Essay: Is Democracy The Worst Form Of Government

On November 17, 1944, Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons and proclaimed, “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” He was, ladies and gentlemen, (looking up and pausing) wrong.

Democracy is NEITHER the worst form of government NOR is it better than all the rest.

As for the first assertion that it is not the worst form of government, I ask you to look south (turn, point and say ‘Just that way, exactly one thousand miles, as the buzzard flies’) to our oppressed cohabitants of this continent, the people of Zimbabwe. Their vote is not respected. Their voice is not considered. Their cries are not heard. One who once called himself their liberator holds them in bondage, such that they dare not speak a peep.

As for the assertion that it is better than all the rest, I ask you to look there again. What assurance have we that, were the men and women of that languishing land to put another in his place, the next would be any better? Except

It allows healthy competition among the educated and knowledgeable. It bases success on more than the taller candidate winning, as seen through the statistic that in The United States, the taller candidate has won 75% of the time since 1900. Meritocracy would remain accountable to the people; it would be government by real people, chosen from the people, for all people, but with selection based on merit, rather than popularity. The performance of each segment of government could be evaluated on a regular basis, and those which accomplish little would last but a while, while those which make the most of their resources would be bolstered. There would remain the possibility of the government’s reconstitution, on a regular basis, such as every six years. Government would depend less on fashion, more on