In fictional imaginings of a lethal pandemic, a visceral panic often sweeps through frightened crowds and leads to decidedly uncivilized behavior.

We have seen two acts of political insanity over the past few days. The question is which one of them – Suthep Thaugsuban publicly announcing he was going back on his words, or Thaksin Shinawatra reminding everyone that he remains the de facto supreme leader of the Pheu Thai Party – is the smarter of the two.