RayC

As Jerry's embedded link shows, Coach Reed seems less concerned about Kelce's behaviour towards him than you are. "Shades of OJ"? Really? Maybe you should warn Ms. Swift!! I wonder if you would be as vocal about the behaviour of the partner of a Trump supporting celebrity if the case arose?

That poll must be of concern to Conservatives seeing that - according to some - there may being a correlation between being a Taylor Swift fan and being a Liberal😉

Or alternatively things stay as they are and I never return to 'Square One'. Using 'Global Money' suits me fine at the moment. If the charges and/or conditions change then I'll reconsider.

You raise a fair point. Like you, I question why the government feels the need to give Bht10k each to 50,000 Thais at a time when consumer spending in Thailand is at an all-time high and consumer confidence has been steadily increasing over the last year. LHowever, my main objection isn't based on the total cost of the exercise but the untargeted nature of it. Imo there is undoubtedly a need for government support for the millions of poor and underprivileged Thais. There is also a case for increased government investment in some of the antiqued infrastructure. What I fail to see the need for is to give Bht10k to middle-class Thais so that they can pass the money onto The Central Group, IKEA and the like.

I don't know the situation re Singapore accounts but I transferred £2000 on three separate occasions from my UK HSBC Premier account to my KT account in BKK. On each occasion, I was charged Bht100 by KT. Those were the only fees. Certainly not back to square one in my case.

Apologies a bit late to this thread. Not sure if this applies to standard HSBC account holders, but if you have an HSBC Premier (and possibly 'Advance') account, HSBC offer a 'Global Money' account. You can send money abroad commission free and rates are competitive. I've used it 3 times and the money has turned up in my Krung Thai account within 36 hours. I have just checked the rates for sending £100 to Thailand and the HSBC rate (44.72) was higher than WISE (44.65 equivalent after commission). This account also offers a free debit card which allows you to withdraw cash from overseas ATMs without commission.

If the official figures are to be believed, then inflation is not (currently) a problem in Thailand. Indeed, in December the country experienced deflation (although the figure excluded government subsidies). The BoT forecast a 2%pa inflation rate for 2024, slap bang in the middle of the target range of 1 - 3%pa so, in theory at least, there should be scope for some increase in government spending without having to be unduly concerned about inflation at this stage. With regard to exports. A purely anecdotal experience. I noticed that there has been a relative shortage of fruit in our local markets (Banglampoo and Thewet) so I - or more accurately the wife - asked one of the stall holders if there was a problem. He replied that he was having problems getting supplies from the wholesalers as a lot of produce was being exported (mainly to China). As I said, purely anecdotal. No idea re the veracity/ validity of this claim and/or whether it is part of a wider trend.

We can only hope that the coach gets to see your comment. I'm sure that he will be greatly moved about your concern for his welfare. Let's hope that justice prevails and the US authorities throw the book at this heinous individual. Deliberate exaggeration ridiculing an absurd comment* which, incidentally, has nothing to do with the topic. * as is this post

Even with my limited understanding of American football, I know that aggression is a big part of the game. The bloke being 'bullied' is Ms. Swift's boyfriend's coach i.e. someone who could negatively affect Kelce's career. "Interesting" target for a bully: Maybe Kelce has something on his coach and is blackmailing - as well as 'bullying' - him? The plot thickens.

Chomper has explained the extradition process which Assange would have faced in Sweden, so why was he so reluctant to go there and fight the rape charges? To state the obvious, a person does not have to be a national of a country to commit a crime there. If the American authorities consider that Assange has committed a crime under US law, they have every right to ask for his extradition. The reference to kidnapping is laughable.

The "Ukes" have made no gains. They have merely returned some territory to its' pre-war position. You attempt to put the onus on those who support Ukraine to justify the continuation of the war, whilst the real challenge is for those who support the Russian cause to justify their actions, not just for the war but for the annexation of Crimea. The time for the killing to stop and the rebuilding to start is long overdue. An unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil would allow that to happen. Unfortunately, such action looks very unlikely.

The crimes that Assange is/was accused of committing concern Sweden and the US. China, Russia or any other nation should have been irrelevant, although for reasons best known to themselves, Ecuador decided to intervene. To answer your question: No I don't think that Assange - or anyone else - should be forcibly extradited because they act irresponsibly and with an absence of accountability. I think that Assange should have been extradited to Sweden because he was accused of committing sexual assault and rape there. Whether Sweden subsequently extradited him to the US to face charges of committing episonade and 'hacking' related crimes would be a matter for the Swedish courts to decide. Personally, I would hope that they would have done so. You seem have already decided that Assange has committed no crime without hearing the evidence. Do you also believe that if someone flees a country where they are accused of committing a crime that should be the end of the matter? Wow indeed.

Welcome back, Trans. Where have you been? (Yes, I have missed the crystal ball😉).

Actions have consequences. It is clear from his behaviour over the years that Assange takes no responsibility or accountability for his actions.

I dread to think what the world would be like if you were the world's dictator, but tbf this isn't your worst idea. You should give the Kremlin a ring and float the idea with your mate Putin.

Fair enough. However, the fact that the self-serving Thai elite won't allow Pita to govern suggests to me that he can't be all bad. Although I admit that might just be a case of my anti (Thai) establishment bias showing.

We Brits have had more than our fair share of poor quality PMs lately, but we have - so far - managed to avoid installing a leader suffering from age-related cognitive decline which is unlikely to get better. Surely there must be better, younger candidates available in both parties? (Imo the imposition of an upper age limit for being a candidate, as suggested by retarius, makes a lot of sense).

Why should he - or any other politician for that matter - be overly concerned with improving things for foreigners living here? Foreigners form < 5% of the population and are, on the whole, wealthier than the vast majority of the remaining 95%. More importantly, very few foreigners have a vote. All politicians and parties will obviously focus their attention on the electorate. It's the same the world over.

1 in 6 of the population live in Bangkok and the Bangkok metropolitan area accounts for 45% of the country's GDP. I'd call that pretty large and significant.

Far too many self-satisfied, smug (misplaced) virtue signallers around nowadays for my liking.

If you look closely you can clearly see a 'Made in China' imprint on her dress where the recording device is 😂😂

It's a lovely philosophy but in circumstances such as Ukraine's imo it would do no good. I'm all in favour of discussion - imo 'jaw jaw' is far preferable to 'war war' - but when faced with naked aggression as demonstrated by Putin, a stark choice has to be made: 'Flight' - and effectively lose everything - or 'fight' for what is rightfully yours. I realise that it is easy to say from the comfort of my UK/ Thai home but imo that was - and remains - the choice facing Ukraine and it's allies.

I hope that the Abbot's temple wasn't attacked, and that those in his charge didn't follow his advice and abandon it; otherwise there are few Thai monks living on the streets of the UK.

Clearly you never think before embarking on one of your rants. Do you even remember what you have posted? Go back and re-read your original post; where do you differentiate between legal and illegal immigrants? Rhetorical question: You don't. In your original rant, you post a cutting from one of your favourite extreme right-wing sites/ rags lamenting the 'problems' created by diversity. Do you think that only illegal immigrants bring diversity? Are you under the impression that a newly arrived legal immigrant tips up in Newcastle and his first words are, "Howay, man. I'm gagging for a pint of Exhibition"? What your posts show is a lack of clarity of thought, and an inability to formulate a coherent and consistent argument on your part. Don't blame me for your failings. It's laughable that you think I do not understand the complexity of the problem when the only thing that you can offer is another rant. Wrt illegal immigration, yes it is a problem but how do you go about stopping it? Will the 'Rwanda' strategy stop illegal immigrants trying to reach the UK? Imo doubtful. And at what cost? Is it a feasible long-term strategy? Notwithstanding my comments in the previous paragraph, you clearly do not realise that illegal immigration forms only a small proportion (<5%) of total immigration to the UK (52k out of 1.2m in the year to June 2023). Dealing with illegal immigration is a necessity but is relatively unimportant in the wider context. For the record, I find anti-Semitism just as abhorrent as other forms of racism/ xenophobia. I can only conclude that trying to label me as anti-Semitic is your feeble attempt to divert attention away from your previous comments.

Which is precisely why I included reference to, and a definition, of xenophobia in my post. Either you're not very observant, or is it a case of being unwilling to admit to what is staring you in the face? Your post is racist/ xenophobic in nature.