The media loves Abhisit because he is good looking, has a nice English accent and Oxford degree, doesn’t attack the media and isn’t filthy rich. Simply, he is everything Thaksin wasn’t.

In terms of political behavior, I see him no different than Thaksin; actually, in many ways, he is worse than Thaksin.

Take away all personal prejudices and just look at the record.

The very fact that he is spending a trillion and half baht on “stimulus projects” should send shivers down everybody’s spine, since most of that cash is going through the ministries that Newin controls.

The policy that he keeps harping about is his free 15 years of education plan.

It isn’t good enough just to guarantee funding without any major reforms in the education system itself. Is 15 years of horrible schooling superior to 8 years of horrible schooling?

As for other reforms, any person who has analyzed Thai politics for any amount of time can come to the conclusion that Thailand’s problems are institutional. Without any serious reform – namely overhauling the police, the military, campaign finance and bureaucracy – no amount of feel good propaganda will be able to lift the corrupt taint that infects every aspect of Thailand’s political culture.

“Good intentions and means well, but hamstrung”