Thaksin To Unveil Pheu Thai's Policies

[animatic]

If Pheu thai party win this election will the last one out of Thailand please switch off the lights? K Shinawatra is making K Abhisit more and more of a credible democratic leader. How did a man with so little common sense ever get to make so much money?

Because making money any way you can, and having a sense of morality as commonly understood, are not typically tied together. And no doubt his early drive to succeed and need to be controlling has increased over time and not in a healthy way.

Add to that the obviousness of his making less rational decisions when under pressure, sharply on display in 2006 as things in his administration went very bad.

And in 2009 Songkran when he was caught on international TV telling world class porkies, and the paymaster lies, then on screen slip up.

And in 2010 Songkran when he let the red dogs off the lease. As Abhisit made accommodations he was never expected to make, throwing the game plan off stride, and Thaksin came under more and more pressure to guide his team to a win.

But the longer it didn't bring down the government the more the pressure mounted. After the end of the occupation the approach became quite scatter shot, and the violent card was the only one left. He played that card, and it STILL didn't have the desired effect, the country rising up indisgust against the army and the Democrats. Most all in the new media age could clearly see which side was forcing the violence and which side showed, maybe excessive, restraint.

His alleged distancing ploy did not find many buyers either. People saw through that charade and facade. So now the very much discredited reds are a liability even in Northeast Issan circles. Everyone knows how far they will go and what destruction can be expected when they are let free of restraint.

So we have essentially round three, and suddenly with defections to the left of him defections to the right of him, into the breach dear friends rides an increasingly friendless Thaksin. His word and influence eroding, his decision making is likely faltering and clearly vacillating wildly. Can he yet inspire a light brigade to sacrifice itself for his leadership, for his legend? Or will others do it for king and country, and not for a new elitest pretender?

Yingluck is one of the few people he could count on, and he maybe seeing her installation slipping through his fingers after the latest Red Shirt over reach.

He seemed to have tried to have good cop/bad cop division on his own teams to try and triangulate troubles for Abhisit and the Dems, yet this approach is coming back at him just weeks before the vote.

Letting the Red Leaders out when Abhisit did may have been a masterstroke, enough time for them to hit stride and scare everyone badly, and show the tie in between PTP and UDDD DAAD most clearly. Jatuporn may have followers, but he also has many more people who fear him, and imagining him as a rejuvenated Thaksins lapdog on call for what ever deeds need doing is pretty scary...

Interestingly Thaksin just tweeted he is not wanting revenge... that he would feel the NEED to say that, shows how likely it would be correct.

Most tellingly is 40 Issan MPs from the heart of red land have publicly spoken out saying that his embracing of the red shirts could lose them their seats. That is a sea change for sure and must real cause a twist in the panties in the Dubai executive suite.

As pressure builds I fear for his rationality. And fear more for what this might mean for the Thai people.

Edited April 23, 2011 by animatic