Manmohan not the lone puppet - Julia Gillard, Cameron offer company

It seems everybody running a democratic government becomes a puppet to someone or the other. In India the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been called lameduck. He has been referred to as a puppet in the hands of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

I used to find these remarks disturbing since his behaviour was more an outcome of the compulsions of coalition politics. To my pleasant surprise, however, prime ministers being labelled puppets is a very commonly deployed tactic by the opposition/public. Or so it appears in the coalition led governments in three democratic governments - India, Australia, and the United Kingdom (UK.)

In fact i sighed relief at the Indian belittling standards when i saw the picture below (Herald Sun). The opposition leader in Australia (Mr. Abbott) talking to public with placards behind calling the prime minister a bitch and a witch. I am sure Mr. Advani or Sushma Swaraj would never stoop to such low standards.

David Cameron met the same fate (being labelled a puppet) recently after the News of The World (NOTW)/Murdoch scandal on account of his close ties with the Murdochs. (picture from Guardian)