Anyone the Prime Minister wishes to become a member of his cabinet can and will promptly be given a seat in the House of Lords.

The point is, no one elects cabinet members or other ministers. No one even has any say apart from the Prime Minister, who was of course never subject to popular vote for that post.

Having the Chief Commissioner elected by popular vote would undoubtedly be a reform resisted to the hilt by all those who fear moves towards a federal structure for the EU. Indirect election by MEPs who have all been themselves elected is the compromise that has been adopted. The same way essentially that our Prime Minister is determined, apart from the relic of the monarch's role of actually appointing the person involved.

Talking shop? That's what the word parliament actually means. Talking being seen as a preferable way of sorting out things than fighting.

The fact that MPs have been individually elected to do one job, representing and serving their constituents, in no way means that they are in any way suited to do the very different job of running ministries etc. The American system where the equivalent of ministers are selected from non-elected members of the public, but subject to approval and rejection by the legislature has problems, is arguably more democratic. There is something to be said for introducing that both for the Commons and the EU.

In the Commons having this system, with sitting MPs not being eligible for government jobs, would end the ability of Prime Ministers to subvert the independence of the Commons by appointing a sizeable payroll vote who cannot act independently.

Undoubtedly the EU needs democratising reforms - as does the British system - but the so-called "reforms" David Cameron was after had nothing to do with getting them. A serious drive by to get them would win support from like-minded people in other countries. If in the next EU election there was a slate of candidates in all countries committed to getting those kind of reforms it might make for an election worth getting stuck into.

But of course that means not taking the irrevocable gamble of voting for out this week.