Christie Paul

Tourism authorities the world over are applauding the firm and resposible management of the tourism sector in Thailand. 

Thailand rid itself of tens of thousands of people of people who didn't fit the conventional demographic of a short term tourist - people under fifty who can afford to (economically) stay for extended periods, small business people and long terms travellers etc. These people (mostly harmless along with a few bad apples) put up with visa runs, contributed as good will ambassadors and spent money here from abroad.

Then they made life difficult for many retirees and many of those have left or are leaving. The income generated from these people is obviously less than a booming tourism sector - but now that so much of that is gone and given that tourism has turned down, will be missed.

Interesting how things turn out. 

What come to my mind is health authorities in hazmat gear and watching crowds of tourists through binoculars, saying "apart from the numbers rising exponentially, everything is fine". 

6 hours ago, Yadon Toploy said:

Seriously though, what a horrible place this is becoming to live.

 

Encouraging people to call up and 'report' foreigners, cars creeping about surveilling foreigners, people that have foreigners living with them being investigated, fingerprints being taken on entry to the country, etc. 

Thailand has adopted an authoritarian style which is universally despised.

It looks as though it's role model is North Korea. 

China has not given permission for something which has not been requested.

Without accounting for the multiplier effect of money circulation or money velocity, the estimated numbers do not reflect actual economic activity. 

A one thousand baht note may travel through many hands, perhaps 10, 20 or even more.

Real wealth and subsequent living standards are based on productivity and the number of transactions. Increases and decreases are thus exponential.  

Unless there is a profound change of attitude - Thailand will become increasingly difficult to sell.

It's not that it's so comparatively awful to many places and its not that the TAT aren't doing their best.

It's just that every turn and in so many diverse ways, it has become less attractive. The forums and social media have much greater influence these days and Thailands image has been savaged accordingly.

It used to be the place to be - it's just not anymore.    

 This is depressing. 

Thailand used to be a wondeful place to visit and stay. 

This is the sort of publicity that Koh Phi Phi really needs.  

If you are an ambitious young entrepreneur with skills and can make a contribution to the economy - this is not the place for you.

From top to bottom, the system will work against you.

Whilst the authorities may have the best of intentions - they have somehow managed to mishandle the industry to an extent in which the only variance is the degree at which it unravels.

Seamless integration and flow of information threatens the engines that power state control.

Peer to peer technology in particular, in which the block chain offers transparency and anonymity simultaneously will not just compete with banks, monopolies and cartels - it will render them redundant.

Authorities will gingerly attempt to cultivate advancement on the one hand and clamp down on it on the other.

Monopolies and oligopolies are generally bloated, inefficient and rely on governments for support - they are by far the greatest recipients of state welfare.

Dramatically reduce the red tape, company regulations, immigration and employment constraints and watch the small private sector take them down.

A bit off topic. Many countries you are not allowed to bring in counterfeit goods & can face criminal charges. Australia is one.

A bit off topic too..................there's not a lot you can do in australia these days

I had a friend who went to Australia and he did something...but for the life of me I can't remember what is was.

The real economy is stalling - receipts are significantly down at virtually every level.

Adjustment is difficult, consequently parasites will kill hosts from time to time and further the downward spiral.

The country needs to urgently unify and adapt to the macro geo political and economic realities.

We'll all sleep a little easier, safe in the knowledge that brave men have not given up the war against plants.

"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

George Orwell.

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The main beneficiary of the Wests sanctions against Russia, has been Russia.

Some temporary dislocations and currency volatility have augmented deep structural changes, the results of which are now beginning to show in the Russian economy. Holders of Russian bonds are grinning and new banking and payment systems will further weaken dollar hegemony.

The suppression of oil prices have bankrupted highly leveraged fracking operations in the US and other high cost oil producers - and will blow up another segment of the bond market - result: QE to infinity.

Russia buys more gold at deflated prices. Europe watches its exports tank, whilst the US is left to contemplate the permutations of economic blowback of greater force than that inflicted upon its primary target.

Meanwhile the Chinese are pinching themselves in an attempt to ensure they are not dreaming and would do well not to become too arrogant. They have not so much out manoeuvred their competitors, as passively observe them systematically commit economic suicide.

Likely Thailand will attempt to shimmy its way around and offer its loyalty to whomever can realistically ensure its elites the best deal. I don't question the virtues of a pragmatic approach - but I do have some concerns around what appear to be some serious deficiencies in the skills department.

I'll have some of whatever you're smoking. From yesterday's Wall Street Journal:

"MOSCOW—Russia’s economic contraction will be worse than previously thought, the World Bank said Wednesday, the day the government reported to President Vladimir Putin that the struggling economy will recover soon.

Under its new baseline scenario, the World Bank forecasts the Russian economy will contract by 3.8% in 2015—based on an average oil price of $53 a barrel—compared with its earlier forecast of a 0.7% contraction made in December.

The new forecast reflects the assumption that the impact of Western sanctions, which were imposed gradually throughout the previous year in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and its support of rebels in eastern Ukraine, will linger for a long time.

Full article here: http://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-economic-outlook-worse-than-thought-world-bank-says-1427883522

The Wall Street Journal.....?

An official mouth piece of US institutions, might not be the ideal choice for information, upon which to form balanced opinions.

The Russian economy was sucker punched, no doubt.

But this was supposed to result in Putin's demise and a proper collapse. This has not happened, to the contrary, Putin is more popular than ever, Russian institutions (with help from China) are leaner and stronger, net reserves of gold and foreign currency are back on an upward trajectory and they are doing deals with almost everyone.

The Crimeans are on the whole delighted to once again be part of Russia and receiving their upwardly revised pensions and security, whilst the rest of Ukraine is either at war with itself and facing abject poverty and under the control of puppet billionaire dual passport holding proto fascists, who are presently using the last tranche from the EU/IMF money to build a wall between the two states, to prevent their citizenry from fleeing.

I'm not particularly pro Russian - but it just looks to me as though the West has not only exposed itself as malignant and desperate - but has also managed to profoundly antagonise a very serious enemy, which it has sorely underestimated.

The Wall Street Journal for reasons that would seem obvious failed to mention that the SWIFT payment system has gone from threats of sanctions against Russia to inviting it to sit on its board, or the fact that US stalwarts like Australia and the UK will join Russia as foundation members of the Chinese instigated Asian Infrastructure Development Bank . It's US isolation that would appear to be the net results of sanctions.