herfiehandbag

Not the sort of fellows Sebastian and Jocasta are used to associating with my dear chap!

Something touched a nerve...

When I was learning to play rugby the school playing fields were bounded by a strip of long grass and a canal. This ball has been kicked over the long grass, over the canal, over the road and into the primary school playground beyond. A kick the great Johnny Wilkinson would be proud of!

Indeed. The Chihuahua's were glad of their fleece jackets on rising this morning!

He has just swanned off to Brussels for a "summit", on a government jet. He will be staying in the best hotels, eating in the best restaurants, strutting around generally being important. Does anyone think he will give that up? The only thing he will give it all up for is Prem's old job - head of the Privy Council for life.

And not a policeman in sight. I suppose the view from the air-conditioned police box on the junction with Nana is good enough!

The best option is that the party which wins the most seats forms the government. That is how parliamentary democracy works. Looking for best options, considering consequences and looking for stability are basically casting around for reasons to ignore the vote.

Don't talk in abbreviations! "Service writing" ( The British military way of writing things, which I was taught and practised for many years and was designed to produce clear concise and accurate communication) required any abbreviation or acronyms to be explained when first introduced into any document, thus - Rules of Engagement (ROE). A good practice to follow.

DTIA

The major opposition parties are proposing changes. They have before. Those proposed changes have always been stymied, in unconstitutional ways by a small entrenched wealthy establishment, who benefit from maintaining the status quo. Thailand is stuck with a low wage, almost serf like labour market. Productivity is low, but then given the pathetically low wages offered, one can hardly be surprised that is the case! Pheu Thai are proposing to change that; in stages over four years. That is hardly going to produce the economics armageddon some here predict. In fact the dangers of economic stagnation due to a chronically depressed domestic market, struggling with low wages and debt are perhaps greater. The progressive movement is proposing even greater changes to the status quo, both social and economic. Together with Pheu Thai, last time, they had a majority of electoral support. The whole machinery of rigging both election and parliament prevented that. The dangers of doing that a second time are also greater - the pressure for social and economic change could become more "kinetic". On the last couple of occasions that it has looked as if a strong challenge to the established order was turning into a "fight to the death", a "respected referee" stepped in and calmed things. That is no longer an option. The forces of "the establishment", whilst they have numbers, are rotten with corruption and driven, and riven, by venal self interest. Publicly knowledge of that is widespread, particularly amongst the young. A fight without a referee could be brutal, but over quite quickly. The"established order" would not win it. Bad news for the manufacturers of vinyl backdrops, florists specialising in podium decorations and the tailors of tight uniforms.

Which is not, never has been, and never will be, a reason for not making a change. Change is being proposed. The people have already shown they want it.

What an absolute gem of a comment!

I know you have admitted that you have paid little attention to the situation in Thailand over recent years, but this suggestion shows the most amazing naivety over the way that the regime and judiciary have been operating over the last year's! No one will challenge this regime in this way. They know they will be found in the Mekong with a stomach full of concrete before the challenge gets anywhere near a court!

I think that we have seen many allegations against Thaksin. Precious little hard evidence, but many allegations. As for the courts, well the role of the courts in suppressing opposition parties over the last few years, particularly with regard to Thanuthom and the Future Forward party in the last election doesn't exactly inspire confidence that they would produce verdicts unmarked by, umh, political considerations. Finally, I should imagine the thought of Thaksin setting foot on Thai soil will lead to immense temptations in some circles to "do an Aquino" on him as he steps off the aircraft. For his own safety he would be better flying into Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, on a scheduled flight - private aircraft are so much easier to intercept!

The reality, as I stated, was that the coup was staged during an election, which Yingluck and her party were expected to win. Pedantry, at times, has a place. In this case you are simply using it to hide simply the actual truth, which was that the coup was staged to prevent Yingluck from being re-elected.

Does seem a strange place to be going for a walk!

And so the Senate swung into action...

However, perhaps it should be noted that at the time of the coup she and her party were standing, entirely legally and constitutionally in a general election which they were expected to win. The election was being impeded by a violent protest movement which had realised that electorally it could not win. The military, not prepared to do their duty and allow the election to proceed, staged a coup and seized power. So whilst it may be technically correct to say @billd766is wrong, the effect of the coup was exactly that. Whichever way you cut it, slice it or otherwise describe the events of the first two decades of this century, it is the case that both the Thaksin and Yingluck governments, and the intervening Thaksin "loyal" government, were removed by the military, very much against the expressed wishes of the electorate, and in circumstances which ignored the Constitution (s).

Slip of the tongue - I live in Chiang Rai but used to take the train to Chiang Mai. They are building a line to Chiang Rai and beyond though - we even are getting a local station!

No, the one around here has been parked up in the yard of the immigration office for a couple of years now, covered in dust and flat tyres.

Yes, one of the delights of train travel was the freshly cooked food, with an ice cold beer, as you rumbled your way north to Chiang Rai, a cool breeze wafting through the open window...

The Governments money belongs to the people. Why shouldn't it be spent on them?

What you really mean, as indicated by your all too frequent observations here, is that democracy is only acceptable if it results in a government of which you approve. Since the Thai electorate consistently choose a government of which you disapprove, then you do not consider them to be worthy of democracy. Frankly it shows the contempt with which you hold both the Thai electorate and the ideal of democratic government.

I am shocked and horrified, shocked and horrified I tell you! Getting up at 8am to go for a run! Is there no end to your disgusting sybaritic self indulgence?

Two more years to arrange a means to remain in place indefinitely.