But they will not eliminate them: Mr Thaksin, exiled in London, will be hoping that the army forces, and their civilian appointees, make such a mess that one day he will be welcomed back, his sins forgiven.

ECONOMIST: The junta's stumbling first steps

When he personally helped the Allies create institutions like the World Bank, at the end of World War II, he was trying to make sure we wouldn't get into such a mess again.

BBC: Masters of money: John Maynard Keynes

With Labour's finances in such a mess, Mr Brown may for all his tough talk have to make some concessions to the unions, even if it evokes uncomfortable memories of the 1970s.

ECONOMIST: A new wave of strikes stirs memories of the 1970s

Needless to say, those who predicted with such confidence that America would make a hash of the war are now predicting confidently that it will mess up the peace.

ECONOMIST: Now it is America's moment in the Middle East

That is partly because it was such a mess during segregation, but also because so many southerners have since tried so hard to make integration work.

ECONOMIST: Baby, look at you now