@BobsonDugnuttHB @Dicer This isn't a feature of democracy in general, any society with a bureaucracy is going to have this.

I think what happens is that by the nature of democracies they are much more prone to forming bureaucracies.

You can even see historically kings where they are weak and the country is run by "advisors" - but it's like that even when they aren't feebleminded. Lots of power which is undocumented.