sandyf

My wife and I are enjoying what may be well her last visa as the spouse of an EU citizen. temps in the low 30's and with low humidity makes it very pleasant.

I fail to understand how anyone with any self respect can advocate leaving the EU and remain a member of this forum.

When I came out of Heathrow on Tuesday Travelex was 42 something to the pound.

UK: Coverage of pros/cons of Brexit increasingly dominates press items over the...

UK: Coverage of pros/cons of Brexit increasingly dominates press items over theweekend, most likely to pick up momentum into the June 23 referendum. Germanfin/min Wolfgang Schauble "warned the UK not to expect to retain access to theEU's single market if it voted to leave the bloc," Financial Times reportedSaturday. But on the other hand, Schauble said "that there would be no popularsupport for more centralized EU decision-making if the UK voted to leave." Asecond FT article suggests a Briton exit "threatens two decades of peace inNorthern Ireland," as "be customs barriers between the two parts of Ireland"would be erected. Times wrote Saturday an "emergency budget" likely to be calledto stabilize markets in the event of an exit, while the Sunday Times writes theBoE "will face overwhelming pressure to slash interest rates to new lows ifBritain opts to quit the EU," citing "international investor." Sunday Telegraphwrites exit camp shows "support for a "Norway-style arrangement (access to thesingle market, but are not obliged to comply with many EU rules)," While DerSpiegel wrote Sunday writes hopes for a Norway/Swiss arrangement are unfounded,won't work for Britain.

Source: Market News International (MNI) – A Deutsche Börse company

13. June 2016 00:47:31

Sterling opened down this morning, GBP/USD dropped below 1.42 and the baht below 50.

Nigel Farage however tries to make out it is rising.

"Mr Farage said: "Sterling is up since March. Since Brexit became a possibility, sterling is up and FTSE is exactly the same level it was in March."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36511485

The cost today is approx £ 8.5 Billion net. What is the cost going to be in 2020 when all the UK's opt outs, with the exception of joining the euro come to an end ?

The cost of leaving is simply not known. Speculation and guesses do not give a cost, so there is actually nothing to defend.

2. I do not make immigration Policies, it certainly should be fairly simple. There is nothing difficult about producing criteria that people have to meet to be able to immigrate to the UK. Applied to all equally. That includes those who wish to join other relatives or family members who might already be in the UK.

either that or UK citizens will be disallowed from living in the UK with their foreign partner which seems highly unlikely!

Are you unaware that this currently happens ? There are many UK Citizens that cannot return to the UK with their legal spouse as they do not meet the financial requirements. Frankly, I am astounded that a highly educated remainer like yourself would not be aware of this fact.

After such a long absense, I thought you might take a bit more care about your statements. But no. You are WRONG yet again

http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/06/eu-referendum-briefing-1-can-uk-control.html?m=1

This piece explains that the UK rebate does NOT expire in 2020. Why do you people do this sort of thing.

You gave us a sarcastic line about one person, one vote and of course that is fair IF people are informed. Do the insane get to vote? Do 11 year old kids get to vote? I wonder why.

I tell you this, if Brexit does happen, a high number of highly educated highly paid Brits are going to apply for citizenship elsewhere in the EU. That is going to affect average English IQ.

Just think, there will be loads of job opportunities and nobody with the qualifications to fill them!

Finally, it's no problem to bring ones spouse to the UK. However, one has to demonstrate that the spouse will not be a burden on the public purse. As my father used to say, when you're married a 1d bun costs 2d! If you can't afford a wife, don't get married!

" I tell you this, if Brexit does happen, a high number of highly educated highly paid Brits are going to apply for citizenship elsewhere in the EU "

oh no not more scaremongering.is that all you people can do ?

and whether a high number of highly educated Brits can move elsewhere in the EU will depend on how long the rest of the EU will survive?

There is no pleasing the Brexiteers. Tell them something positive and its still scaremongering, A huge brain drain would do wonders for the net migration figures.

In the real world i wonder if Turkish Airlines should be TU or even TA instead of TK ??

I was being lazy and should have keyed in the full name rather than just the initials, of course everyone then wants to be a smartxxse.

When BA cancelled our flight to the UK last year they game up with a flight on Malaysian Airways but we had already booked ourselves on Gulf Air.

You could not pay my wife to go on MA.

It's MH.

Maybe where you come from but in the real world the initials for Malaysian Airlines would be MA.

Actually, in the real world, the airline real world that is, MA refers to Malev Hungarian Airlines.

Maybe you should actually read the post before making comment.

NOUN

(usually initials)

Reporting that i just survived a trip back to Blighty with MH. The BKK to KL leg was in a bit dubious but the KL to Lond (Heathrow) leg was one of the best i have had. A 380, only one third full, really nice food and friendly and helpful crew. All for £185 single but admittedly flying the first leg in wrong direction.

If you can push the history to one side , probably the best deals around. There is no dispute, the less passengers the better the flight. A few years back I went back to UK with Thai and from my seat I could only see 12 heads. I stretched out on the middle 4 seats and the flight was over in no time.

A couple of years ago I came back from China and my wife and I were the only passengers. Unfortunately it was a budget and no alcohol. When we arrived at DM they brought our luggage to the steps and we were out of the airport in 20 minutes.

Right that's the pound f&&cked for the forseeable future - good luck Brit retirees on UK pensions better start economising now. Why can't we take a leaf out of Thailand's book and get the army in to suspend democracy. The shock waves will be enormous and the Scots are showing a majority to leave - could be a 1997 baht crisis / 2007 Lehman moment when global dominoes begin to fall and the fiction of global growth is exposed for what it is - massive quantitative easing and record low interest rates from wetern economies - and huge pointless infrastructure from China to keep the punchbowl topped up. First rule of a crisis is don't panic and the second rule if you must panic rush to the exits first.

Better to look the facts up and not listen to all the scare stories. Do you think,that if the electorate had been asked in the 1975 referendum to vote on what this monster of a EU would evolve into,the answer would have been YES ?

I don't know how old you are,but I can assure you that the vast majority of those who voted to join the EEC in 1975 now realise they were completely deceived.

The youngest voters in 1975 would be 59 years old now, I doubt very much if the majority are capable of thinking anything. You have obviously been 'assured ' by messages from the dark side.

There needs to be stricter controls on these mini buses, i.e. compulsory registration as commercial vehicle, annual checks & random checks of vehicle safety & operation, compulsory seat belts, passenger limit. Plus,there driver payment system needs to change, to force speed reductions by drivers. Some years back,was 1 of 12 passengers hurtling along on Bangna Express @ 170k p/h. Told driver to slow just laughed, reported to Police station & nothing occurred.

The Prayut Gov't needs institute program to more strictly control the minibus industry, it's a disgrace. Prayut espouses the principles of caring for Thai people, well, 11 Thai people senselessly lost their lives, so, Khun Prayut prove you care....do something!!

Stop dreaming this is Thailand, anyone with half a brain would never use this form of transport, or taxis, or buses, or motor bike taxis or trains, come to think of it there is no form of public transport I would ever use.

It's you that has your head in the clouds, some of us have little option.

I have said many times in respect of other matters, you cannot get western standards for Thai prices. If you cannot live with that you shouldn't be here. I am not saying it is right but I accept it and live with it.

I drove back on the motorway from Pattaya yesterday. The speed at which some drive, the lack of lane awareness, tailgating and swerving in and out of lanes, makes it surprising that this sort of horrendous accident doesn't happen even more often.

Sounds like you were following my brother in law. Although we did come up the motorway yesterday afternoon it was just me and the wife and she was driving . She has calmed down a bit since she has been to the UK.. I live on the outskirts of Chonburi not far from where the accident happened.

I have had many white knuckle rides in these minibuses but in this case I think it was more bad luck than bad driving. Poor maintenance can bite you in the xxse at any time, could have been the day before or today. People in the vehicle were unlucky it was yesterday. Of course we all know how bad the drivers are so they are automatically blamed rather than the condition of the vehicle. I admit I would be one of the first to jump to the same conclusion.

The last thing i would want to wear in an overturned and on fire minibus would be a seatbelt.

----------

Without a seatbelt the rollover inertia would eject you through a window and you'd be bouncing down the road. Or you would be breaking the necks of your fellow passengers.

I really miss common sense!

Mini vans will crush like a tin can.

And, many are overloaded with passengers and cargo which causes excessive tire wear and tread separation.

Regarding being in an overturned and burning minibus, my comment stays the same.

Quite right... Quite right.

If I was in an overturned and burning minibus, I would want my seatbelt off, too.... And damn quickly.

But.... You do realize that the wearing of the seatbelt, during the overturning phase, is probably the only reason why you would, perhaps, be still able to undo the seatbelt, and effect an escape, don't you?

LOL.... And victimless crimes? Really?

Unsecured items in a vehicular accident, which included 80kg (?) human bodies, will fly about the interior, and could injure others, incapacitating them, and therefore hindering their,and others, escape.

And then comes the not wearing helmet rubbish... Unbelievable... And rather callous towards loved ones left behind.... Perhaps they are the real victims.

Anyway.... As you like, right? But do play roo mucks second posted road safety video, it may educate you, and.... perhaps consider exchanging that old filament light globe in your head for a new LED jobby.... Very bright they are.

Actually this all got out of hand because i said i would not want to locked in a seat belt upside down in a burning mini bus. As a personal choice i stand by that statement.

If in a vehicle with others then of course the victimless part does not count at all. I never said it did!

Victimless regarding a helmet, yes. If it's against the law, the law has be broken. But there is no victim to that. consequences maybe, victim no.

You have nothing to worry about, the normal minibus drivers do not allow seat belts to be worn as it restricts the numbers that they can squeeze in.

The Labour party is on the ropes, It would seem Labour voters favour Brexit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36496203

The tide is turning in favour of Brexit.

"Turning tides", "Labour voters favours Brexit", what are you imbibing this PM:

Whilst two renegades defy the party mantra, "Labour's leadership is campaigning to stay in the EU" (Remain) "and says Labour votes will be crucial in the referendum".

It follows comments by shadow home secretary Mr Burnham, who told BBC Two's Newsnight the party had failed to reach out to traditional Labour voters.

"We have definitely been far too much Hampstead and not enough Hull in recent times and we need to change that. Here we are two weeks away from the very real prospect that Britain will vote for isolation," he told BBC Two's Newsnight.

I'm inclined to agree. The Islington types will be pro EU, but I think in 'Ull and Bra'ford you'll find the traditional labour voter will be a Brexiteer won't they, Nontabury? Eh? There's nowt as queer as folk.

I'll be voting in a Rotherham suburb and I'll bet I'm the only Remain voter. Sad but true. Shifted my capital into USD, as I am worried now. ?

The Rotherham problem started many years ago and the perpetrators were nationalities that were under UK government immigration control. Nigel Farage however would have you believe it was all a result of being in the EU.

I shall be voting in a nearby Sheffield suburb.

Lost in translation?

Europol's head of communications, Gerald Hesztera, went on to explain that while the Director had not spoken directly with the newspaper, his team had provided some quotes which they believe were misinterpreted when translated from English to German.

After noticing the error, Europol asked the paper to clarify what he'd said - that there were between 3,000-5,000 Europeans who had travelled to the Middle East to fight (as opposed to returned to Europe) - which it did promptly, but not before the false information had spread.

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/how-a-false-german-newspaper-interview-about-5000-jihadis-became-a-propaganda-tool-for-nigel-farage--ZJZ9ImB14b?utm_source=indy&utm_medium=top5&utm_campaign=i100

This false information was used by Nigel Farage on live TV just after he had told a member of the audience that what gets printed is not always what gets said.

Nigel Farage has been accused of "falsely" claiming that EU migration policy has allowed 5,000 Isis-inspired terrorists into Europe.

Rob Wainwright, the British director of European law enforcement agency Europol, said the Ukip leader's claim had “no basis in fact” and was “a very serious, even alarmist, conflation of migration and terrorism”.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/europol-chief-tells-nigel-farage-to-stop-misquoting-him-with-false-and-alarmist-claim-of-5000-isis-a7071506.html

"The annual three-day Bilderberg conference kicks off on Thursday, and you can be sure the mood in Dresden will be a grim one. The heads of Google, Shell, BP and Deutsche Bank will be there, and Brexit will be top of the agenda. The Bilderberg Group has been nurturing the EU to life since the 1950s, and now they see their creation under dire threat."

http://investmentwatchblog.com/globalist-bilderberg-group-in-panic-over-brexit-conspires-to-stop-britain-from-leaving-eu/

A few days ago it was all to do with the CIA, I suppose now we will here that the CIA funds the Bilderberg Group.

When all else fails introduce a good conspiracy theory.

Peter Hargreves the founder of Hargreaves Lansdown,one of the largest personnel financial companies in the UK is recommending a vote for Brexit, citing one of the reasons,is that he believes the EU in the future will want to get their hands on the very large UK pension funds, a pension funds that is the largest in the EU. In fact many EU countries do not have any such funds.

Now of course this is only his personnel opion.

which of his personnel expressed this opinion?

The one that got confused between conspiracy theory and scaremongering.

"The annual three-day Bilderberg conference kicks off on Thursday, and you can be sure the mood in Dresden will be a grim one. The heads of Google, Shell, BP and Deutsche Bank will be there, and Brexit will be top of the agenda. The Bilderberg Group has been nurturing the EU to life since the 1950s, and now they see their creation under dire threat."

http://investmentwatchblog.com/globalist-bilderberg-group-in-panic-over-brexit-conspires-to-stop-britain-from-leaving-eu/

A few days ago it was all to do with the CIA, I suppose now we will here that the CIA funds the Bilderberg Group.

When all else fails introduce a good conspiracy theory.

"It is a fact that the balance of the conclusions from the serious and detailed economic studies of the medium-term consequences of Brexit for the British economy is overwhelmingly negative.

The central estimates from the studies are that the economic losses from Brexit are in the range of 5pc to 10pc of GDP per annum around 10 or 15 years from now, or around £1,500 to £3,000 per person per year (I deliberately use round numbers here to avoid spurious precision). Estimates of short-term losses to GDP from Brexit over the next few years are in the range 0.5pc to 2pc".

Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, LSE and President of the British Academy

The article is an evaluation of the evidence that generates the conclusions above, NOT a review of the conclusions. Professor Stern's findings are: "My conclusions therefore are that these studies represent the best we can do in these circumstances and, on balance, are likely to be under­estimates of the losses from Brexit".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/08/uk-economy-would-be-seriously-weakened-by-brexit/

And before somebody starts telling porkies (you know who you are), the Pound did indeed jump one cent against USD yesterday. Contrary to popular belief amongst some Brexit fans the jump had nothing to do with markets now favouring Brexit, USD interest rates or anything other than a rise in manufacturing output: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/08/pound-jumps-as-uk-factories-roar-back-into-life/

The dollar Index also dropped from 94 to 93.5 between Tuesday evening and Wed evening Thai time. Currently at 93.456.

If you want to know about daily accidents or reports you will need to follow twitter @JS100radio @91fmtrafficpro or @Weather_th Thai language but many posts with photos.

BTW

My other half (who doesn't read my Thaivisa posts) is one of the worst drivers in Thailand. He's fine behind the wheel until the car is in motion.

Oversteer,Understeer, breaking late, changing lanes every 10 seconds, cutting off people, his foot is on/off accelerator constantly even on the highway.

He also likes to stay in the right lane on the highway like many Thais do.

I could go on but I haven't got 2 hours to type this post.

I refuse to get in his car anymore.

He has many scratches/dings on the car and always blames the other cars/bikes.

To make it worse he has a lifetime licence.

BTS/Taxi is fine with me.

Didn't realise you knew my brother in law.

The European Union always was a CIA project, as Brexiteers discover

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph . . .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/04/27/the-european-union-always-was-a-cia-project-as-brexiteers-discov/

Following the war, the US was obliged to help fund reconstruction in Europe, it would be naive to think that they were going to spend that money without trying to manipulate some benefit.

It is the current situation with the US that has to be taken into account and I would agree it is an area for concern. Difficult to negotiate with a nation that has no morals, the UK on its own would stand no chance.

Some more scaremongering facts.

"So, we can allow into the UK goods duty free from the EU and from countries with which the EU has negotiated preferential deals. Such agreements are already in force for Turkey, Switzerland and South Korea, for example."

"On leaving the EU, the UK would no longer be party to those agreements (unless replacements had been negotiated in the meantime). Without a deal in place, we would, under WTO rules, have to impose tariffs on goods from the rest of the EU and those other countries."

"Nor could be sure how long negotiations would take.

"Two, three, four years. It can take a decade or more. It depends on the complexities of the negotiations and the appetite for members to do it quickly."In the meantime, "there would be a vacuum. The UK would be the only WTO member without a list of its commitments… it's a legal uncertainty".

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36470809

UK: DBRS said it is not likely that it would immediately follow the UK...

UK: DBRS said it is not likely that it would immediately follow the UKreferendum on the EU by downgrading its AAA credit ratings on the UK. - DBRS said it does not anticipate that the UK government's capacity to pay itsdebt in the period directly following the vote would significantly decline. - "A vote to leave the EU would likely increase financial market volatility,weaken the currency, lower capital inflows, deepen the economic slowdown, andraise questions about Britain's longstanding relations with Europe," added DBRS.

Source: Market News International (MNI) – A Deutsche Börse company

7. June 2016 20:06:07

DBRS is a credit rating agency founded in 1976 in Toronto by Walter Schroeder, who sold the company to a consortium led by The Carlyle Group and Warburg Pincus in December 2014. Wikipedia

A distorted viewpoint obviously biased to your views on the EU.

Conditions of membership are exactly that, it doesn't matter which club you want to join.

And your posts are not distorted by bias ?

Of course they are - mine certainly are.

It is pointless to any debate to simply accuse 'the other side' of bias - that is inherent in any discussion.

I can respect an opposing view when it is presented sensibly and rationally. Suggesting that Britain cannot stand its own (which it will not be doing anyway) without the EU is neither.

I am very happy to say that being part of the EEC has brought some benefits to the UK. It is not all negative. However, the club has changed, and the rules with it, making it a club I no longer wish to be a member of.

You are quite right, bias is human nature but there is a fine line between emphasis and distortion.

Conditions of membership are what they are, you accept them or you don't, no one is insisting anything.

If for example, you joined a golf club that was men only and then a few years down the road the committee voted to allow female members, something you objected to. You would be quite entitled to be outraged but you have to abide by the democracy of the committee so you are free to leave the club of your own volition. You would be well aware of the other clubs available, their membership policies and fees. In other words you would be possession of all facts necessary to make an informed decision.

Therein lies the problem with this referendum, no one has the facts pertaining to the cost of joining another club or membership policies. Unfortunately none of the campaigners will stick to the facts of the issue in hand and attempt to enlighten the general public, both sides of the fence try to push a hypothesis based on weak assumptions.

My views have not been influenced by anyone but based on real events, anyone that needs a reminder should read Brewsters post No 266. I should also point out that in 1990 I was responsible for implementing an EU directive that was introduced to try and prevent unnecessary deaths but at the time it was perceived as nothing more than interfering bureaucracy. You only have to see some of the threads on this forum to see how hypocritical some are, they criticise the Thais for what was common place in the UK a few years back.

Immigration is an important issue but at the end of the day it is all about money. World trade will in due course be controlled by large trading blocs. The ASEAN countries have taken this on board and are heading for their own single market. People should remember what happened to corner shops when supermarkets came along.

The UK public can vote to leave the EU and the government could choose to stop immigration completely, but without economic growth the NHS will still be under pressure and there will still be problems with housing,benefits,pensions and unemployment. It really is all about the financial well being of the country.

When the UK joined the EEC in 1973 they were already using VAT so it is not surprising the UK had fall in line. The EEC did not insist on VAT, the UK asked to join the EEC.

As for being unfair, that is a matter of opinion. There is no dispute the collection process is cumbersome but it was designed that way to reduce tax evasion. Sales tax is more open to abuse than VAT and should a post brexit government revert to a sales tax then it is highly likely that income tax would rise to offset the loss in revenue from tax evasion, that is what I would call unfair.

VAT is insisted upon by the EU, a state cannot be a member if they don't charge VAT (EU rules). They also set the parameters min /max of taxation to be charged. Not much loss in revenue because no EU membership will need to be paid, less spongers, less handouts, less freeloading in the medical system and the possibility of cheaper imports/ better exports (if anything can be found to actually export). Of course I agree that it's all an unknown quantity and perhaps it's the fear or uncertainty of the unknown that provokes so much thought and discussion on the brexit. For me though ... I can't leave quickly enough.

A distorted viewpoint obviously biased to your views on the EU.

Conditions of membership are exactly that, it doesn't matter which club you want to join.

It matters very much when the those conditions of membership are arbitrarily changed.

I know you understand this from your constant attacks on the authorities over UK pensions being frozen for expats - not something you signed up for when you started paying NIC's and something you had no voice in changing.

You are absolutely right. Why would anyone want to be at the mercy of the UK government that changes things on a whim.

The EU has done more for the British public than the UK ever did. EU funding may come at a cost but do you really think that same funding would come from the UK government voluntarily.

Of course there are those that think it has nothing to do with the rest of the world.

"In her speech the Fed chair said: "A UK vote to exit the European Union could have significant economic repercussions."

She stressed that investors' "appetite for risk" could change quickly and that a UK exit from the EU would be likely to affect market sentiment.

Ms Yellen's remarks echo comments from other economists about the impact of a Brexit on the US economy."

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36463819