wombat1943

Attempts at bulling and sour grapes will last for a couple of years until the politicians in Europe are forced to wake up and find that many of their own people also want out of the EU. I am proud to be British just like a German is proud to be German and an Italian Italian etc. We all want to retain our national identity and none of us want to be lumped together as 'Europeans'

Boris will do fine and one day in the future I think he will still be Prime Minister.

I don't particularly like Boris. His clowning, peculiar attempts at humor and general "act" are an acquired taste. But he did win a scholarship for Oxford, obtain a 2:1 and was twice voted Lord Mayor of London. Whether he makes a success as Foreign Secretary remains to be seen.

However, <deleted> are these arrogant French and German politicians to make such remarks. The French FM is right, Boris did lie and was caught lying. So have a considerable number of French presidents, senior French politicians and bureaucrats and one's who went on to head international bodies like the IMF. Plagued with sex scandals and corruption allegations. Perhaps he'd better look to his own backyard first. As for the Germans, Merkel opened the floodgates to Europe for illegal economic migrants, not just her own country; then tried to get out of it by forcing a quota system on other countries as if she is president of Europe; then closing the German borders whilst chastising others for doing the same thing and still refuses to apologies or even admit she made a mistake. One of her senior colleagues said "elections should not be allowed to change things" and several German MP's had to resign for cheating to get PhD's. Now their Defense Minister applauds Brexit and says she can move a EU Army and Military forward - why bother with an EU member vote, Germany has decided and their puppet EU president and his commission will rubber stamp whatever Merkel dictates. I seriously hope the AfD win the next elections and give the German people the referendum they now deserve. Most Germans I know deserve better than Merkel and the totalitarian EU super reich she and her cronies plan for Europe.

The French FM did actually come up with a good idea. He suggested the EU needed to revisit it's vision, mission and put options to all EU citizens to get consensus on what people really wanted for the future. Needless to say that no one has shown any interest in that. Merkel, Hollande, Juncker - all believe they know what is best for the people and that democracy, transparency, accountability, tradition, culture, and sovereignty aren't on that list.

The EU is being driven in a direction the neo-liberal left wing want it to be; dominated by bureaucrats they appoint to make sure those with other political views are effectively neutered. Britain, for all it's faults stood against that and is now being reviled by those who have been pushing for so long for that to happen. Without Britain, and unless there are changes in Germany and France, that will happen. Europe will become the next socialist failure as every single previous socialist project has failed.

Thank you Baerboxer for the best post of many pages. I happen to like BJ - he at least make the news interesting to read. A surprising, courageous and I think good decision by Ms. May. The world and particularly the media are controlled by the "politically correct" Gestapo - Boris is the other side of the coin. Interesting few months ahead. Good luck BJ!

Attempts at bulling and sour grapes will last for a couple of years until the politicians in Europe are forced to wake up and find that many of their own people also want out of the EU. I am proud to be British just like a German is proud to be German and an Italian Italian etc. We all want to retain our national identity and none of us want to be lumped together as 'Europeans'

Boris will do fine and one day in the future I think he will still be Prime Minister.

I don't particularly like Boris. His clowning, peculiar attempts at humor and general "act" are an acquired taste. But he did win a scholarship for Oxford, obtain a 2:1 and was twice voted Lord Mayor of London. Whether he makes a success as Foreign Secretary remains to be seen.

However, <deleted> are these arrogant French and German politicians to make such remarks. The French FM is right, Boris did lie and was caught lying. So have a considerable number of French presidents, senior French politicians and bureaucrats and one's who went on to head international bodies like the IMF. Plagued with sex scandals and corruption allegations. Perhaps he'd better look to his own backyard first. As for the Germans, Merkel opened the floodgates to Europe for illegal economic migrants, not just her own country; then tried to get out of it by forcing a quota system on other countries as if she is president of Europe; then closing the German borders whilst chastising others for doing the same thing and still refuses to apologies or even admit she made a mistake. One of her senior colleagues said "elections should not be allowed to change things" and several German MP's had to resign for cheating to get PhD's. Now their Defense Minister applauds Brexit and says she can move a EU Army and Military forward - why bother with an EU member vote, Germany has decided and their puppet EU president and his commission will rubber stamp whatever Merkel dictates. I seriously hope the AfD win the next elections and give the German people the referendum they now deserve. Most Germans I know deserve better than Merkel and the totalitarian EU super reich she and her cronies plan for Europe.

The French FM did actually come up with a good idea. He suggested the EU needed to revisit it's vision, mission and put options to all EU citizens to get consensus on what people really wanted for the future. Needless to say that no one has shown any interest in that. Merkel, Hollande, Juncker - all believe they know what is best for the people and that democracy, transparency, accountability, tradition, culture, and sovereignty aren't on that list.

The EU is being driven in a direction the neo-liberal left wing want it to be; dominated by bureaucrats they appoint to make sure those with other political views are effectively neutered. Britain, for all it's faults stood against that and is now being reviled by those who have been pushing for so long for that to happen. Without Britain, and unless there are changes in Germany and France, that will happen. Europe will become the next socialist failure as every single previous socialist project has failed.

"Pensions are increased in line with inflation each year". Not if you do not live in the EU. I have an Australian passport, live in Thailand. My Old Age Pension is fixed at what I got when I first claimed it - 2008, age 65. No increase for me here in Thailand! If the pound goes down I will lose short-term - but it will go up again when we leave the EUSSR. LEAVE! And most posters on this forum seem to agree.

Can I add a rather more personal note than I think most of the previous posters are able. I am 73. My wife is 31. I was divorced in 1998, lived alone and unhappy for 14 years. Met my wife in 2012, we lived together for 3 years, to assure compatibility, married March 2015. Both very happy. I give my wife a better life style than she has ever enjoyed before - two bedroom house, swimming pool, A/C's, hot water in bathroom. When I die, which is almost certain to be well before her, I shall leave her a rich (by Thai standards) woman. To those of you who criticise - I can only say "Mind your own damned business". Good luck to them both.

I am impressed with the restraint that the 7-11 employee showed. He could have easily justifiably killed the man that had the pen knife with those scissors. He is to be praised for his actions, quick thinking and coolness during this incident.

I salute you sir!

I hope his identity remains confidential so as not to endanger his life or his family. But I hope the store owner appreciates what this young man did, and how much danger he faced. Will he be rewarded or wai'd? Who knows? I for one am proud of him!! Very good for you young man!!! You are someone in these difficult time that is to be praised!

"Melius est enim mori quam vivere in pedibus supplex" Which roughly translates as "It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees" Congrats to the 7/11 guy.

I think he just wants to brag

Thank you

a really helpful and positive post.

Have a nice day

Cupit Stu.. t

Sorry, you may be too young to understand Spoonerisms?

In my childhood (a long time ago, before the PC brigade gained control of the world) there was on UK TV a male comedian who dressed in female clothes and called him(her)self "Cupid Stunt.) I think everyone got the message . . . . . !

Thailand is a basket case, anyone who finds this place their dream destination and plan to spend the rest of their lives here needs serious help..I bitterly regret spending so much of my life here and like many I am constantly calculating my options but at my age life itself is against me.

Luckily I never burnt my bridges and all my assets are still in Europe, assets I had here I have liquidated over the past 18 months and transferred all back to Europe.

Unlike many I came here with work, I never got into the bar and prostitute scene and never married a bar girl… I am not clouded by the rose tints a great many seam to experience and totally know what this place and its people are all about; its 3^rd world and will never change

If you like it enjoy; but if you could experience what I have over almost 5 decades you would be crying in you Sigha

Interesting to read your view, in 5 decades you must have seen a lot.

But I guess that people (including ourselves) change, and countries change. I wonder whether there is any country at all where, after 40-50 years, you can look back and say that you have no regrets.

Arithai - yes, countries change. 1961- 1964 I lived in Rhodesia - now "Zimbabwe". Paradise. Now they do not have their own currency - destroyed by the financially illiterate "Finance Minister" Gideon Gomo - trillion dollar (1,000,000,000,000 notes) - they use the SA rand and the US $. And the Chinese Yuan has just become legal currency - China will own "Zimbabwe" in the near future. And Thailand - - - - ? ?

I shan't be around to see it. Good luck Thailand, and all who live here.

OP - there is some good and bad advice in this thread. It's up to you to accept or reject it. But no doubt you will understand some of the advice is based on each poster's particular view on life, the universe, and everything.

I won't give you any financial advice. Instead I'll tell you that in the past 24 months, over a dozen of my friends back home have gone to an early grave - most in their very early 50's. All through sudden illnesses. Most went through short periods of palliative care before they died.

Not one of them expressed a wish that they'd spent more time at the office or the factory. Most expressed totally opposite views.

As the old saying goes, life is not a dress rehearsal and it's only a one-act-play. Unlike many, you seem to have your head screwed on and I suspect you will be able to cope with minor financial issues as they arise.

Sometimes a leap of faith is necessary.

Totally agree with the post I have quoted above. My situation a little different from yours, I am 72, and after living alone (divorced) since 1996, met my Thai lady in 2012, married last year (2015), and very happy. But as Gsxrnz says, ". . . . Life .... is only a one act play." And I too have lost friends earlier than anticipated - my best friend - in Australia - died at 70, having been told 6 months earlier at a medical "You're totally fit, should live to your 90's." And others in Thailand - one in his fifties - meningitis - and another age 60 - from a fractured skull, following an "accident" in the bathroom - almost certainly hit on the back of the head with a bottle.

Do what your gut feeling tells you. (Same as "a leap of faith" above.) Happiness is more than money in the bank. Good luck! Please post and tell us your decision and how you get on.

Remind me never to fly with BA on a Boeing 777.

After a major fire like happened to that plane it should have been scrapped.

I have 19,000 hours flying, 7,000 Captain on B767-300ER with GE engines. Never an engine shutdown, one technical diversion due to a fuel leak - not an engine problem. Please - talk with your mouth not the other end of your body. "Should have been scrapped". Stoopid is as stoopid does . . . . !

I have little interest in politics, Thai or otherwise, but I do know that my Thai wife caught TB and spent several periods in hospital, and had to visit the hospital many times subsequently, each hospital stay and each visit cost only 30 baht including all medicines. A scheme introduced I understand by Thaksin Shinawatra. I thank him. And surely a democratically elected government, good or bad, is better than a military regime elected by nobody.

One word sums it up - out. OUT! OUT!

I have a 12 year old Thai stepson, learning English from a Thai teacher in school. Have looked at his exercise books - many questions he has answered incorrectly have been ticked as correct by his teacher. For example - "These are fruits. Can I eat - - - - -" Son answered "it". Ticked as correct. Correct is obviously "them". And many others.

My wife wanted "spicy tea". Turned out to be "spaghetti"!

1. I took out travel insurance with covermore, and when i did need to claim i realized it didnt cover anything you really need to read the fine print, never use covermore

Can't let this pass. I arrived in Thailand 8 May 2013, woke up 10 May partially paralysed. (I was at that time 70) Ambulance called, taken to Bangkok Phuket hospital, I had Guillin Barre disease (look it up - a virus which paralyses the nerves, death within 48 hours if not treated.) Hospital advised I needed massive doses of immunoglobulin - takes 1000 litres of blood to make 1 litre immunoglobulin - so equivalent of 7,000 litres of blood. Cost 1 million baht (+/-) They phoned Covermore, my insurance company, they phoned back within an hour and said "Go ahead". 10 days in intensive care. On 28 May flown back to Melbourne by private jet - two pilots, one doctor, one nurse and me. (Then 4 months in hospital and rehab, but that on medicare Australia.) Covermore could not have looked after me better, at a cost to them of - ? - Aud$100,000? I asked the cost but they would not tell me. Am back in Thailand now, again insured with Covermore, Aud$1,470 for one year cover.

Re. M/cycle cover - I have that included in my policy, - driver must have a full Thai m/c licence (my Thai wife has had a licence for 11 years, do not drive myself), bike must be under 200cc, I must wear a crash helmet. All for the princely sum of Aud17 a year! Hope this does not count as advertising and get censored, just my experiences - could have been very different.

Good luck to the OP.