Surely not having to go through the semi finals actually puts us at a disadvantage in that - all the other songs in the finals were good enough to get through the semis. Ours didn't have to be. So it's whatever drivel we've entered, up against songs that had enough merit (admittedly only Eurovision merit) to get through on their own.
Remember Engelbert Humperdink? (though who knew he was still alive? - we should have got points just for our advanced skills in necromancy!)
And around the time of the Iraq war we entered a a boy/girl band called 'Gemini'. Their lack of points was deemed 'political' - Europe showing it's disdain over Iraq... but in actual fact they were just dreadful. I remember watching them open mouthed at how shockingly awful they were. The resounding nil points that followed certainly did not come as a shock to me!
But as a pp pointed out. Who cares if they like us? Who cares if they give us points in a silly singing contest? It's the freedoms, and protections, and economic prosperity of being in Europe I want. Not their adulation and the warm glow of popularity.
This line of argument (Eurovision FFS - nothing to do with the EU!) does nothing to make the leave cause look clever, sensible or rational. It really just looks petty, childish and spiteful. Cutting your nose off to spite your face. 'We shouldn't be a part of a mutually beneficial group, the largest trade block in the world, which has brought peace and prosperity unknown in the entire history of Europe play with them, because they don't like our singing.'
Grow up!