mfd101

17 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I'm still at a loss as to why voters rejected PR .

1st-past-the-post usually produces clear outcomes (ie a stable government with a clear majority) because it favours the big parties over the little ones. PR almost always produces coalition governments because - if properly designed (and there are no end of mathematically appropriate ways of doing it) because it reflects (or is supposed to) the pattern of voting across all parties ie it is 'fairer'.

Whether PR produces 'better' governments depends on your view of what 'better' would mean and on how the political culture adapts to produce sensible compromise outcomes.

All of which NZ discovered when it went to a complicated PR system a few years ago. As I said to my then FIL (in rather simplistic terms): Do you want fairness or do you want good government? 

So many interesting surprises (at least from an antipodean perspective): (1) Tiresias May: she may be blind but she's no prophetess. (2) Crackpot Corbyn turns in a workmanlike performance & is rewarded accordingly - Good for him; (3) La Sturgeon clearly a bit on the nose, having lost umpteen seats including her vice-leader and her former leader; (4) the Tories picking up 13 seats in Scotland where they had had either 1 or none for decades ...

I wonder if there's an analysis of how the anti-Brexiteers of left-centre & right-centre voted. Not clear what their options were (though I guess the muddled equal approach of both Labour & Tories to Brexit fairly neutralized it as a voting issue this time round?). I was surprised at how much of London was coloured red on the Guardian map.

With the sole exception of his recent little joke about the Comoriens, Macron hasn't put a foot wrong either before or since his election. He has shown enormous skill, determination, good planning & understanding of symbolism in politics. And he's had a good measure of good luck too.

Given the unattractive alternatives in France on his left and his right, we can only wish him all the best for his economic reform programs. ['Reform'? 'Change'? OK, everyone out!]

Yirz, bloody Tories, socialists rilly the lot of them. I'm going to vote Communist uh Corbyn. Lots of English pluck 'n eccentricity there!

11 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

He's just doing what he was elected to do. Which is rare in politics.

Yes, making America little again.

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

trump, the black swan that keeps on giving ...

 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Thanks-to-Trump-Germany-says-it-can-t-rely-on-11179470.php

Yes, this is - funnily enough - a GOOD outcome from the horrors of Trump: The Europeans learning again, at last, to stand on their own feet & not rely on others.

Will be good for Australia in that respect also. Grow up, learn not to lean.

I said on Facebook a few months ago that the Trump presidency was an opportunity for the rest of the world (for strategic rethink, change of approach, reform etc) and was shouted down by a million outraged citizens of the world unable to think for themselves.

But of course opportunity represents uncertainty and therefore risk ...

The 2 big dams - Bhumipol & Sirikit in the North - are currently at 42% & 49% of capacity, according to the relevant website. Many smaller dams are at below 20% capacity.

There's one machine we use every month to pay a bill (AIS, I think?) which takes both notes & coins ...

Deleted (already said earlier in the thread)

17 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

In fact, since macron won by 2 to 1, that means that virtually everyone who voted for him once, did it again.

Yes, the figures certainly add up.

Down with complexity! Out with greyness! We voted for simplicity and we're determined to have it!

So Macron represents 'No change'? Oh rilly?

In the French context he's a rightwinger (as opposed to a leftie fascist) and will - if he can - make radical change freeing up the French economy & labour market from its socialist extremism. Long overdue.

Oh NO! You mean that we won't be getting rid of all those horrid horrid other people? those French people who can't speak English proper? And those those Germans we know all about them don't we. And all those other others, people not like us, not English, they don't have our values. This is terrible.

I think I'm going to have to leave and migrate to to to ... THAILAND! where there are lots of people just like me.

Optimism + Realism. Beats pessimism and idealism any day.

My point is that there won't BE any gates. The regular users have an eticket in their car which is debited to their account automatically each time they go on the m/way. The occasional users either receive a bill in the mail (rego plate ⇒ postal address), with penalties for late payment etc. All these issues have already been solved in The West. Probably they'll arrive here about mid-century ...

2 hours ago, dominique355 said:

This system of building motorways is a disaster for the environment, for the economy and for each driver.
It will create huge traffic jams in front of the toll booth where thousands of litres of gasoline will be burned uselessly, thousands of hours for motorists wasted.
We see it every day on the existing motorways and continue doing it. Unbelievable.

When Thailand joins the 21st century you'll be able to pay the toll electronically as you whiz along.

8 hours ago, Salerno said:

No big deal and certainly not all that unusual; first time I came across it was actually in Spain around '78. 

Same in Paris when I lived there in the early 1970s - unisex (often 2 separate entrances for Men & Women but you met in the middle & the women walked past behind you as you took a leak), plus the old hag who cleaned the place and sat there watching you & made sure you left a tip before you departed ("Vous oubliez quelque chose, m'sieur?")

Poor Teresa. And facing a veritable tide of Junkers, on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets.

47 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Yes in principle. The reality is Merkel calls the shots and Juncker obeys. He telephoned her. Not the French, Italians, Dutch, Belgians, Spanish etc etc. 

 

The EU has started cracking down on the Hungarian PM and make comments warning Poland. As talks progress expect to see Germany controlling and promoting German interests, as always, with the EU used to bring other different opinions in line. Macron, for all his bluster and promises, is really Hollande's protege and will tow the line should he win as expected.

 

Some in Germany see this as pay back time although of course they're playing as if otherwise.

Golly, it sounds like 1939 all over again. Where are you, Winston? Your people need you yet again as we face our Second Finest Hour!

43 minutes ago, gamini said:

Why do the pro brexits posters on this forum continually disbelieve or rubbish any negative reports?. Many of them come from  neutral and reliable sources. Why don't they just accept the fact that they can't have everything.

Because they don't want to accept that they have made, collectively, the most stupid and dismal decision of their whole lives. And, whatever the evolution out in the real world over the next 3, 5, 10 and 20 years, they'll still go to their graves muttering about how they were 'betrayed' by those horrid horrid politicians that they themselves voted for ...

Depends on your definition of 'reasonable' (which, in the hands of the pollies, is likely to be a moveable feast): 30% worse than the current position? 45% worse? 60% worse? ...

1 hour ago, The Deerhunter said:

It may not be what it seems.  In common English usage Astronomy and Astrology are two words which have sort of swapped their applications.  They may actually study the universe and not use it to make stupid life predictions. 

Mmmmmm, well I had assumed that it was actually the Thai Astronomical Society that made the announcement but the translation into English was made by someone who didn't know the difference ...

Downpour late yesterday arvo & early evening here in Prasat Surin. Accompanied by one of the biggest thunder storms I've ever experienced (went on for about 3 hrs). Nice rinse for the garden.

I notice it's the Thai ASTROLOGICAL Society that makes this announcement. I wonder what deep meaningfulness they will be concocting from this momentous, um, moment ...

29 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

 Trump foolishly thought that Aussie liberal party is liberal.

The problem was/is that the word 'liberal' in politics means quite different things in different countries. In Oz it means centre-right. In the US it means leftwing. In France, as 'neo-liberal', it means extreme right Anglo-Saxon world conspiracy ...

I think Turkey is about to be taken OFF constant review & returned to the bottom drawer marked 'LATER'