herfiehandbag

Didn't notice until it was too late!

Bloody predictive text. Their not there. Makes your posts read as if they were written by a simpleton!

It's clearly understood both amongst the Thai population and foreigners that two weeks after emphatically losing an election the incumbent government is still in place. It is still clearly understood that they may well still be in power two months after losing the election. It is clearly understood that the incumbent government may remain in power at least nominally if the appointed Senate does their bidding. It is clearly understood that the latter scenario will provoke a constitutional crisis when the elected house opposes the government. It is also clearly understood that such a constitutional crisis will provide the opportunity to indefinitely prolong the incumbent government and excuse authoritarian rule. Reform to establish the principle of the supremacy of the elected parliament in forming a government is a principal policy of the party which won the election - Move Forward. There actually is a very simple and very obvious binary choice - which is understood by all. Either the decision of the electorate prevails, and the election winners form a government, or it is denied and an unexpected government is installed. This election has blown away the smoke and broken the mirrors. What remains to be seen is how the Thai people, politicians and electorate react if there choice is denied.

I understand that the actual rental is quite low, but is dependant on the house being satisfactorily maintained. I also read that there are issues with the maintenance - Prince Andrew cannot afford to maintain it going forward. Long game to be played ( well a couple of years anyway)... Prince Andrew is actually being rather stupid - he is in a hole financially and is being offered a neat way out of that hole. It is not as if, as a single bloke ( well " happily divorced" and living with his ex wife) he needs a gaffe of that size! They do say that every family has one, the Trotters had Rodney, the Windsors have Andrew!

Sometimes just glancing at a headline is enough to provoke gales of laughter. This is one of those occasions!????

Apparently the video evidence was unusable, due to blurring from the quantity of Vaseline smeared over the lens...

I think he is probably more pleased that it is one in the eye for Anutin! What's with the aging rocker ensemble? He looks like he is dressed to impress as a "hansum man" in some of the rougher bars of Pattaya!

Rationality has never been a feature of discussions about Thaksin and Thai politics though has it!

The "glass turbo ovens" (Halogen ovens) do fine. They are doing exactly what an air fryer does - forcing very hot air over whatever you are cooking. I use mine for everything from baking bread down to cooking chips.

Those over 50 were in their 30s when the "old order" started denying them their votes. They have voted, only to have their decisions snatched away, four times now, over the course of twenty years; twice by coups, once by a "judicial coup " and once by a blatantly rigged election. The "traditional values" were dependent on one focus. It is gone. There is nothing now which can represent "traditional values".

This sort of change, if/when it happens will accelerate very quickly. Once those pressing for change realise that the cracks are widening, and that the "establishment" do not have anything to really stop it with... The crux of my argument is that the old guard ultimately rely on the threat of the military, but it is essentially a paper tiger. You can for example demand the battalions in XYZ move to put down protests which you have decided are rebellious, but if they don't, because the troops won't, and because they don't have any transport because for the last ten years when a truck has broken down you haven't fixed it, and anyway they don't have any ammunition, rations or radio batteries, the gas parts on their 50 year old rifles are shagged and don't work; then it all collapses.

Weaker and less solid - much more likely to collapse. Once it is down, then they won't be able to reconstruct from the rubble.

You know, I don't think that the "pyramid" is that invulnerable. I think that you are wrong. Yes it looks like a massive solid structure, but maybe that is deceptive. The pinnacle emphatically does not have the respect and loyalty that was accorded by the Thai people to it's predecessor. The next layers, the courts, bureaucracies, and the big economic players, whilst keen to keep the status quo, will be divided and weakened By their desire to survive. Control of the traditional media is now largely irrelevant. It didn't stop huge numbers voting for parties which had little access to that media. The same could be said about the traditional educational system. I have a teenage daughter, until recently I taught teenagers. I listened to them, occasionally ( very carefully) discussed ideas with them. Many are well informed and have strong opinions. These are expressed and discussed mainly on "social medias". Control of which, because the dinosaurs have come to realise it too late, is now about as practical as herding cats. It is not all "Black and Pink" and photos of illicit beers! Finally, the crunch. The engines of oppression. The police are held in contempt. They can't even enforce crash helmets, let alone keep the population in line. The military, well with the exception of a small well equipped "Praetorian Guard" who could probably hold the government quarter of Bangkok the rest is made up of unwilling conscripts, effectively untrained, immobile, with obscelesent equipment, scattered around the countryside, their higher echelons so riven with corruption and ineptitude that they would be unable even if they were willing to act coherently (fight). So in my summary the pyramid, although appearing solid, has been and is being eroded by the strong currents swirling around its base. I think I have exhausted that analogy!

Sometimes some things amongst "besties" are better left unsaid!

Somehow I doubt that an "undercover special branch policeman" would have been passing that sort of information about at that sort of event. Unless, possibly, he wished to alert the "ex but still in the loop special forces community" before they got too settled on their bar stools, and the "1000 yard stares" became too pronounced.

The "aid" ( unspecified so probably cash or convertible goods, or things of use to the military) was handed to the ambassador. The ambassador represents and is appointed by the Burmese government. The government is the "Tatmadaw".

I suspect that the average Thai voter really couldn't care less. They have many other pressing concerns, financial, social and political. Some may see it as another means of making money from tourists/foreigners - after all some of us tend to present as pot addicted pissheads who think with their dicks! Personally I struggle to keep up with just one of those vices!

Unfortunately, like most echo chambers, it has real power. Power which is supposed to reflect the word and spirit of the law, but now perhaps is used to reflect the political leanings of the political appointees who make up the court. Perhaps that is the real corruption?

Whilst taking into account your previously expressed aversion to the politics and culture of the United States, English is a worldwide language, and the one used in virtually all international business, political and inter-governmental proceedings. I do understand that someone recently predicted that Thai would replace English in this respect. It is proving to be a long wait. Perhaps he was dazzled by the reflected glory of his military bling.

Well quite a lot of things went on at the airport that were never reported. I do remember a clip that was aired of the female staff at the duty free shops running when the mob arrived; and I mean running, taking off their shoes and really running - fast. They were scared.

I doubt that the likely manoeuvrings of the "establishment" will be unexpected. Other leading figures within MFF remain in the background to keep the movements " powder dry" MFF and the coalition they are assembling exist to force and conduct profound reform of Thailand's government and governance. I am sure that they hope, and will be delighted if, this election mandate is enough to put them in power. It likely won't, and they will have expected and planned for that. They will eventually get there, but it may first entail the physical overthrow of the "ancien regime" followed by fresh elections. Any bans or disbarrments, be it Pita, Thannathorn, or even the Thaksin siblings, will be meaningless, and will be rapidly overturned once that overthrow happens. So maybe he is a short term sacrifice. But he is a young man, as is his predecessor. They have plenty of political milage left.

There are few parallels really. For a start Meghan (as far as we know) is not publicly "setting her hat" at a besotted grocery store heir, who dumped his fiancée to try and score her, and using him to tease the paparazzi and lead them a merry dance, in an attempt to regain the attention of a well known highly rated surgeon for whom she had the hots. Add an evening worth of drinks and some stupid high speed driving, oh and no seatbelts, into the mix and you have the wreck in the underpass - which she would have survived if she was wearing a seatbelt. Sorry if this offends, but the truth sometimes is unpalatable.

Harry and Meghan actively seek media and paparazzi attention. They love it. It is what underpins all their money making ventures. Real security, especially if safety is a worry, would be a nondescript saloon, with tinted windows, merging with all the others in the Manhattan traffic, with possibly an accompanying unmarked police car; not 4 blacked out SUVs playing fast and furious, with goons in suits running around in traffic jams.

There were however significant howls of laughter in the background!

An important publication, a reference volume for my turbulent youth!