In Ancient Greece, more specifically in the bustling trading capital Athens, of the all powerful state of Athens, around the fourth century BC there lived a man who changed the course of history.
He founded the first educational institution of the western world, came up with a phrase to describe a great friendship that doesn’t include intimate relations (although some say this isn’t exactly what he was getting at) and set out some rather interesting guidelines as to who was best equipped to be the leader of a country, region, state or city.
Key to these guidelines was one thing – the leader had to be a philosopher. (Not unlike the author of the works of course) A philosopher seemed to be the only person who could have a true perspective on “goodness”. Truth and goodness being vital and held in high esteem at the time.
This man was Plato  - who postulated that the wisest men must be held to run the city according to their lofty insights and that the most the masses could do was to chose a leader wisely.

Although Ancient Greece also gave us the structure of democracy we use to this day to elect our leaders, Plato was of the monarchical school that leaned further towards oligarchy rather than democracy, hence the “Philosopher King”.

In a time of change and realignment many look to leaders to show the way. In Europe we are months away from chosing a new European Commission and European Parliament President, a task that affects more than 500 million citizens.

When speaking with a former Attorney general of Ireland who is now the current Chairman of GoldmanSachs, Peter Sutherland, I asked him what makes a good leader. He seemed to think it had something to with focus. “The leaders in Europe at the institutions and in particular at the Commission, have to provide an idea.  They have to provide a focus and they have to provide integrity of the institution that puts Europe before national interest and has a project, a great project, for the further integration of Europe. It requires many skills. Obviously, within the commission it requires bringing people together in a common purpose but more particularly it will increasingly involve relating with the outside world, not merely the governments but the peoples of different states and I think President Barroso is aware of this,” Sutherland said.

When I asked UK MEP Mary Honeyball she gestured rubbing her thumb and forefinger together at an intangible piece of air and called it “an elusive quality, when it’s there you know it,” necessary in politics.

Graham Watson another UK MEP and leader of a political group, seems to have decided that he is the only fit person set to run the next European Parliament  - he has an advertisement and a site to prove it: “Our Parliament is becoming stronger.  As its President, I would stand up for the things we all believe in - human rights, climate  action, and a  stronger Parliament. This is my promise to all MEPs,” says the ad. When I talked to him last year he reminded me why he was doing this and the significance of the European Parliament’s choice in leader “This place I think is the most powerful institution in real terms in the European Union, and if it had the right leadership it could play a more important role in the life of our citizens.”

On July 3 the Swedish Prime Minister acting on behalf of the European Council announced that the vote for European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso would be delayed due to disaccord amongst the Member States.
Over the next six months the two top jobs in the European Union will be decided upon, not by the citizens but by the people the “masses wisely chose”. One hopes they will now in turn use “truth and goodness” to chose those further along the food chain, the two Presidents.

Monarchies are rather passé in 2009, I shudder to think that philosophy is as well.

Follow Alia Papageorgiou on twitter @Eurocentrique