The Old Boys Club...

  “When Small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.”
Lin Yutang

Early May in the UK, and I find myself enduring the fairly typical weather in these islands. It is generally cold, wet and windy, although happily it is about to improve, at least if the forecasters of the BBC are to be believed. The one day in the last week that was an exception to the ongoing gloom was Thursday, the day on which the general election was held. In the UK, the advent of decent weather for such a day was supposed to improve the turnout. It did … in Scotland at least. South of the border the turnout was much the same as usual, at around 65 %. As the winning party managed to poll 36.7%, this effectively meant that only about 1 person in every 4 actually voted for them. In the strangely undemocratic democratic system of the UK, this is enough to give the winning party a majority.
There was much frustration all around, perhaps none more poignant than than of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party). Personally, I have little sympathy with their views, but much empathy with their frustration. On the day they polled 12.6% of the vote, approximately a third of the Conservative party's 36.7%. The result? The Conservatives end up with 331 times the 1 seat that was given to UKIP in this bizarre system.

UKIP also managed to attract something like two and a half times the number of votes that the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) polled. Again, their 3,881,129 votes gave them just the one seat, whilst the SNP's 1,454,436 gave them 56. One wonders if this is an example of the kind of 'democracy' that the West has been so keen to impose on the rest of the planet in recent times. The 'first past the post' system employed in the UK seems to be a pretty random form of democracy at best.

In the end, the conservative with a 'small c' United Kingdom ended up with a Conservative with a 'big C' government, as is their usual wont in these islands. The only interruption in the last 36 years of Conservative rule came when the Labour Party essentially ditched any notion of being socialist and became instead a mirror image of the Conservatives. Basically, they out-toried the Tories. This seems to be just about the only way they have any chance of being elected in this somewhat insular country. Napoleon Bonaparte was perhaps displaying a fair degree of insight when he made the observation some two hundred years ago: “L'Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers.”

One of the things I have not missed about the UK is the class warfare, although it seems to be a battle fought by just one side these days. The wealthy, and those many politicians who represent their interests, seem forever engaged in finding new ways to dis-empower the poor and make their plight ever more desperate. The poor, for their part, are just struggling to keep their heads above the ever rising tide. The word class is perhaps particularly apt in this context, given that many of our current crops of Tories, at least the influential ones, shared the same school, Eton. Some of these, notably Messrs. Cameron, Osborne and Johnson, went on to Oxford, joining the (in)famous Bullingdon Club and having a jolly spiffing time...

Oh well, as an old friend used to say, 'If things don't change, they will stay the same.' Or perhaps the Thai saying, 'same old, same old' is more applicable here.
Within a week or two, after the euphoria of victory, it will be back to the internecine in-fighting that the Tories specialise in. If things revert to the normal pattern that the Conservative Party loves to indulge in, there will be endless trench warfare within the party, factions within factions, particularly over the issue of Europe. One of the joys of travelling is leaving all this far behind.

Hopefully, within a week or two, I can set out once more for another part of the world and leave the rather dull, archaic and downright illogical machinations of the UK's political system to its own devices. There is some chance that I will be able to head off to Spain, perhaps Girona, Barcelona or Tarragona, in the very near future. If all goes well, I intend to spend at least a day or two in Madrid as well. Given the current state of the weather, and the current state of the politics here in the UK, the continuation of my travels cannot come too soon for this nomadic flaneur. 

Coup d'état or coup de grâce?

This week, I find myself frequenting the comfortable, if slightly worn, environs of Caffe Nero in Epping High Road. This particular High Road has the distinction of being the highest High Road in the whole of Essex. Given the leanings towards two-dimensionality of that particular county, being the highest High Road is perhaps not the most exciting of accomplishments. There is a poster on the wall advertising the imminent arrival, on July 7th, of the Tour de France. Having watched a stage in the sunshine of the Dordogne a few years back and subsequently enjoying the pleasure of spectating on a scorching final day as the riders sprinted up and down the Champs Elysee, the attractions of watching a large peleton of shaven-legged young men rolling through Epping for approximately 30 seconds pales in comparison. One must admire though, the creativity, and the financial acumen, of those responsible for the route of La Tour, if not necessarily their geographical accuracy. Pleasant as the roads of Epping and Loughton are, one struggles to see the connection with France. Still, it has to be admitted that a Tour d'Essex would probably attract a lot less commercial interest...

Since my return from the equitable climes of Thailand, I find myself struggling to cope with the inconsistency of the light and weather here in the UK. Days are longer, which I find agreeable, but the weather does tend to be somewhat capricious. One day it feels like spring has sprung and I find myself bathed in the most gentle and agreeable of lights. On another, like today, the leaden skies cast a day long gloom over the proceedings. This state of affairs has not helped my own re-adjustment to British Summer Time. My body seems to be in a state of revolt against this disruption to the regularity that was Thailand, where day and night were democratically divided, more or less twelve hours being allocated to each. Jet lag, according to those who know about such things, is a more deleterious experience for those travelling from West to East. I would beg to differ. It has been a month now since my return yet I still find myself wide awake at 5 a.m. and feeling like I could happily drop off at 5 p.m..

I have been looking forward to my planned return to Thailand but the Thai military seem to have other ideas. A few days ago, in a move that has been mooted for quite some time, the army declared martial law. At first, they were very insistent that this was not a coup d'etat. Oddly, it certainly looked like one. The military were on the streets and took over several of the governmental buildings in Bangkok. They shut down many of the media outlets, in particular, several of the more political minded TV stations.

For two days they insisted that this was not, in fact, a coup. It might have looked like a coup, walked like a coup, talked like a coup but... it wasn't a coup. Finally, after disbanding the government altogether and imposing severe restrictions on the media and use of the internet, they have declared that it is, after all, a coup.

Thailand's fledgling democracy has suffered many such events in recent years, so many in fact that it almost seems to be part of the political process there. The Thais experience a few years of rather chaotic democracy before the army once again seems to feel the need to 'impose order' once more. The 'order' subsequently imposed doesn't last very long though, and soon the same old, hugely corrupt, politics resume their normal day to day activities. And so the cycle continues.

Military coups, in general, do not seem to have a very good record if one's measure of that record is the well being of the general population of the country involved. In neighbouring Myanmar (Burma of old) , the military have been unable to resist the temptation to grab power and hold onto it for all they're worth. This has resulted in one of the most brutal regimes on the planet and almost omnipresent corruption. Few people have benefited from martial law in Myanmar with the possible exception of the generals themselves whose personal fortunes have increased exponentially. In recent times there have been moves towards opening up the country and allowing some democratic rights but... the temptation to hold on to power when that power is producing such benefits for the generals must be strong indeed. Apart from that, of course, there is always the possibility that with a return to democracy their own misdeeds could be investigated. This possibility would not be something that would appeal to the incumbent leaders..

Some coups do start out with the best of intentions but, as the old aSome coups do start out with the best of intentions but, as the old adage has it, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Often they are a reaction to the parlous state of a nation when perfidious and inept politicians have wreaked so much damage that the military feel they have little option but to step in to 'save' their country. Problem is though, in many of these cases, the 'cure' often proves to be far worse than the disease. Once they have their hands on the levers of power it becomes increasingly tempting to exercise it in a more and more draconian manner.

One of the first measures taken is often to limit any expression of opposition. Usually this involves shutting down newspapers and radio and TV stations. This process has, rather worryingly, already started in Thailand. Amongst military men, there seems to be a generalized (no pun intended...) fear of plurality. They live in a world where one guy gives the orders and another guy takes them. The idea that someone might actually dare to question what they are saying seems to be anathema to them.

The situation in Thailand is still developing as I write these words. If this turns out to be another example of a typical Thai coup then a return to a more normal state of affairs may not be too long in coming. The worry is though, that the temptations of wielding power and enjoying the benefits that it brings may prove to be strong to resist. Only time will tell.

Back in the cosy confines of Caffe Nero, I feel thankful that, for all its faults, the country I presently find myself in has not suffered a coup for nigh on half a millennia. For all the frustrations of well established democratic systems like those of the UK, they do at least guarantee a goodly amount of plurality and a tolerance for the expression of a wide range of views. As far as Thailand is concerned, this will have to be a case of watch this space (or perhaps other, better informed spaces). My own plan had been to use Thailand as a base for flaneurial activities throughout SE Asia and beyond, but it seems that, for now at least, those plans may have to be put on hold.

Another short addendum is called for. After penning the above article it emerged that Gen Prayuth Chan-Ocha has declared himself Prime Minister - the result of a general election it seems, in this case the general elected himself. Over the course of four days we have gone from the imposition of martial law but not a coup, to a coup, and now to a General appointing himself Prime Minister. These are challenging times for Thailand. One hopes that the transition back to civilian rule is short and peaceful but...the omens are not good.