EU Democracy, CUBA style!

Apologists for the castro dictatorship in Cuba offer the excuse that democracy does exist in Cuba, in that you can elect your preferred member of the communist party. So you are free to vote but you cant vote for change. Similarly in the EU there are free elections but nearly all political parties are identical in their european policies, so how do you vote for change without turning to unpalatable fringe groups? Most telling of all is when a referendum is defeated its either overturned in parliament or you have to vote again until you get it right. The EU, the new CUBA!