One of the lesser-recognised examples of this is the power exercised by members of political parties.
They make up a tiny fraction of the population — the last piece of research that I saw on the situation here in the UK had the total at 846,000 in a country with a population approaching 69 million — so not much over 1% of the population.
Many — but thankfully not all — of these people imagine that paying a relatively small monthly fee and knocking on a few doors somehow entitles them to more influence than everyone else.
It is these people who imposed Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Truss on us. They exercise power without legitimacy or responsibility.