Churchill declared that democrcy as the worst system of government, except for all the others.

Question

What does it mean?

Answer 1

That there is only one system that does work, however bad it seems, democracy.  

Answer 2

That was said by an America many years before Mr Churchill who heard it from his American mother Why do you think he was a great leader? Why do you think you voted him out after he saved your behind that just the way you treat yanks and half a yank

Answer 3

What Winston meant by saying that "Democracy is the worst form of government, save all those tried before", is that every four or five years, the elected representatives of the people must go back to the people and ask for them to vote them back into office or not, as the case may be.

In effect, the democratic process is a form of perpetual revolution without the blood spilling etc.

Someone once said that democracy is born of revolution.  It certainly was the case in the City of Athens when the citizens rose up and killed all those who opposed the establishment of a democracy.  An elected aristocracy, chosen by the people.

So fast was democratic change in Athens that it has been said that almost any one of the 30 or so thousand electors, would know someone who had been president.

A president at Athens was elected for one day only.  No chance then of doing anything seriously damaging, like declaring war etc.

And so it goes.

Even England had to have a kind of revolution, a civil war in fact, in order for the Parliamentary system to be taken seriously.

The House of Commons guards it's power and the statue of the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell MP, stands outside the House to remind the people that it is they who rule and not the King.

And remember dear voters, that sometimes the people get the government they deserve.  This happens when we allow apathy to take over.  To avoid this, be sure to register as an elector and cast your vote accordingly.

Good luck and may the best party win etc.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Answer 4

I think he meant that all government is potentially corrupt but that democracy had more checks in it to potentially reduce the amount of corruption. Lord Acton (British hsitorian 1834 - 1902, often misquoted) wrote in a letter in1887) "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.....There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the hollder of it" Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1887

Answer 5

He didn't know what he was talking about on that one.

Answer 6

It is a joke - wit or if you like, a sense of humour - you may not recognise this after the last period of Labour in power where they are the 'joke' or laughing stock themselves.  

Answer 7

It means that no system is a good government system, democracy is just the lesser of evils

Answer 8

He was saying it's the best system we have, but that it's still flawed. Just because something is good, doesn't make it perfect.

At least thats how I interpret it.

Answer 9

He's basically saying that democracy as a system of government is the best of a bad bunch.

Answer 10

www.zeitgeistmovie.com

Answer 11

Yup pretty much saying ...

Democracy is rubbish, but it's still better than anything else we've come up with so far.

Answer 12

He was wrong.  Democrazy is the worst form of government ever tried period.  Whomever thought it was a good idea to allow people to choose between 2 virtually identical candidates for dictator every few years had to be a genius.  By so doing, you can perpetually ensure that your parasitical government will continue to exist and grow and that the people will be corrupted and desire to use that government to steal money from their neighbors.

Democracy is the worst form of government because revolutions are virtually impossible under a system that can defuse anger at the government, allowing itself to exist perpetually.