Comments on: Unbelievably – Ukraine has just leaped past Australia, and won

By: Jo Borg

Jo Borg — Mon, 16 May 2016 13:38:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Caruana Galizia. I agree totally with what you had written. I wasn't aware of that, but it's becoming quite obvious now, probably because of the big bust.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Mon, 16 May 2016 10:55:00 +0000

Funny you should say that. Way back when, at a time of the usual ‘making it big abroad’ debates, I wrote a piece for The Malta Independent in which I said that she would end up like Mary Spiteri, singing the local circuit and then competing in the Eurovision Song Contest in middle age.

By: Eurocrats

Eurocrats — Mon, 16 May 2016 07:54:00 +0000

In reply to Daphne Caruana Galizia. I think Ira never really expected to win the contest in the first place. She is probably happy with the whole thing being a publicity exercise for her upcoming albums. It might not define "making it big" because she is clearly past her heyday, but it should be deemed a success for her to have record labels offering her contracts at that age, with a baby on the way.

By: Rose Anne M Engerer

Rose Anne M Engerer — Mon, 16 May 2016 07:51:00 +0000

I thought that Ukraine is going to place with the first 3. Bookmakers odds: the first 3, Australia, Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine song is very strong and with a strong story re war. I like her voice. I bever thought Malta will be the winner. The song was not that strong to place as a winner. Australia , the song which I like most had the best vocal and the best performance.

By: Rose Anne M Engerer

Rose Anne M Engerer — Mon, 16 May 2016 07:49:00 +0000

I never thought Malta will be the winner! I always thought about Ukraine and Australia.Good songs.

By: George Attard

George Attard — Sun, 15 May 2016 22:14:00 +0000

If Pavarotti was Maltese and sunk himself so low as to compete for such a lame contest, we’d still would have not won. It’s not a song contest. It all ultimately comes down to televoters. Voters who are only influenced by demographics and geographics.

By: callixtus

callixtus — Sun, 15 May 2016 22:13:00 +0000

Haven’t you read about Russian politicians getting all worked up about the result and calling for a boycott?

By: Evarist Saliba

Evarist Saliba — Sun, 15 May 2016 15:45:00 +0000

The rival voting for Ukraine and Russia may have been a coincidence, but I do not think so. It has long been evident that other considerations, apart from the merits of the song and the singer, play a strong role in the voting in the Eurovision song contest, especially where tele-voting is concerned.

We have seen, again and again, and not only in this event, how efficient global networking can influence the outcome of issues that are more serious than voting for a song. The Ukrainian song had a political message that must have attracted support.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Sun, 15 May 2016 14:06:00 +0000

You cannot possibly be serious.

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Sun, 15 May 2016 13:33:00 +0000

The two cases are not comparable, Howard. I was 15 years – yes, 15 years – younger than Ira Losco when I had my first child. And I pursued my career in Malta. Anyone who’s still talking about career dreams and pursuing them at 35 has completely lost it. Some chapters close in life, whether you like it or not. You just have to face it and encouraging Ira to believe she can make it big out there, at 35 and with a baby, with no exceptional stand-out qualities of any kind, from a base out of Malta, is irresponsible. There are days when I think there are no limits to Maltese detachment from reality. It’s like with all those five-foot-nothing moderately attractive Maltese girls encouraged to think they can be models. Are they nuts, or what?