Sir Dude

Always looney-tunes and not merry melodies when it comes to these places. The article seems to want us to think he just went AWOL and pressed the big red button that says under it "Don't Press"... and off to La-La Land he goes. There must be a bit more to this than what's provided... unless he was some nutjob and suddenly cracked whilst under the influence of something that brought on heart failure, possible, but a long shot... maybe he overdosed, but I doubt anyone will see the toxicology report, even if they bother to do one.. Just not enough details and there won't be any follow-up articles, it'll just be lost as another death statistic.

History is littered with so many failed attempts at socialism, and that's because it simply doesn't work once you try to scale it up. The seduction of the idea is that at the very small/micro level, like family and friends, it works... but then some "revolutionary" student union idealistic types try to scale it up to the national or whatever level and it fails miserably, basically due to human nature and greed, with an unwillingness to be truly equal with all when it comes down to it, as judgement is cast on others for their opinions or shortcomings/disabilities/whatever. This is famously deplicted in George Orwell's novel Aminal Farm, and imortalized in the sentence "All pigs are equal, but some are more equal than others...". After the implosion of the experiement with socialism, everyone cries and wonders why it failed... duhhhh! The other problem with the far left and proper socialism is that each foolish generation gets into their early twenties, hasn't studied history properly, and thinks "Those who tried in the past were stupid, we can get it right this time", and then fail miserably causing no end of damage along the way. Obviously, the Bolshevics are the post-boy organization for showcasing this failure all the way up the the implosion of the USSR after all the death, killing, torture and suffering it brought about... but there are plenty of other examples too (Cuba/Venezuela/Commie China etc.) People like to label anyone to the right of Stalin as "far right" these days... but most don't realize that there is something alive and well called "far-left fascism" which is equally oppressive and is slowly creeping into western societies whilst hiding in plain sight with all the language, expression, social media, and thought policing in the education sector and businesses. Get out whilst you still can, I say. That's not to say that capitalism is perfect, but it works a lot better, and it's like what Churchill said... “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” —House of Commons, 22 October 1945.

They are like illegal immigrants... if you want to stop them coming, then take away the pull factors.

Forget the fashionable crying nonsense you see now everywhere, pathetic... want to do that weak rubbish, then do it in private. Learn how to be stoic instead... much cooler and manly.

This woman is a great example of box-tick appointment nonsense, upward failure, and promoted far beyond her abilities... a complete affront to meritocracy.

Cherry picking one sentence from my post completely out of context... nice trolling, give you that. The wise guys on here never cease to amaze.

What irks me about these grandiose ideas is that they are always tailored to help the irresponsible morons who fail and create problems. What about the majority of diligent people who responsibly pay the sky-high interest rates on bank loans at the high street banks (8-9%), and have even submitted land as a guarantee... where's the recognition/benefit for them? Just leaves a bad taste in the mouth of those who honour their committments whilst the idiots get more consideration... calling BS on this.

Should have just posted a picture of it and said "Ridiculous criminal freak wanted".

The country is not run by polls and such bleeting-like entitlement... politicians and diplomats do. Fine if you want to protest, but mob rule is a no-no, I'm afraid. There are many times in politics that leaders have to take a deep breath and do what is pragmatic and good for their own country/interests after properly analysing situations... it's called "realpolitik". Just because a couple 100k crusty or "damp as a wet paper bag" lefties demand something like an entitled child, doesn't mean it has to happen... most others either don't care or disagree. The US under Trump is simply going to have to be delicately and pragmatically handled by all of Europe for the next 4 years, as there are still many benefits to having the US on board with stuff... one caveat though, we need seasoned and experienced diplomats plus politicians to do that, which I'm sorry to say, we are short of.

There is no such thing as "British English", it's just English... it's the Americans that changed it all with that bounder Webster, so there is such a thing as "American English".

As long as Starmer and his cabinet cling on to student union lefty fantasy politics/policies, then it will get worse... they are simply not business friendly. You don't "fix" the economy buy hiking taxes on everyone and businesses, then giving inflation-busting pay rises to the public sector without linking it to performance... you are just driving away the wealthy who pay most of the tax revenue for the Treasury anyhow, and businesses will just up and leave taking their jobs with them. It's basic business 101, lower the taxes, cut the waste, attract the wealthy and businesses who bring the jobs with them plus the innovation too... you get more money coming in with less taxes because the slice of the pie is bigger and confidence/sentiment is higher, so people and businesses spend, and you are also a good environment for SMEs that make up so much of any economy. In a nutshell, Labour need to understand the word "realpolitik"... and fast.

Listening to this song might give some persective to many Thai gamblers...

Only thing to do is to do debt cancellation and the government absords it... but ban those that use the service from borrowing again. Give them a clear slate, but don't let them do the same BS again.

Lol... there are so many far-left lies that are perpetuated, but one of the worst is "Diversity is our strength".... what a of load steaming, freshly laid, stinky load of BS.

The left are playing the long game too, by infecting educational institutions from elementary to university with brainwashed teachers who no longer teach critical thinking or freedom of speech/thought... only the prescribed lefty version of things, which is how they will create a dystopian future of far-left nonsense, but it will be one that will be unable to defend itself from oppressive dictatorships that seek to destroy the western world. Soft times breed soft people... you need adverity to breed hard men.

Lol... I'm suprised it's not Trump's fault.

That's true, along with trying to get foreign investment back... but it's about trust/sentiment/confidence, and China has lost that for multiple reasons since Covid. Even the Chinese people are not spending, just saving or trying to get their money out of China because it's all going south... sentiment/confidence etc. is a fragile thing and once it's gone it's very hard to get back. The CCP has brought this about and must accept the reality, unless they will do a U-turn on much... but that's very unlikely as it would be a loss of face and they might lose what the Chinese call "The heavenly mandate", which is super important. It reminds me of stuff like when Mao decided to order that all swallows be killed and other such hair-brained policies that led to disaster... history does indeed repeat itself. The CCP hasn't yet realised that you can't have it both ways... Deng was the one that put China onto the right path, and all that followed up to Ho Jintao followed on with these policies, making China what it was 7-8 years ago, very prosperous... then Xi tanked it with a return to Maoism and control freakery... which needless to say is very negative to growth and business. Add to that, China does GDP growth differently to the rest of the world, Beijing decides how high it will be, then tasks local governments to make it happen... hence the debt mess with LGFVs to appease Beijing's demands. Nobody wants to invest in China now until Xi is gone or the CCP collapses... even Chinese companies are fleeing to avoid all the tariffs. Doesn't bode well for Beijing on many fronts.

What you say may or may not be true... many fail to see how much trouble China actually is in economically, socially, and much else. China before Xi jinping was on a stella rise, but he has nixed that with his Maoist policies and tanked everything. The CCP lies about everything or just simply stops collecting/publishing data because it doesn't want the truth out there... like youth unemployment, millions of jobless uni grads each year, house prices tanking, economic bubbles, unsustainable debt, military unreadiness, companies moving to other countries, ghost cities, missing millions of people (so many are posting on the internet about where did everyone go)... don't fall for the CCP propaganda, it's all gas and no trousers. Hopefully the CCP will fall and the Chinese people will rise to a better place.

I think Trump and his administration are going for political ambiguity, so no-one knows what the hell he will do next... i.e. impossible to predict. It's not only Europe and other western powers that know sweet FA about what America will do... more importantly China doesn't know what the hell is going on, and that is the primary focus for the US. Even though he (Trump) seems to be cosy with the Kremlin, that could change in an instant if The Donald doesn't get what he wants... U-turns are not an issue for this US administration. However, there is probably back-door contact going on and the real agenda is just being hidden, even if agreed. The price of US support is going to be Europe spending more on defence... and it looks like that has been agreed already.

Thailand fitted the bill for so many obvious reasons, was in my mid-twenties and saw the writing on the wall in the UK, and have been proven right on that one... what a dystopian mess it has become. Of course I work with a WP, and have built a life that would not have been possible in the UK with the taxation, house prices, and social problems etc. Paid into the state pension remotely my NI contributions, so will get that, but retirement is a fair long way away yet. Best decision I've made, and as for health insurance, get that with the job... never been happier than now, but if you are going to relocate to Thailand you need to cover all angles and go for it properly with an open mind, as many are wrapped too tight for these places, it's like lying down in a stream, you have to let the water just flow over you.

20 baht for a joint... so, that's about 64 cents (US) or 52 pence (UK). Ha ha... not much to complain about there unless you are Grinch.

Disparity exists in all countries and societies, and it's worse in some more than others. However, when you think about it, this degree of disparity often comes from levels of opportunity and justice or the lack thereof, which the latter seems to be the case here. In the West, you can still make it through flare, innovation, or hard work... not so here, simply not allowed as you are beaten down or just simply denied the chance. My beef is with the puppeteers in all these places that waggle their fingers and the marionette moves, and there's no way to change it. But if you are waiting for a just and fair utopian society to emerge anytime soon... well, good luck on that one. Does it bother me? No... and there are plenty of locals way richer than me here, I know where I fit in. Different hands are dealt to different people, but I'm not responsible for the state of a country's society... and it'll drive you nuts if you think about it too much. Moreover, most countries get the government they deserve as they toterate it or vote for it... if they really wanted change, then it is achievable. I guess the Thais and others around here rationalize it through their religion Bhuddism... karma and previous actions in different lives etc. I'm not big on that but if it floats your boat then fair enough. Does the system here suck? Yes, sucks for the locals and me in some ways (but good in others), just in different ways... there's no empathy for me as a foreigner, it's just deal with it, swings and round-abouts.

Fair enough, as I haven't done it for a few years, so did temper it a bit with implying that current rules might be different... and you are probably more up to date on this than me, just thought I'd give my 2 bahts worth of info. Cheers.

To get a WP via the Non O visa you will need to be officially married to a Thai national and that marriage needs to be registered at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I think. You can get married at a resistry office and they will tell you of the next steps regarding what is current... I married a long time ago and had to go to the MoFA with all her name change documents too. As for the Non O, technically, there is no "marriage" visa as O stands for "Other", so includes marriage but also things that aren't covered by normal visas, like having legal dependents here etc. As mention above, you will need a Thai bank account with the required funds in it for the stipulated time before applying... however, it is not uncommon for the immigration office to just label your application as "under consideration" whilst it looks into it, as it is a commonly abused visa with many marriages of conveniences done for all sorts of non-legit things (hence why you need photos of you and your wife at home and neighbours vouching for you etc.), plus there are a lot of other hoops to jump through for the Non O, more so than the retirment visa. It is all very well asking on a forum about it, but nothing beats going down to the actual office that you will apply at in the future and find out what exactly that immigration office demands from you for that situation, as requirements can often not be uniform from one office to another. You might also have to submit a mountain of information on the company/partnership you plan to have, from tax info to employee info to goodness knows what... go down to the office and have a chat with the information desk about what you will need. Hope that helps a little.

Maybe the UK should just shrug its shoulders and spend all our money for the armed forces with UK and US defence companies for what we need, and let the French cry over their breakfast croissants regarding fishing rights... typical petty bourgeois French spite.