herfiehandbag

As far as this regime is concerned, public opinion is of little account. They basically ignore it, unless or until it becomes disruptive, in which case they suppress it ruthlessly, something we know does not the Watchman. As for other parties, nothing changes really. If an election is scheduled expect the usual array of court cases, party bannings and charges against political opponents.

Whatever you do, don't squeeze!

There are lots around, but as soon as they demonstrate any level of popular support they are driven off. The overarching problem is that the "checks and balances" which are supposed to ensure a free election have been highjacked by those who wish to keep power. Look at the last election. There were two parties which had significant support, and would have likely produced a coalition government; to replace the incumbent one. One was banned just before the election, effectively disenfranchising a very large number of voters (6 million or so?) and the other was decapitated and hamstrung by various spurious legal proceedings immediately after the election.

Being allowed a free vote, where the result stands regardless of those "in influence", and the various agencies which they control would be a start.

It is quite possible, in fact normal for constitutional monarchies to be democratic, unless you regard UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Japan as not being democracies. A democracy is a country which elects it's government on a regular basis, and has some form of representative parliament. A constitutional monarchy has a hereditary head of state who does not play a political role.

If he is replaced by another from the same stable then no, nothing much will change. Major changes could happen, once it is realised just how ramshackle those stables are. Several of the fundamentals are no longer that relevant to a younger more informed and educated (self educated) population.

Beep,beep,beep!

Oh dear, I wonder if all those "well connected people" who bought land in the expectation of various road, rail and canal projects will have their little investments confiscated. There was lots of it (buying land) going on around here when the railway to Chiang Rai and Chiang Khong got into the planning stage...

Don't forget the Edinburgh Festival, along with several others of it's ilk, is all about being seen and heard by the "right sort" of people. "Never, in the field of human comedy, have so few been lectured by so many in black roll neck sweaters..."

Ah yes, but such enthusiasm for upholding and forcing moral standards on others funnily enough hides some dirty little secrets!

It has been going on for several months now - and the tight uniforms have just realised it's significance - and have reacted in the only way they know , bossy lectures and meaningless threats. Toot toot toot!

Personally I came to Thailand through a deep desire to be lectured by a small group of excessively puritanical senior members of the medical profession.

My point is that it has significantly less representation for a much greater population.

But we all know that is exactly what they will do, and the Thais will enthusiastically help them...

Alcohol sales and drinking establishments, and bar girls and their establishments have long been very lucrative for various amongst "the authorities". They are condemned, and even have their existence denied in regular displays of prurience, but bring in far too much money to be permanently closed. The current spate of warnings by politicians and senior policemen against cannabis consumption are simply part of the process of establishing a similar regime. Once it is up and running, well, there is no prostitution in Pattaya!

Do what they always do. Send a policeman around at regular intervals to collect the "informal fiscal arrangement". Don't contribute and you will be shut down. Just like any other business.

And yet bizarrely Wyoming sends two Senators and a Representative to Congress. Washington DC has no Senators and their sole Representative has very restricted voting rights. Wyoming has a population of 581,000, Washington DC has a population of 702,000. It is a very strange democracy!

I saw this one the other day: "Observing current American politics is like coming across an old friend you rather liked and respected sitting in the park clutching a bottle spitting and swearing at passers by!"

And yet a circle that consistently won electoral majorities, without needing to ban parties at the last moment, ban leaders of parties on trumped up charges, or change the rules to benefit certain parties with no electoral prospects ( but declared support for the junta). Nor did they spend weeks analysing, adjusting, and counting, recounting and reallocating votes to "the right parties". Nor did he need to appoint 250 of his mates to the Senate to ensure his selection as Prime Minister. Thaksin may be, is, open to allegations of corruption, dubious tax practises and maybe involvement in "extra judicial killings" (although I suspect those were due to turf wars between government agencies which were out of his control) but his policies, small circle or not, were popular, presented to the electorate and overwhelmingly endorsed by them. Repeatedly, unlike the current quasi military junta! We know your interpretation of how "the system works", many of us understand it's machinations only too well. Thaksin challenged that, both directly and through the political machine he created, which has allowed and encouraged others, perhaps more palatable to also emerge. Those challenges were widely supported and have not, will not, go away. Every time they arise they show up the establishment gerontacracy more and more, and make more obvious and less credible their efforts to cling to power.

Ah yes, they were the elected ones weren't they?

Along with her sidekicks!

Many Thais drink it from the can, through a straw!

According to Thai PBS the owner of the boat and the skipper are facing similar charges. Mind you, I suspect that they may find it easier to come to some sort of solution! Incidentally - professional spear fisherman? One of my hobbies is building model railways, but that doesn't make me a train driver!

Not to mention the assorted grannies they help with their shopping...

I had three banana trees in my garden. Two blew down in a thunderstorm last week. They were big strong looking trees, but the roots were very weak. Drill down through the layers which you have explained, essentially the whole construct is based on fear and the threat of force. The two main "faces" of power ( the "Ps" f you like) were the architects of the last demonstration of that force 12 years ago in central Bangkok. It's resonance may be fading. There are a number of changes which may make it much more difficult to repeat. It was always a structure built on three pillars. One pillar, has shall we say changed dramatically, perhaps failed. The second, control of conventional media has been undermined by the rise of social media. That leaves force, more specifically the military. The Navy and Air Force are largely irrelevant except as consumers of a share of national resources, the Police ineffective, utterly undermined by corruption; and the Army, well it draws it's power from it's numbers, but those numbers are largely drawn unwillingly from the pool of people most aware of and participants in the weakening of the other two pillars. I think that the traditional roots are now weakened. A bit like my banana trees...