Is US and UK democracy really in danger today?

Can you call the system of government in the UK and America - to name but two - "democracy"?

Yes, of course.

And be sure that democracy in those countries is quite different from what, say, Russia and China also call "democracy"?

Of course. The US and UK are liberal democracies.

Many are starting to doubt that. Would you say democracy in the US and UK is under threat, if not actually in danger?

Of course. Democracy isn't guaranteed. Parliaments and other assemblies can be managed, the courts intimidated, trades unions and human rights suspended, wars started, censorship brought in.

Is that happening in the UK and US?

Of course - slowly, here and there, bit by bit. You see it in the treatment of immigrants, limiting public protests, parties rubbishing each other, populist politicians spreading lies. And partisan media churning out endless government propaganda. People talk openly about coming dictatorships. Something different is happening politically today.

But wait a minute. Isn't "democracy' about much more than institutions like parliaments and a free press? Isn't it also about ideas and about values - liberal ideas and values? Votes for all. Freedom of expression and religion. Equality before the law. Human rights, including free healthcare. A commitment to peaceful change.

Of course. Those values are all part of it.

They can just vanish too? Democratic ideas and values - just disappear?

Of course not ...