The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest: Expansion Pack.

The most common question asked by newcomers to the Eurovision Song Contest is; "Why are Australia in it?"

The second most common question is; "Why are Israel in it?"

The reason is that the Song Contest is organised by a group of television and radio broadcasters called the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

This was founded in 1952 in the wake of the Second World War. A time when the European continent was still emerging from turmoil and it's national borders were still shifting.

The EBU's main mission is and continues to be to advance broadcasting technology through international cooperation. Through this spirit of communication and cooperation the EBU also aims to minimise division and conflict of the sort that led to the First and Second World Wars.

As a result when it was founded the EBU opened its membership far beyond what is normally considered the European continent. Original members include nations such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Libya. Even discounting the geographic bemouth of Russia EBU members such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia extend far East of what is normally considered Europe.

Australia though was not one of the original members of the EBU. However due to its close links with the UK it has always taken a close interest in the EBU and the Song Contest in particular.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's the EBU started broadcasting the Song Contest live in Australia in partnership with the Australian Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).  Primarily this was done to see if the EBU had the technology to transmit live satellite feeds that far.

The Song Contest was an instant hit with Australians. Particularly with its gay community. So despite it being broadcast at breakfast time in Australia many Australians gathered together to throw Eurovision parties and watch the Song Contest live.

Since then Australia's Eurovision fans have been banging on the door of the EBU begging to a allowed to participate in the Song Contest.

In 2014 the EBU finally relented and Australia were granted a sort of official observer status. This meant that Jessica Mauboy was allowed to perform at the Song Contest that year. However she was only allowed to give an intermission performance during the Second Semi-Final rather than compete in the competition itself.

2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the Song Contest. As a special treat Australia were allowed to compete in the competition itself and Australian viewers were allowed to vote.

This was supposed to be a one off. Every had so much fun though no-one had the heart to tell Australia they couldn't come back in 2016.

So since then Australia has been a recognised participant in the Song Contest. Australia's only complaint is that they haven't also been forced to become full members of the EBU taking on the obligations and responsibilities that entails.

As advancements in broadcast and communication technology have made the World a smaller place interest in the Song Contest has grown far beyond Europe's borders.

This is particularly true of nations who have hosted an Olympics and therefore had to stage Olympic and Para-Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. In many ways the Song Contest is an annual competition in who can stage the best, three minute Olympic Ceremony.

In their hosting of the 2016 Summer games Brazil actually reached an agreement with the EBU to allow the EBU to share footage of the Para-Olympic games amongst its members. This led to it being the most widely broadcast Para-Olympics ever.

Having worked closely with the EBU Brazil then became desperate to be allowed in the Song Contest. This led to the 2017 winner; "Amar Pelos Dios (For the Both of Us)" by Salvador Sobral in the language Portugal and Brazil share.

In response to the interest from Brazil and 2018 Winter Olympics and Para-Olympics hosts the Republic of Korea (RoK/South) the EBU changed the rules of the Song Contest. Associate members like Brazil and the RoK would now be able to participate alongside full members such as France and Germany.

Given the years they spent battling to be included in the Song Contest Australia used their entry this year - again performed by Jessica Mauboy - to express their concern that it had become too easy. I have to say that I'm also not totally comfortable with these new rules.

That's not because I want to exclude other nations. Although the notion of a 193 nation Song Contest does slightly terrify me. As it should anyone who properly thinks about.

My concern is that it is one thing to watch the Song Contest on TV and enjoy it. It is quite another to put together a Eurovision entry and then support it through the week of competition.

The Song Contest is quite cliquey and sometimes can resemble a weird cult. It doesn't do much have complex in jokes but complex in jokes about complex in jokes. For example the main topic of conversation is year was all the things that went wrong in past three Song Contest from 2015. That discussion included references to the 1974 Song Contest and the 1982 Song Contest.

If you didn't participate in those Song Contests or at least are unfamiliar with them you're going to have a really tough time joining in with those conversations. You're certainly not going to have an enjoyable time.

When Australia came to join the Song Contest their route was really being made up as it went along. I think though there is a lot of benefit to formalising an official observer status a route for nations wishing to join the Song Contest.

So for example in the first year of expressing an interest a nation could be allotted an allocation of spectator tickets. This would allow them to experience what it is like to be at the Song Contest.

The following year they could send a non-participating delegation. This would allow them entry to the backstage areas of the contest allowing them to experience all the preparations and horse trading.

The year after that they would be allowed to stage an intermission performance. Rather like Jessica Mauboy in 2014. This would give them the experience of putting together an act without the pressure of actually being in competition.

Finally they would be allowed to compete fully in the Song Contest.

Obviously almost everything at Eurovision is flexible and up for discussion. So nations would only progress to the next stage when it was agreed they were ready. However I can't see any nation completing the process in less than four years.

The other problem is with the public voting.

Obviously there isn't a right way or a wrong to vote at Eurovision.

However before it can participate full a nation needs to develop a core of fans who understand what they are voting for. People who understand why a particularly good Israeli entry is being marked down. Or why a Hungarian entry which isn't your typical Eurovision song is being marked up.

Obviously if a nation doesn't have a song in the competition then viewers in that country can't vote in the competition.

However there's nothing to stop a non-competing host broadcaster holding a sort of mock election.

Viewers can phone in to vote giving the points that nation would have handed out of it were competing. Comparing those mock scores with the votes cast by viewers in competing nations would also provide an insight into newcomers understanding of the Song Contest.

Within Eurovision points are arrived at in two ways. The public vote and by the professional judging panels. Those panels submit their scores in set criteria on an official form.

What Australians used to do before they could officially vote was make copies of these judging forms and hand them out at their Eurovision parties. So each party would have it's own unofficial results. Which they could discuss and argue about amongst themselves and with people who'd been at different parties.

Although I've just argued against letting nations join right away and instead laid out a roadmap for new entrants I'm tempted to make an exception for the RoK.

Although they don't have any experience of Eurovision directly through K-Pop and the Cold War propaganda games with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North) they certainly have a lot of relevant experience. While time consuming learning the history of the Song Contest is hardly an impossible task. It's certainly no secret with most of it being up on the Eurovision website.

Plus if the 2018 Olympics taught us anything it's that Koreans are funny. Like really, really funny.

The only problem is Eurovision's core value of promoting diversity and tolerance. I think that would make it impossible for the Song Contest to accept the RoK but exclude the DPRK.

The obvious solution would be to accept a joint Korean entry. It would be up to the two nations to decide how to unify their efforts for the Song Contest.


17:10 on 25/7/18 (UK date).