"NJ, if we had voted to remain, knowing that we would only have a part say in future EU legislation, would we still have been a democracy?"
No. For the reasons I stated in my earlier post. But at least the electorate will have had its say, fully cognisant of the consequences (which were not emphasised enough in the run up to the referendum). If we had remained in the EU our democratic privileges (such as they are) would have been eroded almost daily.
Yes, there is a lot wrong with the UK's model but for all its faults the electorate at least has a chance every five years to chuck out the incumbents. To suggest that the EU is somehow democratic because member states provide the Commissioners and we have MEPs is stretching credibility. This is for two reasons: firstly the Commissioners do not act in their own nation's interest. They act in the interests of the entire EU and it is quite obvious that the interests of the UK will seldom concur with those of many of the other members. Secondly the MEPs have only two options: to accept or reject proposed legislation. They cannot propose it themselves; they cannot modify it themselves. And we all know what happens when proposals that the EU wants to see enacted are rejected.