jayboy

55555555

An excellent point.When I first came to Thailand, it was because I had been sent here by my company in the early 1980's.I had no real choice in the matter: I might equally have been sent to Brazil, Italy or Australia where my company also had branches. I didn't know that many people in Bangkok who weren't employed by multinational companies on the lines you describe.The trading companies employed quite a few - Borneo, Anglo-Thai etc.They mostly belonged to the British Club though the classier ones were also members of the RBSC. There were others of course - often the most interesting - eg academics at Chula, teachers at smart Thai schools, posh remittance men and others avoiding scrutiny from their home country, artists and writers etc.At that time Thai companies - dominated by Chinese family traditions - didn't really employ foreigners.Anyway all in this bunch would call themselves expatriates. The number of well paid multinational company people has greatly dwindled as HQ's realized appointing able Thais is more effective. The expatriate world has changed enormously over the last 40 years, mostly because Thailand has itself transformed into a much richer country.

Brilliant. That did the trick.Thank you very much.

For a long time my Grab app has been linked to my Krungsri debit card.Worked fine. However needed to replace Krungsri debit card (time expired) with new one.But can't for some unknown reason link new card with Grab app - despite multi checking details were entered correctly. Anyone had similar issues? Who do I contact for help =Grab or bank? P.S. Was able to link Grab app with my Krungsri credit card and also True wallet.Now using latter as default payment method.Works fine.

Correct.It was actually often unfairly maligned Neville Chamberlain who began the rapid expansion of the RAF, and ultimately it was the strength of the Royal Navy that deterred invasion - not to mention Hitler's vacillating attitude and preoccupation with making war in the East. I was going to make a detailed rebuttal of the original poster's sillier points but one soon works out it's pointless when the person is clueless. On a side issue, I think Zelensky has quite a lot in common with Churchill but that's for another discussion

Stupid question from forum time waster.Mods please remove.

Oh, the irony.

Puff piece to which there is no particular objection, but it would be interesting to know whether the customer base had an equally sympathetic view. Generally the Embassy officials dealing with consular matters are not top flight Foreign Office types.There are no high fliers (ie those identified as likely to reach high positions) and are generally competent run of the mill types.Actually there is not really a need for them to have brilliant minds - just practical skills, empathy and a sense of urgency when necessary. To be frank the latter is often lacking. The Ambassador and top staff have little interest in consular affairs - though they pretend otherwise - though they are aware that if there is a cock up they will be held accountable.It's hard not to sympathize since I suspect the typical Distressed British Subject in Thailand is not the type of person they would bump into the Travellers Club in Pall Mall.It was all so much more congenial in the 1950's when British visitors to Thailand were mostly gents.

Data!! Look around you. https://www.ajc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2021-10/A Guide to Recognizing When Anti-Israel Actions Become Antisemitic.pdf

This is the mantra churned out by many. No reasonable person would claim otherwise. However for a significant minority hatred for Jews is the driving factor,

There was another occasion when a wicked aggressor was winning a war in which it sought sought to exterminate a militarily inferior country.The leader of that country said: "Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender" By your debased morality that leader should have kept his bravado to himself and sough a humiliating accommodation with the aggressor.

There is a broader point about the consequences of appeasement - which of course you ignore.

No you do not appear to be a Putin sympathizer (though you might be), more a weak morally incoherent appeaser like Britain's Neville Chamberlain who thought that wickedness could be brought off by (someone else's) sacrifice. It couldn't then and it can't now.

Fair summary but , having had personal experience of both local and foreign issued insurance, I have the following comments. The main hospitals in Thailand's large cities are very well geared up to process claims under foreign policies.In many cases claims are settled directly. Foreign policies definitely tend to be more expensive but it can be a false economy to opt for a cheaper local package, not least because the financial cover tends to be less. I do not see how "compliance with local standards" is relevant if the foreign provider is a blue chip outfit.

I don't think parents at the top public schools worry very much about their kids not being able to compete. Intelligence is a matter of genetics and environment, and the upper middle classes tend to score highly on both counts.

Sometimes it's not completely clear when antisemitism rears its head.This is not one of those occasions.

I don't think most parents send their children to independent schools to "buy advantage".They do so to give their children the best education they can provide.The move by the Labour Government to charge VAT was driven by class spite.They loathe aspiration and rubbed salt in the wound by imposing the measure in the middle of the school year.No other country charges VAT on education and indeed some provide parents with a tax refund if they go independent.The money raised looks much smaller than rnvisaged and will not be ring fenced for state schools = another lie.The whole episode stinks.

On this forum? I would be surprised if there were any, at least private schools that anyone had heard of.I'm certainly not one - a good state grammar school which got me to Cambridge. Actually on the subject of softness, it's a fact that public school boys adapted best to National Service in the army (when the UK had conscription). It was the state school boys who hated the discipline and cried for their mummies having been coddled since babyhood.One public school boyswho had been imprisoned in Colditz felt the conditions compared favorably to Winchester College.

The spirits of the hundreds of thousands of public school educated officers in Valhalla who gave their lives for their country in war might raise their eyebrows at the 'soft' accusation.

Nonsense.Doesn't matter at all and will have no effect on tourism. It might inconvenience a few alcohol dependent tourists/sexpats in Pattaya and similar dumps who cant get cheap beer at the 7-11 whenever they want, but who cares about their addiction problems.

I sat an examination on US-UK relations in WW2 in my finals at Cambridge University. i don't know what point you are making so I will make it for you.The Lend Lease example is in fact interesting and it demonstrates that the wartime relationship between FDR and WSC was often far from chummy.The US squeezed the UK with outrageous terms for financial/military support before Pearl Harbor.Loans were still being paid off by the UK until very recently.WSC and FDR were both aristocrats and men of enormous charisma/stature unlike Trump/Vance, but perhaps there was more in common with the Ukraine situation than people like me like to think.The US and probably all great powers are driven by self interest not sentiment.As Charles de Gaulle pointed out, The State is a cold monster, ie only acts in its own interests.Finally FDR and the US were not keen on imperialism (unless it was their own) and resented American blood/treasure being spent to save the British Empire.

Truth hurts, huh/

If Trump had been President in 1940 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkcsKuMKooo&ab_channel=LedByDonkeys

Obviously childish nonsense compounded by ignorance, prejudice and dishonesty.(I love the stupidity of believing Zelensky should sign a mining agreement without agreeing its contents) Nevertheless it would be a mistake to think these views are not supported by many in the MAGA crowd and more worryingly voiced by leading Republicans (Mike Johnson,Marco Rubio etc) - who obviously don't believe this rubbish but are too cowardly to speak up against Trump.I'm generally of a centre right persuasion and a huge admirer of the United States, but this bullying has to be called out.

I doubt whether our views differ much on Trump. However I don't think it would suit our/Ukraine's national interest to go completely nuts (blimp balloons etc) on public protests during Trump's visit.Why? Because it forms part of the strategic effort to obtain US security guarantees for Ukraine.In any case Starmer will ensure disruption is kep to minimum. Does it leave a bad taste in the mouth? Yes of course.