Xenophon the Elder would be proud of his modern day citizens. Credit:Pat Scala Their approach to law, for instance, saw courts composed of juries without judges. Modern day attorneys-general will no doubt tutt-tutt, but think of the efficiencies and common sense that would flow from a daily pool of ordinary people chosen at random. But they did have power to control political leaders and their organisations. There is an interesting idea, "the people in charge", says Louise. And as I look out on the great port of Pireaus and the ancient hills of Attica bleaching under the Aegean summer sun, and a blue sky like nowhere else, you can view the heart of a shipping industry that controls 20 per cent of the world's vessels which, according to the Wall Street Journal, has survived unscathed from the country's financial crisis. The Greeks worked out that trading with the world made sense. Boats not boundaries, says Charlie. The geographic and strategic position of Greece has been the line between East and West more or less for centuries, something that is still an issue today when one realises that the only NATO country to spend a higher proportion of GDP on defence is the USA.

Illustration: Cathy Wilcox. And while the Greeks have had huge financial difficulties in recent times, they have had a history of innovation in tough economic conditions. Nearly a century ago the Great Depression hit Greece like everywhere else. The Government pegged its currency, the Drachma, to the US Dollar but with the economy still failing, their Finance Minister Petros Protopapadaks, displayed his genius. He declared that each Drachma coin would be cut in half. The coin owner was permitted to keep one half and the other had to be given to the government as a 6.5 per cent loan; a loan that was in fact never repaid, surprise surprise. As I pondered the challenges of the modern democracy, I looked back to those who were involved at the earlier time to find some clues to our future. And low and behold I think I got it. In 430 BC Xenophon of Athens was born. We will call him Xenophon the Elder and what a fascinating story he has.

He really didn't believe in democracy too much but he managed to make it work. "For him!" says Louise. As a Mercenary soldier he participated in the failed overthrow of the Peacock Throne in Persia. There seems to be some parallels today with our antipodean Xenophon the Younger, the Senator for South Australia and his Canberra campaign in ruffling a tail feather or two. Xenaphon the Elder's attacks on the power elite were legendary with people from the public galleries urging him on with cries of "pelt, pelt".

The new senate should watch out as tomatoes don't usually set metal detectors off. But the language used in the democratic processes has always been important. In the first democracy there was contempt for those who did not participate. They were referred to as "idiotes"; a private person not interested in politics. We seem to have adapted this into a more all-embracing term but the origins are clear. I am sure that Xenophon the Elder would be proud of his modern day citizens as they struggle with the challenges of their democracy today as well as the waves of emigrants who have gone on to create great Greek cities in London, New York, Melbourne and many others including Adelaide, the home of Xenophon the Younger. But old Xenophon was a master historian as well as military leader. He was the foremost authority on Socrates and wrote The Apology of Socrates to the Jury; an account of the trial of the great philosopher who put so much weight on the importance of reason.

Let's hope that Xenophon the Younger holds reason in equally high regard and takes the opportunity to pass on the words of Socrates to his colleagues in Canberra; weak minds discuss people, average minds discuss events and strong minds discuss ideas. Nothing could be more important at the moment for our democracy.