Democracy (was Richard K. ... )

[Anthony Nelson-Smith]

Richard K. criticises democracy and, of course, he's right - but which other realistic system is preferable ?  Winston Churchill commented (roughly) that democracy seems the worst possible way to run a country, until you look at the alternatives.  The 'democracy' of the Greeks and, later, the Founding Fathers was certainly restricted to an elite but, hopefully, we've come on a bit since then.  I've briefly visited (for example) Iraq and Saudi Arabia and I'd certainly sooner live in the constitutional monarchy of GB, or even under the non-democratic presidency of George W !                                 Tony N-S.