McCargo suggests that between 1973 and 2001 the leading governance network in
Thailand centred on the monarchy. He emphasises that this leading network, which he
terms the “network monarchy,” is “not a fixed system, but a fluid modus operandi,
adapting constantly to changing circumstances…[and defying] ready political characterization
and classification” (McCargo 2005, 503). However, the primacy of this network
came under strain due to the overwhelming electoral victories of Thaksin in 2001 and
2005, who sought to develop and consolidate the power of his own networks.