20+ years ago, I flew this Speed Canard ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroflug_Speed_Canard ) . No tail stabilizer, no FBW, and flying it didn't require any special skill (I've never had any ;-) ). Nice to fly. It actually even wouldn't stall.
I guess this proves that instability is actually not a problem. Indeed, if the speeds unwillingly increases, we don't wait for stability to correct, we pitch up ourself well before !
Or do I get it wrong ?