Quote of the day 10th April 2015


Comments

Jim said…
QUESTION

what makes politicians think they are leaders?

They are supposed to be elected servants.
Chris Whiteside said…
Why can't they be both?

To a Christian a would-be leader is required to be the servant of those who he or she aspires to lead. I see no reason why someone who does not share the Christian faith could not agree with that particular idea.
Jim said…
Its not a matter of faith, its a matter of government.

A politician is elected to represent the people of their constituency. Not to lead them. They are supposed to do that which their constituents tell them to do, they are not there to vote how they see fit, and then try to justify that position.

This is why when we have "world leader summits" i wonder why have they sent politicians, it would have been more productive to send scientists and private sector business leaders
Chris Whiteside said…
I referred to the Christian view because I happen to think the words of Jesus as recorded in the bible put the point particularly well, but I would still hold the same view on this if I lost my religious faith.

A person who holds office should regard himself or herself as the servant of the people he or she has been elected to represent. Any other view leads to arrogance and intolerance. But any office holder who thinks that excuses him or her from exercising leadership will be bad at the job for the opposite reason.

Do you remember the old joke about the politician who supposedly said "Here are my principles - and if you don't like them I have a different set in my briefcase?"

That's what a politician who never tries to exercise leadership would sound like.

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