We did not vote for them.
We do vote for and elect MEPs; and we don't vote for UK Cabinet ministers.
Result: Neither
On 22nd May 2014 we elected our MEPs - aka "Member of the European Parliament".
MEPs vote on who will be the President of the Commission (since November 2014 that has been Jean-Claude Juncker). This is similar to how our MPs select the Prime Minister.
Then there are 33,000 "unelected bureaucrats", aka the European Commission, who are very similar to the 400,000 UK civil servants - none of which are elected. They mainly propose new legislation (which the MEPs vote on), and work on the budget/funding of the EU (source).
There are 751 MEPs in the European Parliament, of which the UK send 73. This is based the size of the population, rather than an even split between the 28 countries, so we represent 9.7% of the MEPs (not 3.7%).
| Position | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|
| Head of State | Her Majesty the Queen: Inherited position, for life. | President: Rotating, Prime Minister of a Member State for 6 months. |
| Head of Executive | Prime Minister: Leader of party with most seats; selected by their party. | European Council President: European Council majority vote; 2.5 years, term renewable 1x. |
| Executive | Cabinet: Selected by Prime Minister. | European Council: PMs of Member States. |
| Head of Legislature | House of Commons Leader: Appointed by Prime Minister, serves at Prime Minister's pleasure. | European Parliament President: Elected by European Parliament, 2.5 year term, renewable 1x. |
| Legislature |
House of Lords: Unelected House of Commons: Elected by the People, 1st Past Post. |
European Parliament: Elected by the People, Proportional Representation |
| Head of Civil Service | Head of Civil Service: Selected by Prime Minister of the day, for indefinite term. | EU Commission President: Elected by European Parliament, 5 year term, renewable. |
| Civil Service |
Dept. Heads: Appointed by Government. Civil servants: Competitive recruitment, ~400k. |
Commissioners: Appointed by Member State. Civil servants: Competitive recruitment, ~33k. |
Cannot find original source, but more can be found on swindonforeurope.co.uk.
If you disagree, or would like to add more details, please let me know.
You can suggest a reason for leaving the EU, or look at the other reasons.