mfd101

His reply is a good politician's reply (ie I might laugh at the substance but his deflection was well-done).

I did say: "... or of any part of any country ... ". It matters not what one country or its rulers think. In a DEMOCRACY what counts is what the people think. To take an example in my home country Australia: For many years the leaders of the State of Western Australia have from time to time suggested that if the Federal Government in Canberra didn't do something they wanted (usually a larger share of federal government largesse) they might move to make WA an independent country. Such hints or even occasionally even threats have never come to anything but if they did, what then? The INHABITANTS of WA would have to vote clearly in favour of independence. If they did so in a clear & consistent fashion, then - though the effect would be bad for the rest of the country and efforts would doubtless be made to persuade them otherwise - WA would have the right to become independent. Another example is the departure of the UK from the European Community. Bad, stupid, self-defeating etc etc, but it happened because THE PEOPLE voted for it in a referendum after a long campaign of information sharing & debate.

So what's not black 'n white about the inhabitants of any country or of any part of any country having the right to decide for themselves how they will be governed & by whom?

I hope he's charged with assault and the Constitutional Court bans him from political life for 10 years.

Yes. Between the policy-free Kamala and the senile, aggressive, racist, nasty Donald it's going to be fascinating to watch (though I'm thinking I'll need something strongish to drink to get me thru the whole show).

Same reason no ARAB country will have them!

So he's worried that Kamala's is bigger than his?

10K฿ is huge for people whose annual income is less than that!

The peasants won't forget. They'll be solidly voting PP next time.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Surprise surprise. More votes to PP next time.

His proposals to both main camps strike me as close to corrupt & therefore immoral if not illegal. In any case he's about as attractive as Trump, both as a human being and as a political candidate.

Yes but it's hard to think that Thailand would be in the first 20 over the line.

You display an overly-optimistic view of the levels of competence ever likely to be achieved by any Thai government ...

Yes, that was one of the first things I learned here. Last-minute 'planning'. Characteristic of poor people who don't feel they're in charge of their own lives, Buddha's in charge, what will be will be ... Also explains their driving on the roads. I am the neurotic opposite of all that. Drives my b/f up the wall.

Some no doubt have spent it already, in anticipation.

With my lot (Khmer peasants, & no doubt with other varieties too) a visit isn't such a problem, particularly as it will - at least in my experience - almost never involve over-night stay. That's because the family farm is only 40km away and the teenagers have gradually departed for the engineering joints, factories and 7/11s of Bangers. So almost noone ever actually visits (we visit them). When they do, they sit outside in the shade, on woven mats as necessary, and drink the bottled water you offer from the fridge, and on fairly rare occasions a single or double shot espresso. They are in any case very shy to enter a large modern falang home with chairs to sit on ... When several arrive for most of the day every 3 weeks to mow the lawns & tidy up outside, we feed them with take-aways from PTT and water them thru the day. The one thing I have to make sure of is that handy outdoors tools (rake, spade, ladder, wheelbarrow ...) don't disappear back to the farm, along with the sacks of clippings for the buffalo.

In real democracies The People don't usually (or perhaps ever) 'vote for the PM'. They vote for a local member to represent them in the Parliament and the local members of the party with the most representatives in the Parliament elect their leader and that person is then called upon by the Head of State to 'become PM' (ie to form a government). He or she then seeks a vote of confidence in the Parliament to demonstrate that he has indeed the numbers to pass legislation. None of which requires a vote by The People other than the one (a 'general election') which started the whole process.

You have evidence for this, do you?

The obvious question all relevant agencies will have (or should have) been asking was: In whose interest was the damage to the pipelines? Answer: Not Russia's and not Europe's. Which really leaves only Ukraine to answer for it (if at all).

Ha ha. And here was I thinking that his photo demonstrated such youthful energy ...

And the Council of State having assured Srettha that all was well, will the Constitutional Court now dismiss all members of the Council of State?

Yes, the daily certainties of the ignorant.

The baht is rising sharply (against USD, AUD & £). Which seems counter-intuitive to me ...

I just feel sad for Thailand. Things now can only get worse, until the next election (whenever that may eventuate) when the PP will win then be overthrown by a military putsch. Oh well, back to my books.