AlexRich

Unintentional? The dog needs putting to sleep, and so does the owner.

Starmer needs to grow a back bone and tell Russia to GF itself.

It’s not something that I really care about. I know who I am and don’t need external validation from Thais or anyone else for that matter. In the scheme of things, we are all pretty insignificant creatures, with a very short shelf life. So don’t worry at all about your social status, just focus on enjoying life.

You know, I was thinking that myself. A lovely pair.

Am I correct in thinking that many Thai’s cannot swim? Unless of course the poor soul hit her head and was unconscious during the fall. Anyway, a sad ending to a life.

Truss is a sad and desperate fool. She was given the opportunity to lead the country and completely screwed up, so badly that she had to step down. Now she is trying to reinvent herself as a UK MAGA loon … there is no bandwagon this sad incompetent won’t jump on.

Are you a Russian bot? Putin has never held free and fair elections since he came to power. The opposition candidates are handpicked. Indeed, one of them described Putin as a great leader on his own campaign trail? Russia has never been a democracy, it is a kleptocracy, run by criminals. Everyone, apart from you, knows that elections in Russia are fake.

I think a lot depends on how important living in Thailand is to you? If it’s not that important you could ignore it and in the worst case scenario move somewhere else. If it’s very important then get professional advice and complete it correctly. I’ve read numerous posts and videos about this subject, and have concluded that no one anywhere, including the tax people, have a clue about how to deal with foreigners under the new rules. That’s why I will nerve settle in Thailand. I suspect there will be people getting surprise tax demands and spending years trying to sort them out. Not what you want if you are retired. It's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid tax because of the collaboration and information sharing between countries. Best pick a tax regime you understand and stick with it.

I think this issue is much more than just the fate of Ukraine, it is about the world that we want to live in and where this will all lead to. The rules of law in world affairs are deteriorating fast, we are moving quickly into a world where “might is right”. And laws don’t matter anymore. So, for Europe, they better get serious about their defensive capabilities before Putin divides and conquers. I suspect that the US will soon withdraw from NATO and that the Baltic states and the rest of Ukraine will be on the Russian menu. Not immediately, first they will use lifted sanctions to get the war machine up to full strength. And if Europe doesn’t offer any resistance they will start carving up their neighbours. There are many pro Russian sponsored political parties in Europe - Hungary and Slovakia are run by them and others are fighting hard to lead countries. Reform UK being one, the Afd in Germany being the other. But they are everywhere. If these parties can gain positions of power we will all be under the influence of Russia and heading towards authoritarian regimes. The new century will be an Orwellian nightmare. And that’s why this issue is about more than just Ukraine.

The website would be over Simon, you’d be chatting with yourself.

The problem with the “gaslighting” is that eventually people see through it. You can’t judge Trump by what he says, but you can judge him by what he does. He’s attempting to hand over Ukraine to Putin whilst simultaneously extorting Ukraine for its rare Earth mineral deposits. Trump has been an asset of the Kremlin since the late 1980’s, when after a trip to Russia he paid for newspaper ads denouncing the USA’s involvement with NATO. He’s a traitor and a rat … and we can all see that now in real time.

£3,000 per day sounds like a rip off. They don’t even know what’s wrong with him? Not being insured is dumb however this just looks like exploitation.

I don’t think he’s looking to conquer the world, he just wants the ability to control the US and project power in the world. He wants what Putin wants, absolute control and a percentage of State wealth. The US becomes a country controlled by a network of criminals. And by the time that MAGA loons realise they are not benefiting from Trump’s new world they will not be able to do anything about it.

Trump is and always has been a criminal. His ties to Russia go back to the 1980’s, when he was taking out newspaper ads promoting Russian talking points. He used his real estate to launder Russian dirty money and he is compromised up to the neck. So no one should be surprised about his betrayal of Ukraine, that was easy to predict. He will withdraw from NATO, engage in massive theft of state assets, and run the US as a criminal enterprise. When he said “you won’t have to vote again” he meant it. You will have Russian elections, where there is only one winner. And your Constitution will be consigned to the dustbin of history.

The so-called “Russia Hoax” was never a hoax at all. Trump giving Putin everything he wants and more and selling the US’s allies down the Swanny. Khrushchev realised that the USSR could not defeat the USA conventionally, but it could be defeated if it could be divided and infiltrated. You are seeing this plan come to fruition with the election of Russian “asset” Donald J Trump. The American century is coming to an end, kleptocrats have taken over. “You’ll never have to vote again” - only an idiot thought he was joking. You will have “Russian” elections from now on. And a wrecked Constitution.

The only felating I can see is Trump on Putin … he is either scared or compromised, probably both. I understand how hard that is for MAGA loons to swallow …

WTF is homophonic?

Sure. It’s much better to elect a leader who felates Vladimir Putin at every opportunity.

Lazy because they thought they had security covered. Now they are scared, and that might be enough to change their mind set.

I’d agree with that. We are in a new world, with Trump cosying up with Putin and stitching up Ukraine. It’s time for Europe to get serious. 1) Each country should build up a strong military force and join a European NATO. 2) Any country that has close Putin ties or peddles Russian propaganda, like Hungary and Slovakia, should be excluded, and kicked out of the EU. 3) More European countries should develop their own nuclear weapon capability, and France and the UK should decouple from the US. If you have a capability you won’t constantly be threatened by Russia. 4) The lesson is not to talk and appease, it is to show overwhelming strength and firepower. Europe is wealthy enough to outcompete Russia and if it really concentrated its resources they could end the incompetent Russians on the battlefield. 5) Europe has to develop its own weapons systems, and not rely on the US. Again, the capability is there. it just requires focus and willpower. The German war machine in the 1930’s was formidable … there is no reason it can’t be again. There is no need to fear Putin, if they do the above he’d be shaking in his boots. The question - do they have the strength of mind to do it. If we don’t we will be condemning or children and grandchildren to be the slaves of criminal empires.

I find Thailand a very relaxing place to stay. As long as you are decent and respectful the people are great and the facilities like shops, restaurants, cinemas and gyms are of a western standard in the major spots. However, it can be bureaucratic at times and the new and confusing tax laws means that I will never spend more than 180 days here. So I will keep on visiting and enjoying living here but I will keep property and assets in the home country, whose tax system I can easily navigate.

Corruption and criminality … thy name is Trump.

That was a message from “peacemaker” Donald J Trump. He doesn’t want Americans involved in overseas wars, so he abandons Ukraine to his master Putin. Now he’s talking about taking Canada, Greenland and attacking Iran. Hypocrisy thy name is Trump.

I can’t believe that any right thinking person would object to investigating how taxpayer money is spent? That’s what we all should expect. But don’t lie about it, which is what Musk is doing. And take care that you do not get rid of programmes that make sense or result in people dying. Musk has just scrapped the Epidemic Intelligence Programme at CDC, and that has consequences in a crisis. I’ve also read of food programmes overseas being scrapped and food lying to rot in warehouses. But the real surprise will be what they do with the “saved” money. My prediction is that corruption will soar, and Trump will be one of the main beneficiaries. I suspect he wants what Putin has, which is a criminal enterprise that he controls which allows him to accumulate massive wealth.

That’s what happens when you pledge allegiance to a Cult. They can do no wrong, and even when they do wrong you can offer up an explanation about how it is in fact right. I heard the word “gaslighting” a few years ago, I’d never heard it before. But now it’s being applied everywhere. We’re in this Orwellian world where the truth is lies, and lies is truth. And we are all constantly bombarded by the opinions of numpties who have “done their research” and now have the inside track on how the world really is … and how Donald Trump is in battle with the “Deep State” to save the poor and exploited. The only thing Orwell got wrong was the date.