With the ever rising popularity of President Rajapaksa and the virtually hopeless position that the Opposition is in, more and more ‘U turns’ are on the cards.

Almost everyday the media keeps on highlighting smiling faces of local level politicians with the President, carrying sheafs of betel and garlands of Jasmines, joining his bandwagon, having severed their loyalties with the party or parties they belonged to. Unfortunately, there appears to be none with any worth for the media to speculate and keep the readers guessing as to whether he or she will do a U turn.

The ongoing ‘U turn’ debate in The Island would have been certainly more spicy and suspense- loaded if there were any characters of note (if there are any) to do a U turn worthy of media attention.

A celebrated instance of the term ‘U turn’ being used was when in her address to the Conservative Party at the Brighton Conference in October 1980, Margaret Thatcher said, ‘To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the ‘U turn’ I have to say, "You turn if you want, the lady’s not for turning".’

She was punning on C.B. Fry’s play titled, "The Lady’s not for burning."

The main character in this ‘U turn’ debate, in short justified a ‘U turn’ if it was to pay dividends. The selection of the time was vital to reap rich benefits. This has been proved right.

Many in this country who are ‘successful’ in life are people who have done U turns at the correct time. The ministers in the government who crossed over from the UNP stand out as examples. Karu Jayasuriya did two U turns. The two Us have joined up ,to form an oval and Jayasuriya keeps jogging in this oval track somewhat aimlessly.

Weerawansa’s group and the JHU tried to crash through the 13th amendment, but suddenly braked and did a hurried U turn. They are going Zig Zag now. They will certainly like to cling on to the perks they have won with their earlier U turns.

With the number of U turns dwindling due to the governments’ basket of plums getting emptied, the people have lost some entertainment prospects. What a pity!

The media and all of us can only wait with bated breath to see if Wickremesinghe, Somawsansa or Sambandan decide to do a ‘U turn’. Of course, as Thatcher said they will say, "We are not for turning".

However, that was not in Sri Lanka. Here in Paradise nothing seems to be impossible. Sri Lanka truly is an example to the rest of the world where there are no permanent friends or foes in the lucrative game of politics.

Talking of successful ‘U turns’ lets not forget 1956. The U turn done by the aristocratic, Christian, Oxford alumnus, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, promising ‘Sinhala only in 24 hours’, not only made him Prime Minister, but changed the course of history.

However much one may strive to justify ‘U turns’, those ‘U turners’ are considered by our ordinary, intelligent citizens as unprincipled, opportunistic types and even jumpers and Gembas’ (frogs)!