What was the day after like in the newsroom? For us, it was business as usual. In an editorial meeting we were debating whether the verdicts would elevate Thai politics to a more mature stage. "Surely, this will set a precedent for future cases," said a news editor, adding that the verdict was a well-crafted one. His comment got a few shaking heads. "They [politicians] will come up with new tactics in no time," one reporter said while another asked: "Do you think vote-buying will abruptly disappear?"

Then we went to Sanan Kachornprasart's case and his five-year ban from politics, which was handed down in March, 2000.

"Is he still banned?" a reporter asked.

"No, he's free now," was the abrupt answer. The debates went on and on as we looked into almost every facet of the verdicts and beyond. At one point a senior editor said: "The lengthy broadcast [of the court's decision] is nothing but political education for all." His notion received an instant reaction as our Web editor nodded: "We should feel grateful to Thaksin".

"Exactly", I said.

It reminded me that it is time to thank him for his very existence and contribution. Would the 13-hour live broadcast have been possible without him? It's only once in a blue moon that Thai audiences will refrain from their daily soap operas during prime time.

Without him, the law and its complicated and sleepy court reading would not have attracted the attention of the masses, including my 60-year-old aunt, who stayed awake to hear the very end of the court's decisions.

Among millions of people, I will make a wild guess that the following groups are surely grateful to the man who has brought so much to Thailand:

Lawyers and judges

Neglected legal books were dusted off from the shelves and brought back to life. "You need to be creative to interpret laws," a law professor once taught me. If his notion is right, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for lawyers and senior judges to exercise their creativity.

The inventor of the term "Rabob Thaksin" (Thaksin Regime)

Whoever coined this term should be so proud that it is now not only legal but that it is also so widely understood after the lengthy explanation of the term by judges during the live broadcast. Someone in our news meeting estimates that the time spent on educating the public on the regime was even longer than that spent reading the decision.

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan

She had been away from the limelight for a while, hadn't she? Thanks to her exiled boss, she returned on judgement day and her speech moved a lot of supporters. Oh, when was the last time you saw the strong lady acting like a loser? It must have been such a long time that I myself cannot recall.

Academics

Has the man ever stopped with his contributions to knowledge? Social sciences in particular have been flourishing. Theory after theory has been applied to the ongoing political mess. The latest came shortly after judgement day and interestingly three members of the Chulalongkorn University's faculty of political science share different views. Socialist Giles Ji Ungpakorn calls the verdicts a "political judgement". Pitch Pongsawat prefers the term "rule by law" instead of "rule of law", while Chaiyan Chaiyaporn still sees the verdicts as the rule of law in force. Who says political science is boring?

Manchester City Football Club

As Ray Ranson has withdrawn his bid to buy Manchester City, the football club has only one bidder left. The club should appreciate the fact that in time of trouble for his political party, he still wants to invest in the team.

The publishing industry

Surging newspaper sales and Internet hits are expected but a new opportunity has also arisen. Our newsroom became alive with people chatting about publishers releasing books on the historical verdicts. "It could be an illustrated book too," someone said, referring to the illustrated booklets by Kaewsan Atibodhi on the Thaksin system during the anti-Thaksin demonstrations.

And should all journalists say thanks to the man? I don't know what more to say as I've already written about it before. Perhaps a good quote from one of our editors can cap it all: "Without him, we won't find much to write about."

Never mind, I thought, there are pending cases to write about and we thank him for that.