Since then, it has awarded more than twice as many points to Russia as to any other country, with almost a third of them going to either Russia or Ukraine. If that doesn’t sound like much, remember that the voting system forces each country to spread many of its points across fourth, seventh and 10th preferences.

Or look at the relationship between Greece and Cyprus. Terry Wogan referred to this exchange specifically, saying it was “ridiculous. But still they do it. They just don't care."

Sure enough, our data shows Cyprus has awarded almost three times as many points to Greece as to its second most common preference, Russia. And Greece has reciprocated by giving more than twice as many points to Cyprus as anyone else.

What are the major voting blocs?

While the exact parameters of voting blocs can vary slightly from study to study, the main ones are:

• The Balkans – the countries of former Yugoslavia, as well as Romania and Albania.

• The former Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe