Athenian Democracy

It is a little unfair to single out Jonathan Freedland, who I think is a very good columnist, but one phrase he used in a recent piece annoys me.  It is "In an ideal world of Athenian democracy" and it uses it to describe a calm rational discussion.

Anyone who has read the Peloponnesian War knows that is the last way you should describe Fifth Century Athenian Democracy.  It did not include women, or slaves, or foreigners (i.e. most of the Athenian population.  It ruled over colonies and extracted taxes from them in the crudest of ways, and many of its its debates and decisions were cruel, arbitrary and incompetent.  Our own representative democracy with rule of law, checks and balances and a full franchise is a much better arrangement, albeit not one being shown at its best during this wretched Brexit process.