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This topic has become a Brexit debate and I think it has run its course . In my opinion the topic heading is inaccurate and misleading because the UK is not suffering alone or any more than E.C. countries and others are in the same boat . These are early days in this global recession and higher bank interest rates . Next year we will get a better picture after the effects of winter weather on energy demands and interest rates etc .

The link you provided is biased , is composed by a German , a Finn and finally Simon Hix who is an associate of the European University Institute that have close links with the E.C. What else would you expect other than support for the E.C. For all of its faults ( every country will have some ) the UK will recover once its re-birth and return to its own laws are complete . Times are tough and will be for a few more years but the UK will grow economically as it breathes the fresh air away from the E.C. and free from their restraints . The E.C. is not without problems and next year will also be tough . It sure is missing the £10 billion UK annual payments .

The visa in my passport is Thai but the case we discuss does not apply to me . I would also not want to trust my passport with a self appointed agent . Not only a valuable document but hassle if lost . However I have seen farangs hand over their passports in no mans land to a loitering so called agent in return for ?

Yes I agree but when in Thailand I go with the flow and as far as immigration laws go it is up to the local I.O in the way they interpret the rules . ( Thai immigration laws issued as a guide line and can be arranged to suit as needed ) I have been told . I do not understand where you say " without proof of your right to be there in the first place " when there will be a valid visa held .

Am I right in saying that there was a service , via agents , where all you did was give them your passport and they did the rest i.e. you did not leave the country and the agent carried your passport to the border etc ? My 2 recent experiences with land borders were not relaxed as pre covid days . The unofficial fees have doubled and it is a take it or leave it attitude . On both occasions I never saw another foreigner at the border crossing at Omach Kap Chong .

Many thanks for the info which it seems to be an alternative option if wanting to stay for 9 months . So when the final 30 day extension comes to an end and you must leave Thailand , can you then apply for another m/e/t/v ? Also what are the visa fees and is the application straight forward , done on line and any uploads to send with the application ? When you leave the country , can it be done at a land border and return the same day or do you have to fly in and out ? Interesting info

How many times can you keep doing that ?

I find that Thai hotel balconies scary because of the low balustrade . I ask for a ground floor room if possible if not I will lock the balcony door and place a chair in front of the doors to discourage me from using the balcony when I have had a few beers .

Totally agree and below is the comment that you so rightly referred to . Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027. However, a lack of road safety education in schools, cheap loans for cars, notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws as well as endemic corruption and chronic under-investment in infrastructure hamper the efforts.

I have heard that the Tesla has incredible acceleration , have they restricted it in Thailand ?

It is possible as I did it last week at O'Smach Casino Resort at Chong Chom border to Cambodia . As mentioned earlier , forget the 30 dollars . I had to get the 1 page Cambodian visa at a cost of 1800 baht . You also need a passport type photo . I arrived there at about 13 00 hrs , the visa process about 1 hour , then went to the casino for 5 hours and left at 19 30 hrs the same evening after having the Cambodian I.O. stamp me out and the Thai immigration will stamp you back in . You will have to complete a TM 60 card . The event is a bit of a pain but is doable . There are agents loitering around to assist you for 100 baht and they make it easier and quicker .

Do people order theses new EV cars without a test drive ?

Not defending for sure but just explaining the difference between the two highlighted cases . If corruption with the procurement of P.P.E. is proven within the Tory government , then so be it . I do not condone corruption in any form especially when it comes to profiteering using public funds . I hope I have made myself clear . Unfortunately it seems that it is difficult to find politicians world wide who will not be influenced , by outside agencies , for there own monetary gains . However , the E.U. scandal could be deep and even see a clear-out of E.U. vice presidents and others who are influencing the governance of 27 European countries . What do you think the governments of the 27 countries will be thinking ?

The greedy UK building companies and farmers were employing cheap foreign labour in order to maximise their profits . They had no worries about the local workforce who were out of work and had mortgages with some even losing their houses . Pay a decent wage and the labour will work for you . Back to the main topic . The UK is now " Work in progress " . It will take 4 or 5 years to become economically stable and not reliant on the E.U. for trade and will become a stand alone strong independent country . Brexit was the best event as the UK has regained its self rule . No pain is no gain and staying in the E.C. would stunt any UK growth in the long term . To the remainers I say , watch the E.U. go into recession next year . With Macron trying to become the president of Europe .

Oh no it didn't ( Panto season ???? ) The European Union manages its trade and investment relations with non-EU countries through its trade and investment policy. Trade outside the EU is an exclusive responsibility of the EU, rather than the national governments of member countries. This means the EU institutions make laws on trade matters, and negotiate and conclude international trade agreements.

Have you ever eaten at a hotels buffet ? I have seen both Indian and Chinese load their plates to overflowing , especially the meat or prawns , then eat only half . I attend a casino where there is a complimentary buffet . On the wall is a notice that says " do not take more than you can eat as you will be charged at 200 baht for uneaten food " . That stops overloading plates .

That is reason enough to hit Russia now because once the radiation has leaked it is virtually game over for living in Ukraine

Covid hit most world economies and then came the Russia / Ukraine war which also has a profound effect on many countries . Then we had the Liz Truss mini budget that sent the UK inflation and interest rates soaring . Brexit had a small effect initially that was mostly caused by the E.U. enforcing heaps of red tape on continuous established trading rules . Indeed the E,U. reminded me of "a woman scorned " . The UK voted for Brexit to be free of the Brussels shackles and the massive amount of foreign labour that hit the UK because of the free movement of labour under E.U. rules . The UK did not want to be part of a united Europe which meant we were basically governed by non elected E.U. bureaucrats . The UK was losing its identity and way of life . I have friends from Germany , France and Italy who all agree that the UK did the right thing in leaving the E.U. and also wished that their countries would do the same as their countries have been hit with massive immigration . What price your soul ? The E.U / E.E.C. / Common Market has out grown its purpose .

European inflation rates 2022 Country Last Previous Reference Unit Liechtenstein 3 3.3 Oct/22 % Switzerland 3 3 Nov/22 % Luxembourg 6 6.9 Nov/22 % France 6.2 6.2 Nov/22 % Spain 6.8 7.3 Nov/22 % Malta 7.4 7.4 Oct/22 % Norway 7.5 6.9 Oct/22 % Albania 8.3 8.1 Oct/22 % Finland 8.3 8.1 Oct/22 % Cyprus 8.7 8.8 Nov/22 % Faroe Islands 8.8 7.3 Sep/22 % Greece 9.1 12 Oct/22 % Ireland 9.2 8.2 Oct/22 % Iceland 9.3 9.4 Nov/22 % Netherlands 9.9 14.3 Nov/22 % Portugal 9.9 10.1 Nov/22 % Euro Area 10 10.6 Nov/22 % Germany 10 10.4 Nov/22 % Slovenia 10 9.9 Nov/22 % Denmark 10.1 10 Oct/22 % Austria 10.6 11 Nov/22 % Belgium 10.63 12.27 Nov/22 % Sweden 10.9 10.8 Oct/22 % United Kingdom 11.1 10.1 Oct/22 % European Union 11.5 10.9 Oct/22 % Italy 11.8 11.8 Nov/22 % Russia 12.6 13.7 Oct/22 % Kosovo 12.7 12.7 Oct/22 % Croatia 13.2 12.8 Oct/22 % Slovakia 14.9 14.2 Oct/22 % Serbia 15 14 Oct/22 % Czech Republic 15.1 18 Oct/22 % Belarus 15.2 17.4 Oct/22 % Romania 15.32 15.88 Oct/22 % Montenegro 16.8 16 Oct/22 % Bosnia and Herzegovina 17.4 17.3 Oct/22 % Poland 17.4 17.9 Nov/22 % Bulgaria 17.6 18.7 Oct/22 % Macedonia 19.5 19.8 Nov/22 % Estonia 21.3 22.5 Nov/22 % Latvia 21.8 22.2 Oct/22 % Hungary 22.5 21.1 Nov/22 % Lithuania 22.9 23.6 Nov/22 % Ukraine 26.6 24.6 Oct/22 % Moldova 34.62 33.97 Oct/22 % Turkey 84.39 85.51 Nov/22 %

A very difficult situation for the Tory government with so many strikes happening or starting in December . The armed forces can only cover for so much . If Sunak tries to rule with an iron fist we may see the country grind to a halt . Most pay claims seem to be made on the back of today's cost of living and the high rate of inflation . Keeping in mind that the BOE forecast that the inflation rate will drop to 6% or under next year , then maybe pay claims should be held in abeyance until the financial situation has calmed down . My only backing is for the nurses who have a justified case unlike the railway men etc , ( under the leadership of Mick Lynch ), whose average pay of £44,000 per year is way ahead of the national medium , pure greed . Maybe time to nationalise the railways and all services that can hold the country to ransom and effect the lives of many without any care or consideration for others .

Thanks but where did you find that number because my Google search gave several UK numbers but your number was not included ?

Mine arrived 34 hrs after promised . In the interim I transferred a nominal amount which went through in seconds which did puzzle me and got me thinking , have they done a runner and I decided to contact them . However as you say their chat line was down , their given Singapore phone came back with " no such number " and their email messaging just collapsed . So not contactable on the day . I was able to send an email yesterday to voice my disappointment in their performance and lack of customer service . At the very least they should apologise to those who suffered delays to deliveries beyond the promised payout times .

Just to reiterate , I have attached below the current daily dilemma which is showing the ridiculous payments paid by the various health trusts under the NHS for agency health workers . Figures show ten trusts paid agency nurses more than £2,000 for a day’s work while a third splashed out more than £1,000 for a single shift, it has been revealed. The priciest was £2,549 forked out by one trust. An average nurse employed by the NHS earns £130 a shift.

Not only nurses . Chart below shows the UK dilemma .

Regarding the UK NHS . The fact is that the nurses have been underpaid for many years . To enable the service to continue working over the last 20 years or more , the government sought foreign nurses who were happy to work in the NHS as they were being paid very much more that they were getting in their home countries . I believe they were working on 3 or 4 year visas and had to return to their mother countries when the visas expired . So that is one reason on the lack of nurses but another reason is migration . Last year there was a net migration of 504,000 . However that does not tell the whole story because there were 1,064,000 immigrants and 504,000 emigrants . In the last year 2000 doctors and 40,000 nurses left the UK to countries such as Australia , New Zealand and the U.S.A. where their profession is well paid and respected . Furthermore some of the NHS nurses who left , went and worked for agencies and doubled their income but ironically were then working again within the NHS as agency nurses at a huge cost to the government . The NHS is in danger of collapsing and it needs urgent help with cross party involvement , not just the Tories who have not managed it well . As a Tory , I am embarrassed with the lack of attention given by the government over the last 12 years , no excuses as it has been going down the pan for some time .