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 :)