Elite politics under the spotlight: Whither Thailand (again)?

Less than a week ago on 13th January, we met to take stock of politics in Thailand ahead of the general election in an event co-sponsored by LSE IDEAS and the Pacific-Asia Specialist Group of the UK Political Studies Association. Controversy – of which Thailand has seen much in recent years – attracts and the event was well attended by a mixed academic and policy audience. Leading Thai specialists, Professor Duncan McCargo, who is Professor of Southeast Asian politics at the University of Leeds, and Professor Peter Leyland, Professor of Public Law at London Metropolitan University, spoke, offering a fascinating insight into possible elections scenarios and some of the likely challenges going forward in terms of unresolved political differences, the role of Constitutional Court, and upholding free speech.