Spidey

1 minute ago, Nyezhov said:

FWIW, they stole the guns.

 

The NY Post reports the adult shooter expressed anti christian and anti Trump animus on his FB page.

Was always the big problem in the UK, back in the day. The majority of guns in criminals hands were obtained from legitimate owners during burglaries.

6 hours ago, transam said:

If the bike rider had slammed the front brake on there may have been a different outcome...

To me it looked as though she did but was unable to stop. Possibly a genuine case of brake failure. If the engine starts, Thais don't bother with maintenance. The engine is the only necessary piece of equipment on a bike.

4 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

If the US did not go after The Greens, do you think Thailand would have had a clue anything was wrong ....     Long arm my hiney.

I think it was more the fact that the Greens were prosecuted in the US and the money trail would have been exposed in court, that the Thais felt that they needed to reciprocate at their end.

If the Greens hadn't been prosecuted neither would the TAT boss have been.

My son showed me a video yesterday of a Thai family who had a huge snake. Their son (around 8 or 9) kept it as a pet and slept with it. My son (6) asked if he could have one. I said "No" and explained that it was capable of swallowing him whole. After a protracted discussion, "It's mouth is very small", "If it eats me you can make it sick and get me back", he finally accepted that he wasn't going to get a snake and responded with his pet lip for an hour or so.

I very much doubt that keeping a pet snake in Thailand is illegal. wise is another matter.

15 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

It didn't actually reach 55 just prior to Brexit, it spiked at 53 for the reasons you rightly mention.  2010 and 2013 saw big drops on a step down from 55 to 46, then 50 to 44.

 

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/

Thanks for the chart. I converted it to a 10 year period and it became apparent that the 2 dips, 2010 and 2013 were relatively short lived and the £ soon recovered. I would estimate that in the period 2010 - 2016 the average rate for £/baht was around 50, if not higher. This is also how I remember it.

This time it's a much more sustained fall, and greater, with no sign of recovery.

3 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Actually,........................ I am beginning, reluctantly, to favour 'No Deal'.

 

It won't happen (and that is probably for the best) but in some ways I would rather have them sort a No Deal mess than have the current mess.

What about remain? Think about it, you know it makes sense.

1 minute ago, nauseus said:

So did Blair in 2004.

Yep. Another paragon of virtue. 555.

Difference was Blair wisely didn't carry out his threat/promise.

Cameron bet his career on getting a remain vote. I'm sure he regrets calling a referendum to this day.

4 minutes ago, aright said:

All part of the continuance of the stop us leaving plan in the hope of a change of heart and to give the appearance of being genuine nice guys. Without the extensions we would have likely left with no deal and that's not what the EU want. I have done a little union negotiation myself in the USA and good faith is seldom on the table. 

Likewise in the UK. I would generally agree.

7 minutes ago, nauseus said:

The 2013 locals were partial and minor, with Labour making the best gains.

 

But this is the real reason the referendum actually happened:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_European_Parliament_election_in_the_United_Kingdom

Results of the 2014 European Parliament election for the United Kingdom^[46][47]

Party		Votes			Seats
		Number	%	+/-	Seats	+/-	%
	UK Independence Party	4,376,635	26.6	10.6	24	11	32.9
	Labour Party	4,020,646	24.4	9.2	20	7	27.4
	Conservative Party	3,792,549	23.1	3.8	19	7	26.0

As I said in my post (with link) Cameron pledged a referendum in 2013.
 

2 minutes ago, aright said:

The most effective card the EU had was the deadline fixed by Article 50 which said we were out in 2 years. With so many people saying we would not leave without a deal the EU knew all it had to do was bide it's time.

So why have they given us a number of extensions since then?

1 hour ago, Nong Khai Man said:

They are probably in on the SCAM.....

Probably the same as Pattaya where these bars are often owned by the police.

5 minutes ago, aright said:

This is far too simplistic. Her plan was mandated...….leave. Her problem was the EU also had a plan...…. try to stop them leaving and if that is not possible make it as difficult and painful as possible.

Had the UK had a committed Brexiteer in charge of Project Leave we would be out by now

Sorry but there I go again blaming the EU. 

True regarding the EU plan. However, the EU held all the cards, the UK held none. Whoever led the negotiations for the UK would have come back with the same result. Always was a poison chalice. Why do you think Johnson and Gove ducked out of the leadership race? Same reason that May will not be able to stand down until Brexit is concluded. She's the Tories sacrificial lamb, who will be blamed for everything before being kicked into the long grass and the real leaders of the Tory party, white as the driven snow, step forward and claim their throne. Poor cow.

14 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Explain that then. Take your time. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_United_Kingdom_local_elections

Conservatives down 335. UKIP up 139.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21148282

Cameron pledges referendum 2013.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Nobody really talks about that. For fear or reprisal from either the mods, or anyone else. But, it is a glaring reality. Nobody knows how much, but it is bound to be in the billions.

One person has just taken 30 billion plus (USD) from the state coffers and put it in his back pocket.

1 minute ago, billd766 said:

The general don't have the guns, the leadership or the willingness to stand against those that do. I cannot blame them either.

 

Unfortunately IMO, that is what is needed.

It's the only solution unfortunately. The people are Thai so it ain't going to happen.

They are not a race of complainers. They are not a race of fighters. They are a race that has subservience and respect for their elders and, more importantly, betters ingrained in their psyche.

Also, any dissent shown is firmly and sometimes brutally stamped on.

22 minutes ago, simple1 said:

last response as plenty of content regards these matters. Insufficient evidence for a criminal case - not exactly surprising is it. 

Plenty of content that you are unable to provide. Insufficient evidence for a criminal case and insufficient evidence for anyone to level the accusation and be taken seriously.

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

You are still getting this wrong even though I set it out for you recently. Cameron had the wind put up him by the big gains that UKIP made in the EU elections in 2014. These are the European Parliament elections that you say no one takes a blind bit of notice of!

 

The UK local elections were coincident with the GE of 2015, when Cameron already had pledged the EU referendum in the CON manifesto.

 

 

You are getting it wrong, I'm afraid.

2 hours ago, stephenterry said:

While I accept the mood of the people has changed, the 51% who would vote to remain isn't a large enough majority, IMO, to provide a rationale for leaving the relationship with the EU untouched, as it is clear that a sizeable minority - myself included - are convinced that our relationship with the EU needs picking apart and reassembling to the ultimate benefit of both the UK population and economy and the populace and economy of the EU.

 

How to achieve that would be as complex as Brexit has shown to date. But, IMO, it's better to wwork inside the EU where we have a vote, a veto, and influence than outside it where we don't.

 

That has been a constant process since we joined the EU.  Shengen, the Euro, the rebate are just some of the ways that the UK has diverged from EU policies.

49 minutes ago, rott said:

McGuinness always denied it too.

 

If he had no connection how was he so sure that "they haven't gone away you know"?

No one said that he didn't have a connection to the IRA. Sinn FEin is the political wing of the IRA. He wasn't an IRA soldier though. He didn't take part in or plan operations. No one either, has denied that Martin McGuinness was in the Provvos and did take part in operations.

2 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

 

Will affect anyone sooner or later imo, us included even if we won't notice it for a while. 

YMMV. Can't see how it could affect me any time soon.