sidneybear

They'll deal with it when the time comes. That's the Thai way.

Nice gesture. Good for him.

Thaksin's lot will be kicked out again. It's a cyclical thing.

That's true. Even in the west, only a minority of young people know who Pol Pot was.

So many posters here long to see Thailand fail, but it never does. Why all this schadenfreude? Is it because people think that an economic crash will make the prices of bargirls go down?

Stock up on popcorn folks. My money is on Thaksin's lot getting run out of town again. This will be fun to watch.

I've always thought that the best way to learn something is to teach it, so I taught while on my student visa. That was a very long time ago though, in my backpacking days.

Electric cars are like 3D television. A once in a generation fad that suckers people in but doesn't make sense.

A clearer case of the pot calling the kettle black could never be found.

Thailand welcomes tourists who spend a bit of dosh onshore. There's nothing wrong with that.

The Pheu Thai oligopoly might buy the most votes, but they won't stick around for long.

That's so ironic. You were mocking me for saying Thaksin, Thaksin, Thaksin a few posts back, and you just did it yourself. Enjoy your weekend ????

Oh dear, you're becoming rude again, and are reminding me of a small child shouting and stomping his feet. We could dig up numbers all day, such as this one that shows median household income (as many households above as there are below): https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/macroeconomic/median-household-income-in-thailand/#:~:text=Thailand's median household income (PPP,household income increased by 48.7%. Nice result, huh? Anyway, all you have to do is look around and you’ll see lots of examples of Thailand's middle class prosperity. Even towns in deepest Isaan have air conditioned malls these days, a phenomenon unheard of not so long ago. People on all walks of life are much better off than they were. Of course, inflation is a problem that disproportionately affects the poorest, but we're sadly seeing that everywhere right now, and it's causes are not Thailand's fault. More ad hominem stuff, which ignores the points I made earlier about western 'democracies' degenerating into soulless hell holes, which is why we all came to Thailand in the first place, I guess. Western liberal and left wing people don't see it this way though. They're a dogmatic lot, and many will never change their minds when faced with facts as I once myself did.

The bar chart you showed is misleading, as it only shows wealth distribution by the top and bottom 10%, rather what lies in between. The fact that the very rich are getting richer is a global phenomenon (and I'll even cite the Guardian here): World’s 10 richest men see their wealth double during Covid pandemic | Rich lists | The Guardian There are various reasons why the world's richest are getting richer, and its poorest are getting poorer, and Thailand's government isn't one of them. If we look at household income per capita though, the statistics tell a very different story: Thailand Household Income per Capita, 1981 – 2023 | CEIC Data All is all, Thailand has continued to do well, and household income has increased more rapidly since those terrible conservatives took over. Yes, well, he may have a point. By 'progressive', I think he's looking at the west, where 'progressives' (that Future Forward in many ways resembles) seek to disregard and apologise for their nation's history, suppress the national religion, subordinate the family unit in favour of the state, erase traditions, and insist on cultural and class homogeneity that is defined by state edicts. Does that sound familiar? It's those attributes of Marxism I outlined earlier, and it's a good thing if people like that are driven out, or there will be nothing left of Thailand.

There you go again, using emotional language. Your points might carry more weight if they were made politely, recognising that others don't share your opinion. What would a "more developed" Thailand look like? The west? Look at the state the west is in now, with its total breakdown of family, society and culture. People are lonely, angry, divided, and are resorting to hurling insults at each other (like you do) instead of trying to reconcile their differences. I'm glad that Thailand rejects this kind of "progress". China's version of Marxism has adapted to the modern world, particularly in its embrace of making money to become more powerful. That said, various core attributes of Leninism-Marxism plainly exist in Chinese society that don't exist in Thai society, such as: the suppression of religion, the deification of political figures, the subordination of the family unit in favour of the state, the erasure of traditions, and the insistence on cultural and class homogeneity that is defined by state edicts. Moreover, business leaders are treated with suspicion in China, and are struck down if they become too powerful, 'bourgeoise' even, like Jack Ma from Ali-baba and others have been. Thai conservatism, on the other hand, very much supports religion, encourages a strong family unit, values tradition, holds successful businesspeople in high esteem, and is tolerant of cultural differences. Sure, Thailand keeps its house in order by expelling divisive and crooked oligarchs from its political system, but that's not such a bad thing if it means maintaining Thailand's traditions and social order.

It all depends how far back you go. Thailand these days has a growing middle class and people are much better off than they were. It's achieved a lot, without losing its delightful culture and national identity. To say that there's "something wrong" with those who hold a political opinion that differs from yours is ad hominem: it epitomises a modern and degenerated state of debate that's popular in the west right now. Conservative Thais look at your viewpoint, and it's results elsewhere, and may well conclude that 'progress' is not always a good thing, as it often involves sliding backwards and downwards. We'll see manifestations of that very soon, and I welcome Thaksin and his divisive and crooked family getting kicked out again. Ditto that culturally bereft Future Forward socialist. You're also confusing conservatism with communism, so you might want to read up on the glaring differences between the two.

The word 'elected' is often used as a euphemism for 'bought' or 'deceived'.

Oh I divide my time between Thailand and Australia for business reasons, so I know very well what's going on in both places.

Time will tell my friend. There were lots of people saying exactly what you're saying in 2006, and 2014 .... Thailand is a bot like a cat. It always lands on its feet.

Me too, but what really matters is what happens after May 14th, rather than on May 14th. As you say, time will tell. Thailand is an instinctively conservative country, especially those who wield the real power.

Very true. Fuel prices are set internationally, and government subsidies will have to be funded some other way, such as from taxation. There is no magic money tree. Look at how subsidies during covid have almost bankrupted countries in the west, currencies plummeting in value, inflation destroying wealth, and so on.

Good on them. I did my bit too, in voting for Prayuth's party today at my local Thai consulate. The world's conservatives need a bit more representation ????

Dream on.

Are you referring to mature people with lots of wisdom and life experience? Unlike in the ridiculous and waning Western world, in Thailand such people are held in high esteem because they keep society on an even keel.

Nice to see that someone understands how Thailand works. The army will remain in control and will give Thaksin's band of crooks the boot just as they always have done. Thaksin knows this, but just wants to fill his pockets some more. Move Forward will get the gen Z vote, but nobody who weilds power in Thailand really cares about what they think and they'll also be slapped down. Elders' opinions in Thailand are rightfully respected. People who think that military rule can't happen again have been saying the same thing for decades.