9 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Chuan could be considered more of a technocrat than a typical Thai politician.

 

Generally they are the governments in Thailand that get most done. But Chuan is just speaker, not PM. As long as the rapacious 'military - elite nexus' cling on to power, the population can just expect more corruption and so, higher prices and higher taxes (think indirect taxes) for worse government services.

The only thing about Chuan being the speaker he is now out of the road.

3 hours ago, Ozman52 said:

Oh dear, you aren't allowed to say that, it's an inconvenient truth. But it is an irrefutable fact that a lot of low-lifes completely missed the boat this election - the whole PTP party list (because PTP got HALF the votes of the last election), Suthep and his cronies, and Issan Rambo even after he changed sides.

They lost half of the votes because they were sabotaged by the government. Or did you forget PtP was unable to field candidates in 100 constituencies, hence no-one could actually vote for the party there. I am sick and tired of people completely missing the point. The elections were anything but free and fair. Yet even with all this, PTP still won the elections, a very remarkable achievement. 

1 hour ago, sjaak327 said:

They lost half of the votes because they were sabotaged by the government. Or did you forget PtP was unable to field candidates in 100 constituencies, hence no-one could actually vote for the party there. I am sick and tired of people completely missing the point. The elections were anything but free and fair. Yet even with all this, PTP still won the elections, a very remarkable achievement. 

Half of 350 is 175, not 100. And PTP CHOSE not to run candidates in those electorates and to run a proxy, and use that proxy to try a scam doomed to failure. There was no sabotage by the government, just a ruling that the monarchy should and would not be involved in politics, endorsed by the King. 

 

But to you, choosing not to run in 28% of electorates, losing 50% of your previous vote, and coming second is a glorious victory. 

13 minutes ago, Ozman52 said:

Half of 350 is 175, not 100. And PTP CHOSE not to run candidates in those electorates and to run a proxy, and use that proxy to try a scam doomed to failure. There was no sabotage by the government, just a ruling that the monarchy should and would not be involved in politics, endorsed by the King. 

 

But to you, choosing not to run in 28% of electorates, losing 50% of your previous vote, and coming second is a glorious victory. 

They choose not to field candidates there because of the way votes accross all constituencies were being counted towards the party list. An absolute undemocratic way to count votes. Of course the disolvement of Raksa Thai was pure sabotage. 

 

You are once again showing how you fail to even read the election results properly. First of all, PTP did not loose half of the vote, as there are no party list votes anymore. Compared to 2011, they went from 12.2 million to almost 8 million constituency votes. That's not half, and coupled with the fact that they didn't field candiates in 100 constituencies, explains the lower turnout for them. In any case, in 2011 they managed to win 204 out of 350, and now 136(7) out of 250. Which is 58% to 54%, not all the gloom and doom you are making it out to be.

 

And.. they did not come second, they have won the elections, as they have 136 seats, the party with the most seats wins the election, I would have thought that to be easily to understand...

12 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

Actually I think that he is a good choice, all things considered. 

 

Pro junta forces are probably trying to avoid major confrontations until things settle down and they can get back to working their own agenda which may, or may not benefit the country.

22 hours ago, Briggsy said:

 

Nowhere did I say Suthep was a corruption fighter (that is a strawman invented by you, and a pretty fanciful one at that), in fact nowhere did I even mention Suthep Thaugsuban.

'invented by me' ?? Perhaps you forget the entire whistle posse and destruction of an elected government ?? 

22 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Deeply unpopular among the poor.

 

Two failed governments that fell due to corruption and a certain Mr. Suthep.

While 'the poor' are usually not the demographic that voted Dem anyway.. These moves have the possible outcome of pushing even more marginal voters to see the democrat party for what they are... Which in turn could continue the downfall of the party in voter eyes.. 

 

Given the house makeup not hard to image a no confidence motion and failed government within 18 months or so and next round they may be really irrelevant.