From: Darin Sunley (umsunley@cc.umanitoba.ca)
Date: Thu Mar 19 1998 - 23:39:32 MST
Anders Sandberg wrote:
>
> Delvieron@aol.com writes:
>
> > Ah, Benevolent Despotism....
[snip]
The problem is almost never the benevolent despots. The problem is
usually the spoiled brat children/ambitious courtiers who end up
succeeding them.
Solutions to this problem usually involve randomizing/putting to a
referendum the choice of who succeeds who, and then you're right back to
the Canadian system of "elected absolute despot who gets turfed from
office every couple of years".
Representative parlimentary democracy, combined with a majority
government (where the sitting party holds more seats then the other
parties combined - fairly common here), combined with ridiculous rules
about members of the sitting party HAVING to vote the way the prime
minister wants, are as close as I've ever seen to benevolent despotism.
Sometimes it seems that the checks/balances provided by bureaucratic
friction in the civil service are the only reason this country doesn't
go to hell in a hand basket.
Hint for Canadian political groupies, try to avoid watching "Yes
Minister" during an election campaign :)
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