I’ll say, before I get going, that I have used the word Statesman rather than Statesperson* as I feel this system of nomenclature diminishes the word; so, when I write Statesman (heaven knows why the capital), please read – Stateswoman and Statesman.
Here are some who spring to mind:
Obama
Gandhi
Churchill
And once, again, I appear to have fallen into a gender faux pas. Oh.
When I think of women leaders of states – which I don’t believe equals stateswoman, I think Thatcher, Gandhi (Indira), Meir. I am leaving-off May as I think she is just a soldier of misfortune. I am not saying that these people were not Statespeople – I just don’t know enough about them.
Please, readers, send me your stateswomen. (I was all ready to include Aung San Suu Kyi until the recent events)
Anyway – my point…
Well, the distinction between statesman and politician.
There is clearly more to it than I can include here, but one important difference relates to the individual’s system of values – statesman; places the state, the interests of the people before themselves, politician; locates their own position before all else – their ability to finagle their way around local government and party politics, manipulating populism – ‘vote for me and I will give you…’ not the Kennedy, ‘Ask not what your country…’ type mantra (Oh – yes, let’s add JFK to the list).
Think Brexit – which group were dominant?
So, there it is. What comes first? You, your career, position, beliefs, or, the country, those you represent, the common good, national interest?
Is it as easy as that? Are leaders born? Don’t they have to rise-up through the ranks, perhaps utilising political strategies to reach a position of adequate influence to translate their ideas and understanding into action?
This I don’t know. I have never met, nor, am I likely to meet a statesman (there, I am more comfortable – I’ve dropped the capital), next I’ll be taking about people!**
xxx
*According to the computer’s spell-check, ‘Statesperson’ isn’t even a word… go figure.
**Nigel – please forgive the ‘S/s’ inconsistencies – i know this drives you crazy.
***There is no end to this… Even Cleopatra – ‘she who comes from glorious father’ Am I digging myself into a hole here?
Dr Rod’s Odd Blog (almondemotion) 
My view of the motivation of a typical politician is to stay in power for as long as they can. I’d like to believe, like to say, statemen/people have more noteworthy values. But who knows? How many “statesmen” also had checkered (chequered?) pasts? Politics is a dirty business involving an inordinate amount of backstabbing and brown-nosing. Come to think of it, that’s also what surviving in the corporate world is also about!
And yes, those essessssss……
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