beautifulthailand99

George Galloway was a big Brexiteer by the way.

London Borough of Bexley - I voted for Sadiq as my first choice and Captain Binface as second. When was the last time you were in the UK as you seem so knowledgeable of what it's like on the ground ?

Got back to the UK last Thursday after 3 months in Thailand. Great to be back breathing fresh air, cheap prices in the supermarkets and heavenly cheese and wine, politeness on the roads, pavements you can walk on without risking your own neck and a still great country where you are free to say what you like such as Where's Kate ? And as I live in the Borough of Bexley my Mayor Sadiq through his enlightened ULEZ policy has made the air even cleaner. What's not to love ? Oh and free London Transport fares on an integrated well run transport system. Heaven indeed, and not a so-called mob in sight.

Have you been there and if so what were the most fetid parts of it ?

Again, where's your evidence, you can't just say stuff and expect us to believe it. Maybe you are referring to this.

Well don't quote me then without expecting a considered, evidence based truthful response to your various assertions. If you do that then I have no problem , it is a discussion forum after all.

Oh I see a Palestine flag is anti-Semitic and here's Likud's founding statement. Galloway would have you for breakfast along with a writ. Territory. The original 1977 party platform stated that "between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty." The 1999 Likud Party platform emphasized the right of settlement: The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likud

He will get quickly marginalised and silenced but he is smart enough to know parliamentary rules, hopefully not to get banned on day 1. Sunak's team will be preparing a brief attempting to bring him down and war gaming responses. I suspect apart from his maidan speech he will get ignored by the speaker in collusion with the main parties to prevent him speaking in the chamber to anything but an empty House. That's how it works.

It's rare when something like that ever gets onto the MSM - the final 45 seconds are epic. His maiden speech is going to be electric. For George oratory fans, here is he destroying Christopher Hitchens who supported the Iraq War another arse handed onto him on a plate. Electric stuff.

Galloway can't be responsible for who endorses him, and besides which Galloway had roundly denounced Nick Griffin as well he should, Sadly the media have amplified Griffin's toxic voice by drawing attention to this - he is an irrelevant nobody these days. Besides which, if we are going down that route, Tommy Robinson has roundly endorsed Israel. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/former-edl-leader-tommy-robinson-pictured-holding-gun-on-israeli-tank-near-syrian-border-a3393256.html

And here is in 16 years ago in that interview with Sky he references in the above video. I can't see him lasting long in Parliament before getting banned, and no doubt the House will empty when he speaks. The greatest orator of his generation, without doubt, love him or loathe him.

George is many things - some of them no good, he is also highly litigious and has two lawsuits initiated in the last week for slurs on his character. So with that in mind those calling him anti-Semitic you can now produce your evidence (being anti-Israel doesn't count) or like the wedding ceremony forever hold your peace. Here he is destroying Sam Coates from Sky, an abject lesson in handing his arris back to him. Whatever else he isn't someone who supports starving a population turning them into hungry animals and then opening fire on the crowds that formed. That takes a special sort of evil and one that the civilized world is looking on in abject horror.

Yes probably one of the biggest marijuana producers in the world now he will be relaxed about winnowing out the small fry and dominating this new market. One of the reasons why small craft beer companies haven't made great inroads is the punitive taxation regime sponsored and encouraged by BoonRawd/ThaiBev booze duopoly that effectively freezes out small players or makes the product prohibitively expensive. The same goes for the big supermarkets, they never really attack each other with aggressive pricing as that would damage each other. The Thai people are the big losers in all the strangleholds the mostly big Thai/Chinese families have on the business environment. Foreign entities enter the market at their peril - just ask Tesco or Carlsberg !

It's in that report from the AAPG and yes it is disgusting and an anomaly, particularly so in that pensioners don't make a big claim on the state for free bus fares healthcare and the like, making it doubly iniquitous. If a class action was to be attempted, then a lot of people would have to put up a lot of money to prepare a case and take the government to court. You're talking serious money here, and in many cases the government has Crown immunity anyway so normal laws do not apply. My sister just lost out at getting her pension at 60 when she had fully expected it all her working life , there was a court case I seem to remember, but they lost. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6061da7ad3bf7f5ce1060a85/Crown_Application__Jan_2021_.pdf

One of the big drivers was the Junta getting Anutin's Bhumjaithai votes to cobble together an anti-democracy coalition. That job's done now, and I suspect Anutin will use these changes to get a lot of the small players out of the business and cement the Charnvirakul Clan as the pre-eminent dominant player in the market. Rather like Thai Bev and Boon Rawd totally dominate the booze one. The markets are totally rigged here. Follow the money.

There are a lot of conservative Thais who are very upset at the liberalization of the law and see the whole "anything goes" approach as part of the now broken pro-democracy movement. Some token repressive move in that area will play out well with the Auntie battalions. My money's on it becoming like prostitution, technically illegal, but those that can jump through the hoops and pay the requisite tea money get to continue their business with some checks and balances. A big pay day is coming for the BiB and they get their toy back again to extort where they can and be a boon time for neighbour grasses with grudges to play out.

Well done George I salute your indefatigability and the wisdom of the citizens of Rochdale. He sussed out Israel's liar-in-chief Eylon Levy and the US Congress way back when, and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Probably the greatest on the stump speaker the British system has ever produced, born in poverty from the tenements of Glasgow. An arrogant, self-opinionated in it for himself man for sure, but then aren't most politicians. But one who spouts poetry when the others merely splutter weasel words. Let the frothers froth and cowards demure - but he will keep the red flag flying here ! (or at least until the next election or when he is banned from Parliament !)

That's an interesting and fair report and in a just and fair world the recommendations would be implemented in full. That said, what leaps out is the cost of doing that would be £600 million per year for a 'virtual' constituency that has little or no effect on votes back home, so there is no political imperative to make that happen and I can't see that ever-changing. Since in a report referenced up the thread they reckoned that frozen pension 'fraud' was costing £100 million per year, that would indicate a fair amount of transgressions. APPG's along with Select Committees and the like are secondary parts of the executive giving roles to back benchers to make them feel useful and are often for the also-rans and never will bes and easily and conveniently ignored by ministers who yield the actual power.

Which is probably most of the service industry folks you encounter.

Wise words and worth noting that's Thais only get 600 baht per month at 60 rising to 700 at 70 and 800 I think at 80. Which is nowt. What also annoys me is we know a lot of Thai OAP's in the UK who have worked cash in hand most of their lives sent money home and bought houses etc and have money in Thai banks gets full UK pensions and housing benefit and such like because on paper they appear poor. Whilst I have been upgrading my wife's NI contributions on a voluntary basis to get her added years up to get a reasonable state pension she will get in 5 years time. No wonder Britain's welfare state is close to being totally broken, and why no Thais I know of living in Britain want to go back to live in Thailand full-time.

Extradition then Britmantoo spends out his final years in the Scrubs and gets extra snout rations by giving favours to Muslim gang members.

(To be sung in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan's patter song) Verse 1: In Thailand, sunny Thailand, there dwells a British gent, A retired ex-pat, content with every pound and cent. But trouble brews, oh what a mess, his pension's cause for strife, For DWP has caught wind of his fraudulent pension life! Chorus: Oh, this ex-pat in Thailand, a pensioner so bold, Thought he could outwit the DWP, but now the truth's been told. A frozen pension, uplifted wrongly, now he must pay the fee, Caught in the grasp of bureaucracy, in sunny Thailand by the sea! Verse 2: He sipped his tea and lounged in ease, no thought of right or wrong, But the DWP had other plans, their audit came along. They found his scheme, his clever ploy, to get more than his due, Now he's in quite a pickle, with no idea what to do! Chorus: Oh, this ex-pat in Thailand, a pensioner so bold, Thought he could outwit the DWP, but now the truth's been told. A frozen pension, uplifted wrongly, now he must pay the fee, Caught in the grasp of bureaucracy, in sunny Thailand by the sea! Verse 3: To court he goes, with papers piled, his case a tangled mess, Explaining to the judge and jury, this pensioner in distress. "I didn't know," he pleads his case, "I'm just a foreigner here," But the judge, unmoved, declares his fate with a stern and final leer. Chorus: Oh, this ex-pat in Thailand, a pensioner so bold, Thought he could outwit the DWP, but now the truth's been told. A frozen pension, uplifted wrongly, now he must pay the fee, Caught in the grasp of bureaucracy, in sunny Thailand by the sea! Verse 4: So learn from him, all pensioners, in Thailand or afar, Don't meddle with the DWP, no matter where you are. For they'll catch up, with eagle eyes, and justice will prevail, No pension schemes or wily dreams can tip the DWP's scale! Chorus: Oh, this ex-pat in Thailand, a pensioner so bold, Thought he could outwit the DWP, but now the truth's been told. A frozen pension, uplifted wrongly, now he must pay the fee, Caught in the grasp of bureaucracy, in sunny Thailand by the sea! (With a grand finale, the song concludes with a warning to all who dare to tangle with pension schemes and government departments, in true Gilbert and Sullivan fashion.)

Agreed, or you can claim extreme poverty and probably end up with some small deduction monthly from your pension to pay it back.

Just seen this that sounds a very harsh penalty for being honest.

If you don't mind sharing how did they catch you ?