MarkyM3

You and the 8 people who left laughing emojis need a lobotomy. Wonder if you'd appreciate the same for your wives/gfs/daughters. Sick f**ks.

If they do choose freely they can forget about free choice thereafter. It will be a case of turkeys voting for Christmas. Look at what the National Security Law has done to Hong Kong. Here in the UK, we've seen people moving here from HK who have British Overseas Passports (i.e. born before 1997 handover). Many had good careers but were willing to take low grade jobs just to get away from HK. Sad stuff.

Anyone paying close attention to what's going on in China and HK now can't have helped notice the economy is slowly imploding. Stock markets have been mainly been in freefall over the last 3 years as the CCP tightens its grip and overseas investment evaporates and their foreign policy alienates the West. It's the Great Leap Backwards. What a waste. Hang Seng Index is at the same level as it was in 2007.... The Chinese army isn't geared up to fighting a war either and Xi knows the consequences of a prolonged engagement and more economic turmoil from sanctions could destabilise his grip. He will probably try and play the long game imo. He's President for life, remember. Someone mentioned the West depends on China. We do but they can be replaced. India along with contributions from Vietnam and other SE Asian countries are going to take their place over time imo. Already seeing Western manufactures beginning to look at reducing their footprint in China. There is no predictability on CCP policy - it's increasingly done on a whim. Look at yesterday - sudden announcement that they are looking at video game restrictions - Tencent (a huge tech company) plummets 12% in a day, NetEase down 28%.

I definitely feel the proposed income benchmark needs to take account of liquid assets like savings (property isn't liquid) in the qualification criteria where the person is retired. It should be be tweaked to do so, if it doesn't already. That way, most financially secure retirees would be able bring their wives to the UK. But retirees are hardly the focus of this new policy. It's come about because the UK has seen its population increase by 15%+ over the last 20 years. Last year's net migration figures of 750k have prompted action since it's not sustainable on a small island. Housing and infrastructure is creaking at the seams. The government of the last 10+ years was elected on a manifesto pledge of keeping net migration under 100k pa, something it's never met. Bear in mind the median income in the UK is just under 35k and the new 38k benchmark is being staggered over 2 years - 29k in 2024 and 38k in 2025. The idea is too add skilled people to the working population where a UK citizen can't be found to perform the work rather than allowing employers to suppress wages and use imported cheap labour.

The OP makes a point of it. Several different usernames over the years on this forum and much the same throughout. Was supposed to be going back to Canada but hasn't followed through unfortunately and still posting bait carp like this thread.

"On the death certificate" is the key phrase here. What was the average age of the people involved and what other conditions did they have? Saying "Hey, it's just 300+ UK Covid deaths per week" suggests they were directly due to that. Which isn't the case at all. As someone who primarily been living back in the UK over the past 2 years, aside from a 6 month period in Thailand last year, I can say that no-one gives 2 hoots about C19, public or media, save for the current public enquiry going on which will only benefit the lawyers involved. Masks are pretty much non-existent. People I hear from are talking more about how the lockdown has left future debt of over £400 billion due to the loss of economic activity, furlough schemes and C19 loans being abused - all of which will be paid back by future generations. Meanwhile, the delays in treatment for serious illnesses or missed diagnoses have probably killed a lot of people too - perhaps you can find a stat for that? The lockdowns also missed up kids' education and had adverse social effects on those without close immediate family networks, amongst other things. Interestingly, one of the most vocal critics of lockdown policies I know works as an NHS nurse, though it couldn't be voiced in public as they'd be shut down/sacked. At their hospital, significant hospital resources were set aside for C19 and were hardly getting used, overflowing beds never happened. Neil Ferguson and his 500k a week scaremongering using a carp computer model riddled with rubbish code has a lot to answer for. Meanwhile, lockdown critics - scientific (e.g. Great Barrington signatories) or otherwise - were ruthlessly shut down by the media - they got no air time whatsoever and were treated as quacks. "Won't Get Fooled Again"....

Median salary in UK is just under £35k. If you are doing a Family Visa then surely a retiree + spouse earnings should be able to meet the new qualifying figure of £38k with comfort? Bear in mind a FT minimum wage job is not far off £25k annualised. The UK has had a population increase of 10 million in the last 20 years, it's not sustainable. The net figure of 750k in 2022 has finally triggered some action but it's way too late in any case. No one asked for the boat people either and they are a fraction of the net migration figure. They aren't wanted here but France is keen to get rid as we all know and the government hasn't got a solution, the courts have overturned any solution thus far.

750k net migration in 2022, 10 million population increase since the Millenium. The country is bursting at the seams but you may not have noticed if you live in Thailand. How is that supposed to be sustainable? As for salary requirements, £38k is hardly a huge salary in the UK these days. Minimum wage is approaching £25k annualised. For a Family Visa with a pensioner and spouse income combined, surely that £38k figure should be achievable if the spouse is able to secure a job, even at minimum wage.

Nothing wrong with a Spam fritter or three! I always have a tin for that purpose in my cupboard. And...wtf does Biden have to do with price of Spam?!?!. The Trump v Biden obsessives on this forum are ridiculous at times, this is taking it to new heights lol

Ah Liverpool Lou operating in a parellel universe as ever. 16.7k posts of drivel lol. And I'm not surprised if you did agree with Gottfrid but you're on my ignore list so I wouldn't have seen it. I only read this comment since it was a direct reply to me. Jog on.

I understand exactly what I said, I'm a native English speaker. You were roundly condemned by everyone who read your comment, bar none, despite your half-hearted attempt at back-pedalling after the event. Go back and re-read the thread if you want.

Beautiful creature. Hope it is left in peace.

Might be judicious to employ a food taster as well, 45 years is pushing the age gap to the bounds of credibility

Wagner private army material

First time I've seen Chuwit without his shades on! Good luck to him, no BS kind of guy. Not sure why George is wearing a mask not covering his nose! Might as well just ditch the thing like everyone else has.

Ironic coming from you...was only a few weeks ago you made one of the worst comments I've seen on this forum re: the 12 year old Thai girl who'd been raped. You basically said it was her fault for not saying anything and were rightly called out for being a knuckle-dragger. If this comment gets me a temporary ban, so be it.

That's the kind of customer they want 3 * 3 or 4 * 4

Going on in the UK and elsewhere too so not just the Thais. These are mainly multinationals in any case. UK example - Walkers crisps box of 22, increased from around £3.75 to £5 in under a year and now there are 20 packs in the box, not 22.

There was a thread recently concerning a guy who had gone back to the UK in his 60s, potless and burned his bridges totally. Bad planning for sure but his experience showed you will be living on the margins on society if you expect on the authorities to take care of you. He was homeless last time he posted on this forum. The UK is one of the more accommodating places in terms of a welfare safety net but the population has jumped (net migration is running around 600k pa if I recall correctly) and they authorities have enough problems dealing with the 100k plus arrived on dinghies in last 5 years. So the red carpet won't be rolled out for those returning to the UK unfortunately, Another factor to consider is health care. Your right to free health care lapses after a certain period as an expat. People will still get it free if they pitch up and say they've returned for good. But health provision for non-urgent cases is slow in the UK and playing the same hand more than a few times is going to be problematic. Also, you never know when you might need friends from an old life to fall back on or just stay connected. Unless you're a Thai citizen or PR then you are a long-term holidaymaker and nothing more imo. Nothing is guaranteed in your future in Thailand unless you are wealthy enough for money to never be a concern, now or in future.

Last posted circa 2018 after a gap of a few years and said he'd returned to the UK. A positive, no BS poster.

He said "Cost of living in Spain in many domains", not all. So you proceed to selective comparisons of 2 capital cities and call out on that. Try a few other cities and regions in Spain vs Thailand for a more balanced comparison.

I'm calling BS on that website link. I split my time between UK and Thailand and have visited Spain many times. How do you define a "basic meal"? 75 baht isn't going to get you much, except a small street food meal perhaps. Not even the McDonalds comparison looks correct. McD or Burger King in Bangkok is no cheaper than the UK, it's probably more expensive if anything. Spain is no more expensive than the UK iirc so I remain unconvinced on their methods. Several people, including me, have noticed that cost of living nowadays in big cities like Bangkok is not much different to Europe/UK, unless you are living strictly Thai-style low budget. Some things like hotels are much better value for sure, things like clothes, electronics - no.

I stayed down at Shama, on Ratchadapisek Rd. near to Asok last time I was in town. Soi 10 for 6 months of the previous year. That's the better end of the strip imo - Soi 4 is still within easy reach if you want to hang out down there while the area towards Thong Lor branches in the other direction. Terminal 21 is nearby for shopping and Benjakitti Park close by for some walking and relief from the concrete jungle. Soi 4 area is not somewhere I'd have a hotel in these days, though, unless you are planning to hang out in the bars and Plaza most of the time. Good for a night out on occasions tho.

Hmmm...I'm aligned with moderate right-wing politics. You don't have to be pro-Zionist to do so. Lazy characterization. Rather, I'm someone who has studied the history of the Middle East conflict and formed his own opinion. From what I can see, the fact this conflict is still ongoing is because there is a deep-rooted failure on both sides. Neither can accept how to divide this land up properly and they never will it seems. And building settlements on already disputed land, contrary to international law, hardly helps either. Hamas are despicable people. Despicable. Radical Islam is a real threat to Western democracy, no doubt. They run Gaza - which was occupied until 2005 - but the democracy aspect is a sham. Most people crowded into that dump don't need this - bombing and starving them into submission is going to make things worse in the long run. Netanyahu is deeply unpopular, corrupt and the wrong leader to deal with this. The US need to keep him in check since they bankroll the country to some extent. Regarding terrorism. No doubt Hamas, ISIS are the worst of the worse. But what would you say about those in the Irgun who blew up the King David Hotel in 1946 and killed 91 people...what were they? Israel present them as far from being terrorists. Just saying....

I'm as anti-woke as it gets but look at the last 100 years of history and it's far from clear-cut. Hamas are scum, no doubt, but to pretend the other side has no issues or role to play in the landscape of the ME is wishful thinking. Appearing to roll the Arab populace of lower Suk in the same vein as Hamas is also casual BS. The poster I responded to also said in another post he couldn't give a fook if Gazans were bombed to smithereens pretty much, even if blameless. Right...