> Would it not be fair to say that in a representative government those elected representatives are the civilian authority? Absolutely. But those office bearer

> Would it not be fair to say that in a representative government those elected representatives are the civilian authority? Absolutely. But those office bearers have constituencies I presume? If office bearer xan make their own decisions regardless of what the people who put them in power say - we would be stretching the idea of a democratic republic to the extreme, don't you think? The taxpayers should have the ability to veto decisions if in large enough numbers.