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You know the "unelected commission", so often referred to by those less than enamoured with the European Union: what about electing them?

I've just been sent an interesting little booklet called The Fight for Democracy: a series of interviews with , which is standing as a pan-European party in 14 of the 27 EU countries.

What interests me about Mr Ganley is that he does have some genuine ideas for making the EU more democratic. Most of those who say they are campaigning for reform have long ago come to the conclusion that the EU is not transformable. Therefore, they argue, less should be done at a European level and powers should be returned to national parliaments.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, and Mr Ganley stresses it is one option for those who want a more democratic EU. But he also suggests that the European Parliament could elect the whole commission, or that the nation states should hold elections for the job of commissioner.

At the moment commissioners are simply appointed by the head of government of each country. Of course, no president or prime minister would wear this reduction in their power of patronage, let alone risk a political opponent ending up as their man or woman in Brussels. But it's an intriguing idea.

And just a plug for imaginative coverage of this election: find out how they will vote down Brussels Way.

That's Brussels Way in Luton... But who would they elect as a commissioner?

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