Editing Bureaucrat

[[Wikimedia]] projects define a bureaucrat as "a user who has the technical ability to give other users adminship."  This is necessarily defined by their access to an account with that power, as opposed to by any authorizing process separate from that access.

''[[Wikipedia]] also used this term briefly to describe those with [[sysop]] status on more than one project, who are trusted to execute the [[sysopping protocol]] (how sysops come into being, and cease to exist - although the latter NEVER happens on Wikipedia which is run by a cabal devoted to denial of their status:[[TINC]]).  There was a list of them at [[m:bureaucrat]].  Supposedly, they would lose this status for abuses.  But since the list includes several known abusers (Daniel Mayer, "Angela", Tim Starling and others) who always support the [[sysop power structure]] or [[usurper]]s (like the developers) there was a risk that one of them would lose bureaucrat status.  Accordingly they abandoned this term and the commitment to follow any rules, then attempted to cover up by, among other things, attacking this article to remove all mention of their attempt to make their power appear legitimate.  See also [[142.X.X.X/Flames]] for some of these issues.''

This [[test balloon]] approach to seizing new powers is quite common among all stripes of bureaucrats.  The British TV series "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" are about the way bureaucrats steal power.