The vast majority of EU member states have elected centre right or right wing governments. Each government is represented on the Council and reports back to it's national Parliament on Council meetings. The President of the Council reports to the European Parliament.

The vast majority of Council decisions are made by "consensus" - effectively unanimously. Therefore it doesn't take much to block a decision - if there was much in the way of a minority view. Unfortunately there isn't much of a minority left wing view. Indeed if there is a minority view, it is represented by far right governments from Poland, Hungary, Austria etc.

So we are lucky that so far they haven't blocked much Council business. The Council "consensus" decisions generally represent the mainstream conservative majority of the Council. That's democracy, whether we like it or not.

If you want to argue for more powers for the European parliament I'm with you on that. But arguing that the EU Council is undemocratic because you don't like its decisions is itself anti-democratic. Not many government institutions world-wide require consensus decision making. If anything, it is all too easy for a relatively small minority to block Council business.

Index of Frank's Diaries