A Tale Of Two Coups

It was quite a turnaround to see the liberal government coming to power in America with the conservative government in power in Canada, but apparently, Stephen Harper massively overreached and is about to be shown the door.

With the announcement of a formal alliance among opposition parties, Canada moved closer Monday to removing its Conservative government without holding an election.

If the pact — signed by the Liberal and New Democratic parties and the Bloc Québécois — is successful at dislodging the Conservatives, it will be the first time since 1926 that the federal government has changed hands without a vote.

Coalition governments are rare in Canada, and the opposition plan still faces constitutional and political uncertainties.

Adding to the political turmoil is speculation about how Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government is outnumbered by the opposition in Parliament, will respond. Over the weekend, the Conservatives tried to stifle the movement against them by withdrawing some economic proposals, including an end to public financing of political parties, that angered the opposition parties and prompted the negotiations that led to their alliance.

There is speculation that Mr. Harper, having failed to fend off the opposition through concessions, may end the current session of Parliament to at least postpone his government’s removal.

Harper was basically trying to cut off the lifeblood of the smaller parties, and they instantly revolted. It's amusing to see him backtracking now, but I'd be surprised if it worked. The center-left parties should have been forming coalition governments for years, where the electoral majority is reflected in the governing majority. Without proportional representation, of course coalition governments best reflect the will of the people in a Parliamentary system. I think the Liberals, who are centrist (hey, it's Canada) had this mental block against joining with the DFHs in the Bloc Québécois and the New Democrats, but that's over now. They have an extremely similar platform, anyway.

The latest revolution in Thailand is not nearly so tidy.

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered Thailand’s governing party to be disbanded and barred the prime minister and many of his senior ministers from politics for five years.

The court ruling, which came amid protests that have paralyzed the government and blockaded Bangkok’s two airports, dissolves the People Power Party of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Thousands of protesters at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the country’s main tourist gateway, roared when one of their leaders announced the news of the court’s decision from a makeshift stage outside the airport’s departure hall.

The protesters claim that they will now leave the airports (by the way, I've been to that airport in Bangkok, and it's not really worth the sit-in), but if recent Thai history is any guide, the replacement government will be installed by the crown and the military. I expect they won't tolerate all this civil disobedience, and it could get much worse than the bomb blast that has already killed one protester.