How do gerontocracies take hold? Because it’s hard to get those in power to negotiate their own extinction early.
Why should they make any bargains at all? They have nothing to lose, as they are about to lose everything anyway. You have to remove the very ground they stand on.
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This isn’t a basic fact of human nature. It depends on the structure of the system. As fucking always the British system works better than ours because the PM is NOT a separate branch. He is raised up by the majority party in Parliament and he can be replaced EASILY by the same majority party. They don’t need to play useless “impeachment” games and they don’t need to wait 8 years for the next “election” gimmick. When they decide the PM is not suitable FOR ANY REASON AT ALL, they can take him down and elevate a new PM immediately.
More broadly, one recent structural change here made the gerontocracy stronger. Until 1986, corporations had a RIGID retirement age for everyone from assembly workers to the CEO. When you hit 65 you were out. No exceptions.
As fucking always the “rights” monsters got rid of this sensible rule by claiming “ageism”. Now the senile CEO has a “God-given natural right” to continue ruining the company, and nobody can take away his “God-given natural right” because he was “endowed by God” or more precisely by LBJ, who was God incarnate until Hillary inherited the position.
Polistra's Mill 