2023-11-18 06:00:00
Thus, among the statesmen who have marked our country, we easily cite Emile Vandervelde, activist for universal suffrage and social democracy, Achile Van Acker, on the front line of the battle for coal, Gaston Heyskens who fought for independence of the Congo and the linguistic question, or Paul Henry Spaak, considered one of the fathers of Europe.
“He impresses me”
Among the post-war statesmen, we could also add Pierre Harmel “who, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, had introduced a fairly strong doctrine” to NATO, aimed at pacifying East-West relations, recalls the political scientist Pierre Verjans.
The historian Hervé Hasquin has a particular affection for Hubert Pierlot, a royalist Catholic who led the Belgian government in exile in London from 1940 to 1944 “while pretending to remain in contact with the king, while Leopold III despised them “There are people who feel things. It’s a characteristic example which, in hindsight, impresses me”, judges the liberal historian.
“Father Heyskens, who was prime minister three times, was a courageous man. On the Walloon side, a name also comes to mind, that of Jean Rey who was president of the European Commission from 1967 to 1970. He had convictions. He is someone who was associated with political decisions and who could never be burdened with the slightest incorrectness. He remained clean. And that is an essential quality. A corrupt, or a corruptible, is never a statesman”, adds Hervé Hasquin.
Someone who lasts
Closer to our time, it is difficult not to see the tenacious prime ministers of Wilfried Martens and Jean-Luc Dehaene as statesmen. “People who were considered small at the beginning and who, with the benefit of the years, we judge on their actions. We speak well of people about whom we spoke badly,” believes Pierre Verjans.
“It is for having made compromises that these prime ministers were considered statesmen. It was not a foregone conclusion but the duration helped them. There is no such thing as a statesman than someone who lasts. And the title is often awarded retrospectively.”
“Some also considered Herman Van Rompuy as a statesman,” continues the political scientist, less convinced. His promotion to the rank of very first president of the permanent European Council pleads in favor of this uncharismatic prime minister. The efficient guardian of Finances that was Philippe Maystadt could just as easily claim the honor.
“No need to die”
“We have never organized a vote to decide who can or cannot be called a statesman. It is the political observers, the journalists, the politicians themselves who agree to apply this label,” notes Pierre Verjans. For politicians still active, this is very rarely the case. “We don’t have the impression that Charles Michel or Didier Reynders are considered statesmen, especially by their adversaries. Certainly, there is no need to die to claim the title, but the fact of having ceased its activities is already an important moment.”
“On Jean Gol, there is less unanimity. Guy Spitaels also tried to embody this, but his career ended badly. Opinions on André Cool also evolved. After his assassination, it was considered that he “He was a statesman, perhaps because of the tragic circumstances of his death.”
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