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They have declared that the highest power should be the people; a mantra that I wholly agree with and one that is sure to upset the sycophantic elites who call the shots. Its laughable that sums of 20-30 million baht were offered as a bribe to switch parties and become a 'cobra', and that the puppet of a Prime Minister claims to know nothing about it. Says all you need to know about him.

They are quite senslbly remaining neutral and there is no chance that this prudent stance will result in any secondary banking sanctions. Like much of the global south they do not view the conflict in strictly black and white terms, especially when the west's hypocrisy and blatant double standards are on open display in Gaza. I would guess that Thais are more concerned about their own neighborhood and the civil war next door in Myannmar. What is the west doing about that? Oh that's right, nothing.

Without Russia it was always going to be a non starter. Apart from the pedictable western cheerleaders the most notable outcome was the list of regional powers in the global south that were non-signatories: India, SouthAfrica, Brazil and Saudi Arabia to name a few. Further evidence that the west's blatant double standards over the conflict in Gaza are accelerating the shift towards a multi-polar world. I don't condone what Russia has done. However, it is time for some realism and some hard truths. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent and Russia is never going to cede Crimea or pay reparations, even if it is right that it should. We live in the real world. It is high time that the Ukrainians come to terms with that. Conferences like this are not doing them any favours in the long term.

You are being disengenuos here again, with your Hamas obsession. The global focus is now firmly on Israel and its handlers. They are the ones who claim to be democratic and to respect and uphold international law. Why are they only prepared to do that when it conveniently aligns with their geopolitical interests?

What is the point of international courts and the rule of law if countries are allowed to ignore them? I find it disturbing that some posters think this is acceptable. Biden and Sunak are a disgrace. Thankfully the latter will be out of office shortly and back in California counting his millions. They both seem to be of the opinion that rulings only apply to the likes of Putin and various rogue African leaders with no friends, and not an ally. Obviously, the law applies across the board or it clearly has no purpose. When they see such blatant double standards and gross hypocrisy on consistent display, is there any wonder that most of the world, particularly in the global south is ambivalent towards the situation in Ukraine, and sensibly reserves judgement. Isn't that allegedly about upholding an international rules based order? Yet, they will bend over backwards to ensure that those precious rules don't apply to Israel. What happened to the invasion of Rafah being a red line? The world is watching.

Where did you learn that you should never buy a lady drink? From one of the Thailand 'experts' on youtube no doubt.

If you are one of those conflicted people who has to have the last word knock yourself out. When you accused me of being antisemitic I knew you were getting desperate. Now I am a Hamas troll! So sad. But it will not change the facts on the ground if looked at objectively nor the groundswell of opinion that is solidifying in most of the world. Maybe one day even you will wake up and smell the coffee.

I am not anti- semitic. Seriously? The facts speak for themselves and the global anti-Israeli feeling is a direct consequence of their heinous actions. Your constant mention of Hamas is a tactic to deflect the conversation away from the topic of this thread: the seeking of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for war crimes.

The thread is about the overdue seeking of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and others. Along with most of the world I condemn the Hamas attack, but as I said that does not justify what is happening now. Arrest warrants are also being sought for the Hamas leadership and rightly so. Even the Americans warned the Israelis about falling into the trap laid by Hamas, but they walked straight into it. Bibi has no other option but to carry on indefinitely. He is driven purely by self-interest and until he is removed, or Biden finally sees the light, nothing will change.

More deflection and totally off base. But, but Hamas...........

Why don't you enlighten me as to why?

Israel has a right to defend itself proportionately. It does not have a right to do what it is doing now and is finally being held belatedly to account. The Hamas attack on Israel does not justify genocide and a war on women and children. You can argue about the semantics of genocide ad infinitum but that is what it is. The Hamas attack on Israel, on the watch of 'Mr security Netanyahu' has left Israel in serious trouble, with Iran being the geopolitical winner. Firstly, they are stuck in an uninhabitable Gaza with no exit strategy. Ariel Sharon withdrew in 2004 because he recognized that the occupation was militarily unsustainable. They will never achieve total victory against an ideology. Secondly, since the incident with Iran their central strategy of escalation deterrence no longer holds true. Hezbollah have forced tens of thousands of Israelis in the north to leave their homes. Israel is surrounded by hostile states and non-state actors who can now hit Israel with cheap technologically advanced drones and rockets. Hezbollah alone has one hundred and fifty thousand at their disposal. As the carefully telegraphed Iranian missile attack proved Iron Dome is insufficient. Thirdly, the Israelis have trashed their reputation and global standing, notably with the global south and the younger generation in the western world. They have the blood of tens of thousands of innocents on their hands and have created a famine. Bibi refuses to stop, because his government, which is dominated by religious zealots would collapse and he would be prosecuted for corruption. And still, flying in the face of global opinion and doing irreparable damage to his re-election chances the hapless Biden stands by his man. Pathetic.

There is no anti-Israeli narrative. The constant attempt to conflate criticism of the most right-wing government in Israel's history with anti-semitism is one that has being seen through for what it is. Sadly, facts are facts that even a pro-Israeli like Biden is waking up to. It is getting increasingly harder to justify the indefensible: that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for purely selfish reasons. The Israelis have fallen into the trap that Hamas set them and succeeded in trashing their own reputation and global standing for at least a generation. Well done Bibi.

This abrupt change of policy has Thaksin's dirty fingerprints all over it. He is clearly in charge now behind the scenes and what he says goes. He now appears to have carte-blanche. This uncomfortable truth was confirmed by the recent cabinet reshuffle which he presided over. The Prime Minister is just a mouthpiece. Despite the human cost, back in the day his 'war on drugs' was a vote winner and received the backing of the majority of Thais. It looks like he has ordered his party to reintroduce his hardline anti-drug stance and incorporate this into policy. Those who opened businesses in the industry knew that they were doing so in a grey area and were operating courtesy of a legal loophole that they were able to exploit. Contrary to popular opinion, it has never been legal in the full sense of the word to use cannabis recreationally. Thaksin does not care about them or the scientific evidence regarding cannabis. They are not even a consideration in his calculations. He cares only for his popularity and political gain.

Money is not really the main factor. Its more about using his perceived popularity as a bulwark against the progessive movement and the threat that it represents to the established status quo. They will do anything to keep him sweet.

It is very telling that even its most ardent supporters are unable to name one thing that has improved since Brexit, even the ideoloically driven idiots that were responsible for it.

One mans hero is another ones freedom fighter.

I know, yet they are not the people assassinating people with impunity. Bibi wanted a war and now he has got one. As usual Biden will talk with him. Same same. What a prick.