Democracy. What even is it?

Is China a sort of democracy? Is the United States a failing democracy? And is Australia the best democracy in the world?

Oi! Oi! Oi!

One had to admit we aren't doing badly given the opposing evidence on offer.

It's a low bar, but you probably wouldn't want to be living in Xi Jinping's China or even Donald Trump's America, given the choice.

The British guest, philosopher and author A.C. Grayling, held up the very existence of President Trump as proof that American democracy was inherently flawed. Explaining why, he heroically attempted to unravel the US electoral college system to Australia (for further information, write to former American presidents Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.)

"You have some things in the Australian system which are very desirable ... but this discussion is missing the point," said Grayling.

"The point is not that Trump was elected fairly and squarely on the basis of the American system. The point is, what's wrong with the American system that's given rise to Trump? I don't think democracy is working well in the US if the product is Trump."

Grayling went on: "The United States of America is not a democracy, it's a sort of partial democracy."

Alas, none of America's Founding Fathers were on the Q&A panel to respond. It instead fell to voices such as Liberal MP Alan Tudge and Labor MP Terri Butler to delve into the question: what makes a good democracy?

And is Australia a good one?

Tudge snorted at Grayling's description of Trump's election.

"How can you say that Anthony ... just because you don't like the result of the last [US] election?"

Cue a mild panel uproar, and host Tony Jones calming things down: "Alright, alright, alright..."

An audience member was of the view that Trump's presidency was proof that democracy works.

Terri Butler demurred, listing the virtues of preferential voting: "Our system is much more democratic in my opinion."

Or to take A.C. Grayling's view: "The [US] electoral college was set up to ensure that no idiot, no tweeter, sexual harasser, ignoramus, could get into the White House ... you see it works perfectly in the US."

The Q&A "People's Panellist", Li Shee Su, had some interesting views about China, especially regarding the increasingly fraught protests in Hong Kong. And about democracy in general.

"There is no perfect democracy in any country, even Australia. It's all about how it's set up."

It wasn't entirely clear just how he envisioned a perfect democracy being arranged. On the Hong Kong protests, he offered: "What we see on the news media is selective ... it can be very biased."

He just stopped short of crying: "FAKE NEWS".

Turn on your TV news and decide on that question.

Then there was audience member Rebecca Clarke, via Skype, lamenting the lack of a bill of rights and the right of Australian public servants to publicly challenge the government of the day, among other infringements.

Was Australia, she wondered, "a modern Liberal democracy or would it be better described as an authoritarian state?".

Alan Tudge: "A ridiculous question ... to suggest that Australia is an authoritarian state is just frankly wrong. I'd encourage her to speak to some people who've come from authoritarian states and escaped those places ... we've got to put things in perspective here."

Ms Clarke responded: "I suppose my point wasn't that we are an authoritarian state now but I am concerned a bit about the apathy and that maybe we are just slowly creeping towards that."

Could that really happen? Q&A would probably need to ask an American.