bradiston

On some ticketing systems they do give you a breakdown of the pricing and the extras, taxes, fees etc. ISTR Cebu Pacific do. Turns out the seat price is about 50% of the ticket price. The rest is surcharges, taxes, fees etc.

Yeah, I guess that makes a lot of sense if you live over that side, but out of the question for me, living on the opposite side to the Dark Side. I really don't have a problem with the tunnel/scooter prohibition. I used to use it before somebody on this forum pointed out there was a very large sign with a no bikes graphic on it. Never felt very safe though. No escape from being squeezed by fast moving vehicles. And if you want Klang of course it's out of the question.

IE straight on, as now.

I guess you'd need to be UK resident for at least 180 days a year. So it might work if you did 6 months there and 6 months elsewhere. But I'm no expert.

Hey, I'm not getting into the debate about the rights and wrongs. This topic comes up year in, year out. There's a variety of solutions. I was merely pointing out that there is a "new" state pension which is worth more than the old one. Nothing to do with frozen or unfrozen. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025/benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025 Look under State Pension. That's all.

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

Err, what alternatives? Straight on and wait at the lights? I don't have a problem with that, but that's the only alternative that I can see.

No, Thailand not included.

There are plenty of countries you can live in where you'll get the increases.

It just has one. You can search for its exact wording but I'm not sure you'll find it. Here is a list of countries with reciprocal agreements on healthcare and benefits apart from the EU and Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland: Barbados Bermuda Canada Chile Isle of Man Israel Jamaica Japan Jersey and Guernsey Mauritius New Zealand Philippines Republics of former Yugoslavia (the Republics of Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo) South Korea (also known as The Republic of Korea) Turkey USA Chile, Japan and South Korea only cover social security contribution liability and do not include benefits. These are known as Double Contribution Conventions. The agreement with New Zealand refers to UK domestic legislation to consider social security contributions. And the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reciprocal-agreements/reciprocal-agreements

This doesn't cover thousands of pensioners. This is the so called New State Pension. The old one is about £50 less a week.

I don't think so. Yes it will be brought up to current levels, but I don't think there will be any back payment.

Isn't that called a Ponzi scheme?

£241.50 pw? Am I missing something? Is that for a couple?

Sure, and a lot of people feel happy and comfortable in Thailand because it allows them, and their friends, to get on with their lives without constraints. I'm all for stoners getting wrecked. Why the heck not? I haven't smoked any form of ganja for maybe 40 years, but it makes no difference. I learnt a lot from it. But smoking ganja is a choice. Being gay isn't. So there's a difference. Anyway, this isn't really directed at you personally. But the notion you have to expect and tolerate negativity and nasty attacks every time you post?

It's just intolerance, pure and simple. If they're living here in Thailand, they should have realised that Thai society is extremely tolerant of diversity. You don't see or hear Thais bashing gays, or katoey, nor any other minority group, verbally or physically. Why would they? So why bring a set of prejudices from an entirely different culture to one that doesn't have those prejudices? In fact, why come here at all?

Somebody gets her an address in the Philippines.

I've solved this (see above) by suggesting everyone gets it added to their fare, but exempted can claim it back. Quite how is the next hurdle.

Who's got 300 THB in cash on arrival? For every member in their group? Who's exempt? What about kids? A recipe for disaster. I can't see a way of paying on arrival that doesn't seriously mess up immigration. Can you imagine families trying to figure out how much and how to pay? An idea I had was, everybody pays it, presumably added to the airfare, and the exempted can then claim it back - at a later date. But where? It means the rebate system will need passenger lists, nationalities etc, ie, entitlement. So then it's the claiming it back that becomes the problem, not the payment. Most tourists won't need to worry, which is a step in the right direction. And I guess some exempted won't be that fussed. If they are regular travellers, maybe they can collect over a 3 month period or whatever. So if they worked on the rebate system, it shifts the problem away from immigration and arrivals, which is the most important thing. And they'd really have to negotiate with the airlines to collect it. I don't see ticket agencies or tour operators wanting to get involved. Maybe offer the airlines a cut. 1 THB processing fee per ticket? Don't give it to check in. More chaos.

The departure tax is 700, in the ticket.

My daughter taught English there for a year so I visited one time for a week. She organised a trip round the island. Best holiday I ever had. Everything, trains, buses, run like clockwork, clean, and comfortable. Beautiful places, the gorges, and the parks. The Pacific is something else after this paddling pool. Massive breakers, wrecks on rocks, cliffs, just a lot to do and see. Food amazing, dim sum and sushi. Very little crime. I suffer from vertigo but still made it up what used to be the tallest building in the world. I recommend it. No visa required, 30 day stay. God forbid the CCP get their hands on it. Like Hong Kong, they'll just completely destroy it.

This has been kicking around for over a year, but the devil's in the detail. They couldn't figure out how to implement it. So it got dropped. Doesn't look like they're much further down the road. Thais were to be exempt. And certain classes of visas. Nobody could come up with a viable method of discrimination. But if everyone pays the departure tax, why not the landing tax? It was said 10% was for insurance. Obviously total bs. How about an environmental tax? If you're flying in it doesn't matter where you're from, does it? Or does it? BTW, who is this man's tailor? Is there a government tailor fitting service? How much does one of these silk smoking jackets cost, and are they subsidised by the public under a Minister's clothing allowance? They've all got at least one. Cha cha loved to flaunt his.

You didn't really take in anything I wrote, just pushed out a load of figures which are obtainable anywhere. What about China and Russia? How do you see them? I suggested they along with India have got their eyes set on plundering the other BRICS+ states. What do you think? Do you think they really give a damn about them apart from the resources they have?

So what? Did I ever argue about the size of BRICS? No. I denounced Russia as an ex hegemon and China as a current one. Your idiotic deflections are completely irrelevant. The 2 biggest players are near fascist states, authoritarian, dictatorial, one party. So what's to like? Absolutely sweet fa. Do you live in one? It's all rubbish, this slobbering over the 2 nastiest states in the world. Why don't you live in China or Russia, newbie?

30 years ago, the USSR could be described as a "hegemon". They controlled vast swathes of the planet. Most of Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and the Baltic states. All this rubbish about the US taking over the world! The USSR collapsed and it's vast empire broke up. The West didn't steal it, nor even make any real moves to take it over. Those eastern European and Baltic states were given the option of joining the EU, which almost all of them did. I wonder why? So much has been invented about "the West". Most critics on this platform and elsewhere originated there, and indeed are still there, and I don't see any mass migration towards BRICS amongst them. The USSR dominated eastern Europe for almost 50 years, and turned it into a disgustingly corrupt authoritarian dystopia. Every country had a vicious secret police, one of which Comrade Putin was heavily involved with. His CV stinks. They suppressed by force any show of resistance, 1956 in Budapest, and 1968 in Prague. So it's just a bunch of grossly hypocritical ignorant churlish ingrates who whine and whinge about their origins. Go and live in a BRICS country! There's plenty of choice! And good riddance.