This Just In: Francisco Franco was a Vote-Stealing Scumbag

Michael C. Moynihan | May 7, 2008

Is there no end to the horrors of the Franco regime? John Labeaume, co-proprietor of the terrific website electiondissection.com, passes along this horrifying tale of fascist vote rigging:

Singer Cliff Richard was robbed of victory in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest because Spanish dictator Francisco Franco rigged the vote, a documentary to be aired Thursday claims.

Richard's song "Congratulations" was the runaway favourite but was beaten in the contest, held that year in London, by just one point by Spanish contestant Massiel, who sang "La La La".

According to the documentary, music and television executives sent by Franco bought the rights to series that never aired and signed little-known acts in other European nations in return for Eurovision votes.

Spanish public television journalist Jose Maria Inigo told the documentary that the Franco regime "had a great need to win recognition, even if it was only in one area."

Full story.  

Sir Cliff performing his classic song "The Young Ones" on (post-Franco) Spanish television. 

Comments

Naga Sadow|5.7.08 @ 5:54PM|#

The audacity of a tyrant to rig votes for Massiel. If only we had the right people in charge, this conduct would never happen.

Naga Sadow|5.7.08 @ 5:54PM|#

Unless said tyrant had free healthcare schooling. Then it's okay.

Naga Sadow|5.7.08 @ 5:56PM|#

free healthcare and schooling. My bad.

Ermenegildo|5.7.08 @ 6:02PM|#

Amazing. Right-wing libertaqrians trivialize fascism. I wonder why.

Colin|5.7.08 @ 6:04PM|#

And he's still dead.

|5.7.08 @ 6:09PM|#

Some interesting libertarian-angle stories today,
and this is what you guys are covering?

FBI forced to withdraw NSL here

Philly cops caught on tape beating a suspect for no apparent reason here

Travis|5.7.08 @ 6:59PM|#

God you would think Franco was a facist or something.

|5.7.08 @ 7:05PM|#

Sir Cliff performing his classic song "The Young Ones" on (post-Franco) Spanish television.

I think a better link would be something from The Young Ones

Even mentions fascists. Did Rik Mayall know something about this way back in '82?

VM|5.7.08 @ 7:08PM|#

eurovision fixed? say it ain't so!

that's just as outrageous as saying that the "irregularities" in the 1988 and 1992 summer olympics were "mere errors"!

freakin eurotards.

JD|5.7.08 @ 7:15PM|#

ChicagoTom - not to downplay the significance of those other stories, but "Philly cops beat suspect" is kind of "dog bites man", you know?

|5.7.08 @ 7:17PM|#

What, no links to the original performances?

Cliff Richard - "Congratulations"

Massiel- "La La La"

The Massiel is slightly less horrid in my opinion.

(P)rick|5.7.08 @ 8:34PM|#

Oh, Cliff
Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if
You really are a Cliff
When fascists keep trying to push you over it
Are they the lemmings?
Or are you Cliff?
Or are you, Cliff?

The Wine Commonsewer|5.7.08 @ 8:34PM|#

Massiel in a landslide, thanks DE

Guy Montag|5.7.08 @ 9:03PM|#

Is there no end to the horrors of the Franco regime?

Doesn't it all depend on joe apperciating the music or not? Seriously folks, we need to hear from joe to tell us if this is bad or good, as we can never arrive at the correct Leftist decision without his assistance.

If he does not give us some guidance, then it is up to Mr. Obama.

Jennifer, please remind us again that you are a "journalist".

wh1skeylover|5.7.08 @ 9:07PM|#

However, Franco was unable to defeat 'My lovely Horse' which narrowly edged out the competition...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8linZiGYSeE

give it a rest|5.7.08 @ 10:04PM|#

Some interesting libertarian-angle stories today,
and this is what you guys are covering?

For fuck's sake, enough with the tired "why don't you cover X" or "why is this newsworthy?" whining comments already. I don't see how anyone who has been here any length of time could have failed to realize that they blog about a wide range of stuff from serious to silly, from issues with broad interest to items of idiosyncratic taste and curiosity. It's one of the things that makes this site so good. In that environment, what possible point could there be in bitching about one particular post on one particular day? It just makes you sound like lonewackoff without the self-linking.

If you don't find a story interesting, here's an idea: fucking skip it and exercise your freedom to look for one more suited to your earnestness.

|5.7.08 @ 10:26PM|#

Don't look at me, I'm irrelevant!

jkp|5.7.08 @ 10:39PM|#

John Cleese put it best in "Fawlty Towers" when he said:

"You have rats in Spain, or did Franco have them all shot?"

Seriously. This means something.

Colin Clout|5.7.08 @ 10:41PM|#

The estimates for the numbers killed during his reign range from ~25k to ~200k. Above ~100k maybe the most accurate figure.

|5.7.08 @ 11:03PM|#

So is rigging Eurovision these days?

|5.7.08 @ 11:22PM|#

So is rigging Eurovision these days?

The entirety of Eastern Europe. Listen to last year's winner "Molitva" (a Serbian entry), and shudder. (Granted, my favorite last year, "Frauen Regiern Die Welt" by Roger Cicero of Germany, finished third to last...)

|5.8.08 @ 3:01AM|#

Yeah, and the year before it was won by Lordi, from Finland - with full points from all the Nordic countries and Greece, and the highest point total in the history of the contest. Not exactly eastern fare. Quite frankly, the songs from western Europe sucked last year (although I thought "Frauen" deserved a better finish than it got). Can there ever be an excuse for England's entry?

The biggest "rigging" may well be the pro-Turkey votes, from all the Turkish immigrants that have moved to other European nations.

Arho|5.8.08 @ 3:40AM|#

Bleh, it is a little tired to complain that the eurovision is ruined because everyone votes for neighbouring countries. Now that most Francos are gone (from eurovision contestants anyway), noone needs to carry political favor with the votes. Why can't we just accept that people like music they are familiar with, and vote accordingly?

Anyway, no discussion on this year's contest, coming up in just two weeks? I'm excited, what with Ireland sending a handpuppet from a children's show, and Finland, my home country, once again going with a corny metal band.

ThinkPositive|5.8.08 @ 5:57AM|#

The Eurovision contest is a contest of who has most successfully rigged the results. It is full of cheating and many of the contestants have clearly been taking performance enhancing drugs. There was even at least one case of a man trying to pass himself off as a woman, which is very unfair.

|5.8.08 @ 8:17AM|#

libertaqrians

libertarian + taqueria?

Def: A person who believes in fundamental rights of tacos to be free

Sign me up.

Episiarch|5.8.08 @ 8:59AM|#

Eurovision is just a European replacement for endless war, just like soccer. It allows them to be tribal without any death (other than taste).

|5.8.08 @ 9:40AM|#

Bramblyspam: You have to admit, though, that the UK's entry, like the Ukrainian entry, have two things in common: They get stuck in your head, and you wouldn't want anybody catching you listening to either :)

Rhywun|5.8.08 @ 11:09AM|#

For God's sake, don't mention the War!

|5.8.08 @ 1:19PM|#

Oh yes indeed, who could ever forget Ukraine's entry from 2006?

"The second-best song in Europe" indeed. Yep, folks, that song was the second place finisher, after Lordi. 2006 was a strange year indeed - the Germans went country, and Denmark tried to revive the Twist.

Oh, and there have been at least two cases of "a man trying to pass himself off as a woman". In addition to that Ukrainian entry, there was also the 1998 winner, Israel's Dana International.

Yes, folks, following the Eurovision can be great fun - often for reasons that have little to do with music. :-)

|5.8.08 @ 1:22PM|#

Oh duh, I'm confusing years - that Ukrainian entry was from 2007, not 2006. Anyway, enjoy it for what it's worth.