To the Editor:

Re “England’s Last Gasp of Empire” (July 13): When the ancient Athenians voted overwhelmingly for foolish decisions — like their decision to execute the entire adult male population of the city of Mytilene in 427 B.C. — they at least had the option of meeting the next day and voting again (they reversed themselves.) But the Brexit vote offers no easy remedy.

In a national democracy, popular voting should be restricted to electing representatives who can then rescind their own mistakes if necessary — or to ratifying initiatives that an elected government has already approved. By contrast, the Brexit vote, like ballot initiatives in California, rests on nothing but a passing phase in public opinion, and it is entirely unburdened by the responsibility of implementation.

The very idea of the Brexit vote should have been opposed from the start as bad statecraft, as unconstitutional, and as a terrible example for other democracies around the world.

MICHAEL SHENEFELT

Barcelona, Spain