> So you have only ever visited a country that is very definitely NOT a democracy, and you have never lived in a democratic country.

i belive no country is democratic. its would be a fool to believe the two-party-voting-system=democratic.

> How is that "gaming many other freedoms". If the party was not to lame fine, but what happens when they are to blame?

its the freedom of accountability, people do wrong things, they get punished or sentence to death. most country dont have.

> So if something like HS2's cost overruns happen would you even know about it? Does everything get done at the planned cost?

yes. no, but things like HS2 would never happen in China. its just too Absurd. In China, at most the leaders might embezzle some money, but they still get the project done.

> That is not the reality of living in Europe. I lived most of my life in the UK and those sorts of crimes are rare.

Compared to China, it is still a very unsafe place. if i have travel to most of the relative-safe countries, i might go to EU. After all ,i read so many books about it, it's still a must-to-go place