countries in the Middle East. I suspect it really comes down to countries paying Eurovision for content.
DeleteNow Australia, on the other hand ... not really Europe. Not that I care: I haven't watched the programme in years.
The Urals form an eastern boundary of Europe, with part of Kazakhstan extending in Europe, the only 'stan' to do so.
DeleteThe south-eastern boundary of Europe is usually taken to be the summit ridge of the Caucasus mountains but another definition is the Terek river. The first definition excludes Armenia and Georgia as well as Azerbaijan whereas the second includes Armenia and Georgia. This is all academic anyway as Azerbaijan (and Israel) are members of the European Broadcasting Union, as is Scotland, which is the main criterion for entering the Eurovision.
Sorry, I'm not too up on where Azerbaijan is!
ReplyDeleteBut the Israel entry raises the question of Palestine being allowed to enter. They're not an independent country, but they're under illegal occupation so might have international sympathy to enter a song.
About ten or fifteen years ago (I'd have to check the exact year) Lebanon entered the contest and selected a song - it was quite a good one. But they had to withdraw because domestic legislation made it impossible to broadcast the Israeli song. It was a real pity - that would have balanced things out quite nicely.
DeleteThe Eurovision result is very reflective of the UK's position on the world stage these says.
ReplyDelete