Tonga: Embarassment and Victory

Well, that's rather embarassing, isn't it? The strike has in fact been settled, with the government acceding completely to the striker's demands. I guess they felt that if it was money or power, they'd give up the money. Unfortunately for them, this has not dampened people's desire for democracy, and Tuesday's march on the palace will still go ahead. The marchers plan to present a constitution to the King which would make the government more accountable to the people - a move reportedly described by the New Zealand High Commissioner as a "revolution". again, we just have to hope they succeed, and that the monarchy bows to public pressure rather than try and cling to power by force.