Taylor Swift may never know it but lyrics from the US pop superstar’s latest album are motivating Abhisit Vejjajiva in his bid to redeem the popularity of the Democrat Party.
Mr Abhisit admitted on Tuesday he faced an uphill battle in recapturing voter support for the country’s oldest party in his second stint as leader, amid signs that more members are set to defect to rival parties ahead of the coming general election.
“What other parties are doing in wooing our people, it is like they want to shatter the Democrats,” he said in an interview with CU Radio of Chulalongkorn University.
“But a shattered glass is a lot sharper,” he warned.
The Oxford-educated former prime minister borrowed the words from the song Cancelled, co-written by Swift, on her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl. The phrase rapidly gained fame after the album was released early this month.
“But a shattered glass is a lot sharper. And now you know exactly who your friends are (You know who we are),” the song says. (continues below)
Mr Abhisit admitted that some members will definitely leave the Democrats soon, having sealed deals with another party.
His admission aligns with a statement by Bhumjaithai Party deputy leader Pipat Ratchakitprakarn on Oct 7. He said then that some Democrat politicians would certainly join Bhumjaithai, regardless of who became the the new leader of the Democrats.
“My first mission is to restore the party,” Mr Abhisit said. “I want to tell them that I will use the sharpness of the shattered glass to end the circle of vote-buying and corruption.”
Mr Abhisit, 61, said he bought The Life of a Showgirl two weeks ago.
One of his first messages after being reinstalled as Democrat leader on Saturday was a reference to Swift’s lyrics as being an inspiration for the task in hand during his second tenure.
Mr Abhisit, who started work as party leader on Monday, is also an avid fan of Irish rock band U2 and the Newcastle United football club.