Hundreds gather at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to demand election

[DerekMarshall]

As if Thailand has democracy anyway. 150 government positions..76 are elected 74 reserved for army, police and other important influential people. Given that no political party will have all 76 positions the elected party will be left playing the usual game of balancing power between army and police. 

 

That is what has to change...

[ginjag]

23 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

You said it several years ago when you were lionising the junta. I said at the time I would remind you and am not the least surprised that you now lack the courage of your convictions.

I looked and cannot find---prove it my friend,      it is not my style to speak about HOT AIR. joecoolfrog, you talked about years ago and you have only a thousand posts and I certainly do not recognize your name years ago.

Edited February 11, 2018 by ginjag

[PattayaAngel]

Hero's one and all of them and shows there IS hope for Thailand yet

[PattayaAngel]

35 minutes ago, ginjag said:

No it was a timely intervention to stop a regime losing near 1 trillion baht,     Coups happen for different reasons this one was an intervention

 

 "it was not a coup it was an intervention"   

[soalbundy]

6 hours ago, InnerCynic said:

I tire of hearing the usual "democracy" wailing and caterwalling.  Democracy... i.e. The Mob, is just another excuse by selfish ignorant morons to redistribute what isn't theirs.  To call it freedom, to be supposedly "led" by these imbeciles, is a sad psychotic joke.   One quote I particularly like is from the movie Men In Black.

 

 

H.L. Mencken had some true gems to say about democracy.

 

 

The 'selfish ignorant morons' have a right for redistribution,they created the wealth in the first place, I don't think Prawit or Prayut ever worked on a production line but they are good at getting more than their share (which would probably amount to zero if it was fair)

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, PattayaAngel said:

 

 "it was not a coup it was an intervention"   

No, they were tired of waiting too long at the trough. 

[AGareth2]

4 turned themselves in and awarded bail at 100k

[amdy2206]

There is a Democracy Monument but obviously it does not mean much!

[AGareth2]

1 minute ago, amdy2206 said:

There is a Democracy Monument but obviously it does not mean much!

there  is also a victory monument

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, ginjag said:

Look your old posts up,  maybe you are not aware what you post even,  Slagging anyone off that tries to point out the sad pitfalls of the Thaksin era.   Had that snap election happened we all know that Yingluck would win again-before the sad truth came out about the rice scam and all, a cunning Dubai trick.   But you have election mania when the Thai at that time were unaware of the Yingluck governments sneak amnesty and the rest.    How much money was lost in the rice scam Thailand could not go through that loss again,   so we got your baddies in to stop it.

The snap election that was obstructed by Suthep and his minions using violence and intimidation?  Or the election planned for July 2014 that was prevented by the coup?

 

Either way, the shortcomings of the rice pledge and the amnesty bill were well known by both these times.  This was back when Thailand's press wasn't as censored as it is now.

 

You are the one with Thaksin mania, you refuse to consider democracy for Thailand because you're afraid someone sympathetic to Thaksin might win.  I'm the one who maintains that the Thai people should be allowed to choose their government.

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, heybruce said:

"intervention"!  You still can't call a coup a coup.

 

1 hour ago, ginjag said:

No it was a timely intervention to stop a regime losing near 1 trillion baht,     Coups happen for different reasons this one was an intervention

You really can't call a coup a coup. 

 

The military wasn't worried about finances or a dwindling protest, they were worried about elections and a new government with fresh electoral legitimacy.  You may be the only one left who is denial of this.

[Mansell]

2 minutes ago, tonray said:

Until you're the one in the line of fire...ready to stand with your compatriots or is the price of freedom too costly for an expat on extension ?

By your comment are you inferring that the Junta will take any notice of an aging farang, or even think he is allowed any say in the future running of this country? And for your information I have been in the line of fire doing humanitarian work in Afghanistan after the Taliban fell after 9/11......I never met you there. Most of the people helping the Afghans were doctors from Pakistan, South Africa, and Muslim doctors from assorted other countries. Protesting is nice, but actually helping people is better.

[anon537687643]

Thais are generally passive when it comes to fighting for democracy! They seen it all before. Remember the yellow mob occupation 4-5 years ago was really just about “getting the military involved”. They only want democracy when they win !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed. 

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, DerekMarshall said:

As if Thailand has democracy anyway. 150 government positions..76 are elected 74 reserved for army, police and other important influential people. Given that no political party will have all 76 positions the elected party will be left playing the usual game of balancing power between army and police. 

 

That is what has to change...

What country has a true democracy?

[ginjag]

13 minutes ago, heybruce said:

The snap election that was obstructed by Suthep and his minions using violence and intimidation?  Or the election planned for July 2014 that was prevented by the coup?

 

Either way, the shortcomings of the rice pledge and the amnesty bill were well known by both these times.  This was back when Thailand's press wasn't as censored as it is now.

 

You are the one with Thaksin mania, you refuse to consider democracy for Thailand because you're afraid someone sympathetic to Thaksin might win.  I'm the one who maintains that the Thai people should be allowed to choose their government.

There is no one out there to choose, if there was and the people were capable of electing suitable government OK.   My Thaksin OTT mania is one of extreme caution.  Shortcomings of the rice scheme   ha ha ha ha  amnesty,     elections are great BUT to go for one before suitable persons/parties are emerging is just plain ridiculous.  For the sake of YOUR democracy, and hatred for army rule at this time.    

[ginjag]

18 minutes ago, heybruce said:

 

You really can't call a coup a coup. 

 

The military wasn't worried about finances or a dwindling protest, they were worried about elections and a new government with fresh electoral legitimacy.  You may be the only one left who is denial of this.

FRESH,   with Yingluck returned     ha ha ha

[Eric Loh]

11 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

What country has a true democracy?

What is true democracy 

[Neeranam]

3 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

What is true democracy 

Where the people decide on everything, including all policies.

 

[Eric Loh]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

Where the people decide on everything, including all policies.

 

Agree. In another words, the opposite of coup, fully elected upper and lower house and a constitution that has people as its focus. Unfortunately some here like a feudal type country, appointees and a highly skewed constitution written by the junta and forced acceptance, 

[heybruce]

34 minutes ago, ginjag said:

FRESH,   with Yingluck returned     ha ha ha

Do you understand "fresh electoral legitimacy"?  If the PTP had been re-elected and Yingluck remained as PM, the new elections would have given the government fresh electoral legitimacy.

[heybruce]

38 minutes ago, ginjag said:

There is no one out there to choose, if there was and the people were capable of electing suitable government OK.   My Thaksin OTT mania is one of extreme caution.  Shortcomings of the rice scheme   ha ha ha ha  amnesty,     elections are great BUT to go for one before suitable persons/parties are emerging is just plain ridiculous.  For the sake of YOUR democracy, and hatred for army rule at this time.    

There was at least one new party being formed in Chiang Mai in early 2014, I'm sure others were being considered and would have been in a position to campaign if an election had been held.

 

But you make your position clear, you are in favor of democracy when you approve of the parties and candidates running and the choice the people make.  If people don't choose the way you want them to, then you are opposed to democracy.  I understand your support for Prayut, you both think the same.

[ginjag]

38 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

What is true democracy 

People to know what good governance is and to vote accordingly,    topic here,  Problem Thai people are not learned in what good governance is.  It's fine to shout about democracy is elections, BUT.

[Antioc]

What is democracy?  A bunch of over privileged individuals with nothing but wealth and position to qualify them for the position they aspire to.  They often have no idea how to organize something as simple as a picnic.  They are people who arrange things so that their names, and not the names of the candidates who should be there, are placed on the Ballet Papers - enabling you to become complicit in their rise to the top without being aware of the real process.  That is what our modern democracies have boiled down to.  Politicians are supported by the rich and powerful so that their position at the top of the pile can be maintained - democracy is really nothing more than a smokescreen covering a corrupt process.

I live in a Thai City where very large projects are under way in several places, high speed rail is on it's way through here, large expressways are under construction and people spaces are being improved.  Don't see that in my great democratic homeland. 

I don't believe in dictatorships or authoritarian rule but it's hard to support democracy when you know what goes on behind the scenes.  I was a Government Advisor, saw good politicians crying behind the scenes because they were rolled by the corrupt ones, saw excellent schemes thrown aside because they were too beneficial to the average citizen and took money from favored schemes, but worst of all was the take over of government Departments by people with particular persuasions (don't ask).

Edited February 11, 2018 by Antioc

[ginjag]

12 minutes ago, heybruce said:

There was at least one new party being formed in Chiang Mai in early 2014, I'm sure others were being considered and would have been in a position to campaign if an election had been held.

 

But you make your position clear, you are in favor of democracy when you approve of the parties and candidates running and the choice the people make.  If people don't choose the way you want them to, then you are opposed to democracy.  I understand your support for Prayut, you both think the same.

Just ridiculous I have no say,    Example UK   2 parties and both not fit.        Thailand is in the same position.   it is not about me.  but looks like it's about you and is reflected in your posts.    You firmly believe that elections take place  and that is automatically good governance  ??   and just   ???      Sheeple here  and no knowledge who is good or bad.

[metisdead]

Some more inflammatory posts have been removed. 

[HHTel]

Switzerland is probably the closest to a true democracy.  Referendums (votations) are taken for almost everything from ideas to policy and constitutional changes.

[Antioc]

Plato (about 600 yrs BC) labored over the question of democracy and came to the conclusion that the hands-up-in-the-square system was the best.  In fact the Swiss have the closest system to Plato's conclusion on the Planet.

[heybruce]

12 minutes ago, ginjag said:

Just ridiculous I have no say,    Example UK   2 parties and both not fit.        Thailand is in the same position.   it is not about me.  but looks like it's about you and is reflected in your posts.    You firmly believe that elections take place  and that is automatically good governance  ??   and just   ???      Sheeple here  and no knowledge who is good or bad.

No, I happen to believe that fair elections take place that reflect the will of the people, the elected govern in accordance with a constitution written to protect, not undermine, democratic rule, and the new elections are conducted in accordance with that constitution. 

 

The above is no guarantee of good government, but it at least allows voters to change the government in a non-violent manner when they feel the need. 

 

Democracy is far from perfect, but it's better than the alternatives.  It is much better than the military rule that you prefer.

 

Edit:  "it is not about me.  but looks like it's about you and is reflected in your posts."  What?  I advocate for democracy, I don't claim to be the God of Democracy!

Edited February 11, 2018 by heybruce

[heybruce]

9 minutes ago, ginjag said:

Just ridiculous I have no say,    Example UK   2 parties and both not fit.        Thailand is in the same position.   it is not about me.  but looks like it's about you and is reflected in your posts.    You firmly believe that elections take place  and that is automatically good governance  ??   and just   ???      Sheeple here  and no knowledge who is good or bad.

 

16 minutes ago, ginjag said:

People to know what good governance is and to vote accordingly,    topic here,  Problem Thai people are not learned in what good governance is.  It's fine to shout about democracy is elections, BUT.

So you arrogantly presume you are better able to determine what is good governance than the people of Thailand, the UK, and, I assume, many other places. 

 

Why not have a vote in either of these countries and see if people want you to determine what government is best for them?