Eurovision 2025

[JohnM]

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/eurovision-can-go-ahead-in-basel-as-vote-against-blasphemous-event-fails/88305541

[Futtocks]

2 hours ago, JohnM said:

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/eurovision-can-go-ahead-in-basel-as-vote-against-blasphemous-event-fails/88305541

Fair play to the god-botherers, that's some excellent publicity for the competition they've managed to drum up.

[John Drake]

The local economy in Basel should do very well out of hosting Eurovision.

Liverpool benefited by £54 million in 2023.

https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/news/the-results-are-in-mayor-steve-rotheram-hails-success-of-eurovision-as-report-reveals-54m-economic-boost-to-city-region

It's an odd thing to have a referendum about, but at least it has proven that the locals are keen to have it in their city.

I hope they have fun. Liverpool was fantastic.

[gingerjon]

39 minutes ago, John Drake said:

It's an odd thing to have a referendum about,

Switzerland does referendums. It's their thing. Along with banking, discretion and cuckoo clocks.

[John Drake]

37 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Switzerland does referendums.

Probably do them quicker than Eurovision Song Contest voting n'all. 

[JohnM]

They have referendums at the drop of a hat. 4 this month alone.

Four referendums took place on 24 November, including one on three new motorways and tunnel expansions, one on changes to rental contracts, one on a decision by parliament to fix rates at which cantons can fund healthcare. A referendum was also held in Basel-Stadt whether to approve the grant of 34.96 million Swiss francs ($39.5 million) by cantonal authorities for the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel.

Results showed negative results for additional road infrastructure and rent changes, while approving changes to healthcare funding. The cantonal referendum in Basel also passed with 66.4% of voters in favour.

Edited November 25, 2024 by JohnM

[John Drake]

4 hours ago, JohnM said:

They have referendums at the drop of a hat. 4 this month alone.

Four referendums took place on 24 November, including one on three new motorways and tunnel expansions, one on changes to rental contracts, one on a decision by parliament to fix rates at which cantons can fund healthcare. A referendum was also held in Basel-Stadt whether to approve the grant of 34.96 million Swiss francs ($39.5 million) by cantonal authorities for the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel.

Results showed negative results for additional road infrastructure and rent changes, while approving changes to healthcare funding. The cantonal referendum in Basel also passed with 66.4% of voters in favour.

Do they have to trail out to polling stations or is it done online? Must be exhausting. It wears me out putting the ‘who will win’ polls on the SL match threads every week.

[sam4731]

10 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Do they have to trail out to polling stations or is it done online? Must be exhausting. It wears me out putting the ‘who will win’ polls on the SL match threads every week.

I'm picturing you manning a polling station outside TotalRL HQ, desperately asking people who they think will win between Leigh and Huddersfield and telling them not to slag the referee off.

[JohnM]

39 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Do they have to trail out to polling stations or is it done online? Must be exhausting. It wears me out putting the ‘who will win’ polls on the SL match threads every week.

A little thread drift: Voting now mainly by postal, on-line or at the polling booth. Two cantons still occasionally practice Landsgemeinde,  voting by show of hands, but not at State level.

We lived in Switzerland, Geneva,  briefly in the early 1970s. All able bodies Swiss had to undergo army training but get weekends off but had to keep their weapons at home. It wasn't unusual to see this in action.. On leaving the army, you could buy your gun. That was 50 years ago so may well have changed. 

As with all blocks, the apartment block we lived in had a "nuclear" shelter basement with huge reinforced concrete walls /ceiling and massive steel doors. Each flat had a store room there and we were required to keep emergency supplies there: rice, sugar and more.  I think this may still be in force. Our store room was filled with cardboard boxes full of stuff we didn't have room for in the flat, so in the event of an alarm, there'd be no room for us.

https://youtu.be/E2pZ9JuuUGI?si=8zVosHp-NQJ8pKDP

Edited November 25, 2024 by JohnM

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

As with all blocks, the apartment block we lived in had a "nuclear" shelter basement with huge reinforced concrete walls /ceiling and massive steel doors. Each flat had a store room there and we were required to keep emergency supplies there: rice, sugar and more.  I think this may still be in force. Our store room was filled with cardboard boxes full of stuff we didn't have room for in the flat, so in the event of an alarm, there'd be no room for us.

https://youtu.be/E2pZ9JuuUGI?si=8zVosHp-NQJ8pKDP

May come in useful to hide from some of the less tuneful Eurovision entries next year. 

[gingerjon]

11 hours ago, JohnM said:

All able bodies Swiss had to undergo army training but get weekends off but had to keep their weapons at home. It wasn't unusual to see this in action.. On leaving the army, you could buy your gun. That was 50 years ago so may well have changed. 

I believe it is still the case. It gets wheeled out a lot by second amendment US types but there seem to be key differences like punitive and efficient punishments for not storing said gun securely, ammo separate, not being absolutely mental, that kind of thing.

[JohnM]

We should adopt the right to bare arms here, but only if you use factor 50.

[sam4731]

3 hours ago, JohnM said:

We should adopt the right to bare arms here, but only if you use factor 50.

Or the right to bear arms. I'm sick of these human ones now.