Democracy Retreats

As the dimwits in Washington yammer on about promoting democracy in the middle east, it has just taken a major step backwards in one of their "major non-NATO allies", Thailand.

The Thai Rak Thai has won 399 seats out of 500 according to exit polls, so Thailand is now a one party state and Thaksin is now effectively dictator. Officially the TRT will need 400 seats but I'm sure that they will be able to pay one or two of the people elected from the other parties to join the TRT - perhaps the lone successful Mahachon candidate.

Reports from the Thai Electoral Commission and in the international press are noting that the election was far from free and fair with unprecedented levels of vote buying. Much of the payment for votes has been in the form of free mobile phones. Of course, Thaksin (or his family) owns the country's largest mobile phone company, so not only does he get to be dictator, he also gets to make a lot of money.

I predict Thailand has at least a couple of very painful years ahead of it.