How political debates/election are handled within individual member states is a matter for citizens within those polities

From a purely formal point of view, that's certainly correct. But it's a very, very formal argument that I doubt has much traction. If the facts on the ground are that the majority of the people who are sitting on the Council are subjected to insufficient oversight, then the fact that this lack of oversight is due to a weakness in the national systems does not reduce its negative impact on the trustworthiness of the Council.

- and at this stage I doubt that many are under any illusion that a key role for the PM and government ministers is how they represent their country on the Council.

Colour me sceptical. Taxation policy, education policy, social policies. Those are all more important than what the Union does. Or at least more immediately important. And those are all exclusively national competences.

- Jake

Austerity can only be implemented in the shadow of a concentration camp.