The cabinet of Thailand’s new coalition government has been formally endorsed. We can now start getting to know the personalities that have been entrusted with forging a post-Thaksin future.

By the looks of things, the commentariat will have much to work with…

…much has already been said about the new Prime Minister’s educational pedigree (Eton and PPE at St. John’s College, Oxford). New Mandala readers interested in the details of Abhisit’s Oxford output will find the general thrust of this thesis intriguing. Perhaps one of our readers enjoying the grey of Oxford at Christmas will be kind enough to pop down to Nuffield and have a gander.

The rest of the cabinet line-up is just as intriguing. Others have already commented on some of the more exciting choices. During the current “silly season” it is, surely, only a matter of time before somebody has a great deal of satirical fun with the new first XI.

I would be letting the team down if I didn’t mention that the new Finance Minister (another British public school/St. John’s boy), Korn Chatikavanij, has a nascent WordPress blog. It would be very cool if he became a regular in the Thailand blog scene, no? Perhaps New Mandala readers who feel the urge could try and start up a conversation. He gives every impression that he will be open to some online banter.

Banter, of course, being a standard currency in the University town that he and his boss know so well.