Sir Dude

Activist my backside ... more like regime stooge doing the junta's bidding whilst trying to look good in the press. Maybe someone should look into his life and background to see if he's whiter than white, bet there are skeletons somewhere. 

Wee Cranky will not get her way and she lost an SNP vote yesterday about her fantasy plans for a currency after independence. She forgets that Westminster will not allow a newly independent Scotland to use pound sterling, maybe the Scottish pound but it would not be guaranteed by the BoE, which is all important ... so it will tank. Secondly, the EU has announced there is no automatic membership on offer if they break away ... and here's why, Brussels does not want to see the fracturing of larger EU states and breakaway regions thinking it's all fine and dandy to do it with no problem ... these politicians that think it is are living in La La Land. The Scots will get short-shift from the likes of Spain that are terrified over the Catalan issue, so no allies there. It is ironically a microcosm of the Brexit issue and they will get the same problems that the UK is facing trying to leave the EU .. just on a smaller scale as their action in both cases cannot be seen to be a success as it will encourage others to do likewise. It is not in the interest of the EU for larger countries to fragment ... and Scotland, if they leave, will taste the bitter-sweet pill themselves. It's not all about Scotland, or the UK ... the bigger picture will not allow for a fantasy fairy-tale ending for Scotland as this sort of thing is unwelcome in other parts of the European Union and not to be encouraged. There does not seem to be enough support in Scotland for this right now and they already got their chance to vote. Brussels wants to see countries fragment like this as much as it wanted to see the UK leave in the first place. Sets a bad precedent for others.

The SNP is far from united at the moment and it's beginning to show ... plus it's highly debatable if they can survive properly without the Barnett Formula etc. which would be rescinded in the event of Scottish independence. The North Sea oil would have to be split up between all parts of the UK as it is not just Scotland's plus if you think trying to untangle the UK from Europe is hard then trying to untangle Scotland from the rest of the UK is way more difficult.     

I'm surprised they still even give out visas to Nigerians.

Baht will stay strong until the rich elites have finished investing overseas and moving their money out of Thailand. Then we will see a drop and they will repatriate it all so they can be even richer ... rinse & repeat.

The government and greedy elite companies need to recognise that when your average Thai Joe/Jane earns so little, you can't just keep on squeezing them. Even if you raise the minimum wage by a pitiful amount, then you have to try to stop greedy business just rising their prices so that the wage rise does not just end up in indifferent companies pockets. It is true though that the guy in the report is a moron as the conductor is just doing as told. If you are going to subsidize something then travel is it.

I agree that the Chinese factor is growing a lot and will continue to do so, but I also agree with those who have questioned as to who benefits really from it all as it isn't your average Thai small business people. It's the Chinese businesses that benefit as these tour groups are led around like cattle and closely monitored and told where to buy plus I guess the money probably ends up out of Thailand somewhere. We'll just have to see how far this all flies with the normal Thais and if they ever wake from their brainwashed slumber. As for Thailand regarding western expats, then the writing has been on the wall for a while and I reckon the next 5-10 years will be OK and can be ridden out by most that wish to stay ... after that, then we'll have to see who replaces the military fascists that currently hold sway now (once they move on from this moral coil) and how the next lot of Thais think that are about 50 now. We'll see.

5 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

There is a current large contingent of Tory MP's and party members who have no respect for the British constitution ...

Although not entirely disagreeing with your sentiments here in this post, the UK doesn't have a codified constitution like other countries do ... just legal documents in lieu of one, so really, as long as you have the stable rule of law you don't need one. When people talk of the British constitution then they are usually referring to historical documents and important laws like the Acts of the Union. As for TM, she should step aside and let a Brexiteer PM carry on to either a stunning success or a woeful ruin, as she doesn't believe in what's happening and has made it so that no-one will be happy with her half-way house solution.   

How about giving approval for a train line from Chang Mai to Ubon through Khon Kaen and a few other places? That would be a good idea.

I'll settle for a baht crash...whatever happens