When they stopped the general public’s involvement, it was the end of any reason to watch. At least having a vote gave me some reason to watch each (different) performer, with each (different) song. Now, we’re simply told who the “artist” will be, and a committee chooses the song, and we all know how good committees are.
Same thing applies to Sports Personality of the Year, with us being told who we’ll vote for. No I flaming well won’t; I’ll vote for my choice, for my own reason, or I won’t take part (or bother to watch, in both cases.)

You can see the nasty smirk on Salmonds face during following interviews.

Does he have any other expression?

There’s a very good book, “Duxford to Karachi,” written by armourer Fred Roberts, who, for a time, looked after “Grumpy” Unwin’s Spitfires. In it, he relates how they would make their own cocking tools from fence wire and a length of broom handle; it also has a cartoon of an armourer, with said tool sticking out of a pocket.

Last night, the more that I thought of this thread, the angrier I became, but at me for allowing myself to be sucked into treating as acceptable an example of the “attributes,” for which our gutter journalists are justly (in)famous. That creature is displaying the usual utter contempt, and lack of compassion, for ordinary people that we’ve come to expect in today’s press.
The tape is anti-Semitism, at its most evil, because it is insidious, and crafty, inviting us to play with numbers, and forget about the slaughter, torture and starvation meted out to so many. “It wasn’t 6 million,” we’re invited to believe; oh, well if it was “only” 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 million that makes it alright, then. I suggest that the perpetrator and his (hopefully simply misguided) backer walk out into Wembley Stadium, today, look at the crowd of men, women, and children, imagine them being asphyxiated by a cloud of gas, burnt by flamethrowers, and the ashes swept out with the other rubbish, while the stadium refills with the makings of the next “bonfire.” Then do it again, and again, and again, until you reach whatever figure you want to play with.
I don’t know if anybody else noticed this, but, while fighting my way past the incessant parrotting of “Six million,” we are carefully not told that, in the main, the articles talk of a potential holocaust, while not saying that one is actually under way; that, of course, was left to Hitler and his evil cronies, and no amount of whitewash will cover their stain on history.
Finally, my apologies for the flippant tone of my earlier post; I considered deleting it, but would like others to read that and this, and see how easily we can be conned, if we are not constantly on our guard. I’m off to clean my teeth, and rid my mouth of this nasty taste.

Dreary, repetitive, boring, and treats the viewer like a moron incapable of reading two or more words strung together. Seldom have I wasted 20+ minutes, the way I wasted those; I think I’ll go for a pick-me-up, and watch a kettle boil for five minutes, to put some excitement and interest back into my life.

Language fads are commonplace; thirty years ago “says” was replaced by “goes” (pronounced “guz.”) Forty years ago favourable things were “fab,” then, twenty-five years ago it was “wicked,” now they’re “cool.” Ordinary folk just have to grit their teeth “Keep Calm and Carry On,” while waiting for the next abomination.

Ever opened the fridge, and tried to cook the Sunday roast in it? Ever been offered a lift, in a car, and tried to get in on the driver’s side? Occasionally, the brain switches off; this time it was in an embarrassingly public place.

They’re nuts; oh, no, hang on, that’s Macadamia, isn’t it?