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Re: Response to Proposed IAC Banishment Change



On Fri, 22 Mar 1996, Lisa Steele wrote:

>   As for democracy, it is certainly period for say the Northern Italian 
> city-states. And was not the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire elected?

Yes, but democracy in what form?  Surely not democracy in exactly the way
we know it.  And yes, the Holy Roman Emperor was elected, but by the
*princes* of Germany, and candidates came from only one or two elite
families (Hohenstaufens, Welfs, Hapsburgs).  Any adaption of that sort of
system for SCA use seems to me as mistaken as the king-by-right-of-arms
system.  There is as much room for abuse (if not more) of that sort of
system (peers jockeying for favour with candidates, and rising
factionalism) as there is with the present system. The status quo, while
not perfect, does at least have certain built-in safeguards - even a bad
king is gone in 6 months time, and there is an administration that runs
the kingdom reasonably well despite the quality of the royalty. 

In service,
Alianora
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Stephanie M. Thorson			*  SCA: Lady Alianora Munro
University of St Andrews		*  
St Andrews, Scotland			*  Clan White Wing
email smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk		*  Tarkhan, Khanate Red Lion
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