Which I admit myself.
It becomes a problem when a populist agenda is nigh-on mandatory to keep power.
And the best-intentioned won't be able to do a thing without power.
If populism is mandatory to keep power, than denying populist forces an outlet via political process results in things like Gaius Marius or other populist autocrats using those suppressed voices to take power via force. Support of masses is hell of an engine for revolution.
In such cases pulling a Bismark is called for and actually addressing those of their concerns which are not idiocy. UHC, increase suffrage, progressive taxation, workplace safety, and so on.
Plus education; the better is education, the less of problem populism presents - in theory, with populace of people each having at leastBSc in PolSci/Economics/some hard science/Philosophy or whatnot direct democracy would work too.
It's just that some countries first make education expensive and then 30 years later wonder why the populace votes against their own interests.
TL;DR: High quality mass education is, long-term, a better way to address populism that trying to deny masses access to leverages of power. In the meantime, passing useful things masses want works well enough.
Continued following of populism and people who have gotten in control enough to direct populism can cause democracies to do incredibly idiotic things, repeatedly, and in the interests of someone(s) who can make things look far better than they actually are. Just as the answer there is not to switch to a completely different type of government and throw out the baby with the bath water, the answer to the problems that monarchies face is not to just switch to a completely different form of government because it doesn't have that particular disadvantage.
You have pointed out one very real problem with a monarchy that we have to deal with, just as has been pointed out a very real problem with democracies that has to be dealt with even in modern times.
I'd propose either expanding the royal family and gaining a new type of passing down of who the heir is to something that helps ensure that the most talented and fit person for the job gets said job, or perhaps slowly transitioning into something like a mericratic monarchy. Perhaps we could have some sort of system where the top students at a Royal Academy meant specifically to train up the next generation of leaders (and make sure said academy has field trips to other places so they can understand the woes of the common person a bit more easily in its curriculum) and then have a nationwide election to determine which one of them will become the next heir at a certain time. (Vote for me! I was the president of the most prestigious generation of the Academy in recent years!). We might be able to pull from an expanded royal family, various noble families, or even anyone who could pass the entrance exam.
My point is much more, thinking that the governmental problems will be solved rather than be changed by switching government types completely is not something I believe. We are going through changing times and all governments will have to evolve one way or another. All governments, even the newly formed republics will need to evolve.
1. How is hypothetical "Meritocratic monarchy" different from democracy with lack of limit of term count?
2. If the monarch is not elected, then who controls the definition of "merit" and how
they are selected?
- I understand such power is dangerous, this is why I do not want to give it to some populist dude on a 4-year term.
- All this is supposed to work ONLY in a constitutional monarchy, and you cannot bypass the constitution.
- We can add a check on this power, say, royal decrees may be vetoed by joint majority vote of the parliament houses. (or something)
- Funny thing, Russian rulers who were educated in rulership less ruled better. Peter I? Self-taught, now known as "the Great". Peter III? Taught from 10yo, killed in 1/2 a year. Catherine II? Never learnt about rulership before becoming Empress, now known as "the Great". Pavel I? Taught by best tutors, killed in 6 years.
- As if a monarch could not marry off some undeserving children so they cannot inherit.
1. You could make a separate profession out of it and do it via merit. Call such people, oh, attorneys, or something. Why tie it to monarchy at all?
2. What if constitution is old and unjust itself though?
3. That's...just the definition of executive branch which can be vetoed by another one. Again, why monarchy? You do not need a monarch here.
4. Well, I am not sure "killed" thing is a point against rulers' competence in ruling.
5. Well they could, but...
All in all, overwhelming question I have is "What does monarchy has to do with it?".