Pheu Thai Party unveils its three prime ministerial candidates

[Eric Loh]

17 minutes ago, h90 said:

I think you don't understand democracy......being criminal, corruption, abuse of power, vote buying and support of it has nothing to do with democracy.
That is a party that by its existence is already braking the law as it is banned and used tricks to exist. Banned with good, well explained reasons.
 

You like to give an example of a democratic country without criminal, corruption, abuse of power and vote buying. 

[sidneybear]

4 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Being here a long time and missed out the judiciary coup mastermind by one of the 3 Ps. One of the most turbulent time in civil unrest and no coup because Anupong has the judiciary to back up his coup. 

Semantics. The government was chucked out. It doesn't really matter whether the military does it, or the judiciary does it.

 

Actually, if you include judicial removal of a PM, you could claim four coups I've lived through then.The first one in 1991 when Chatichai was deposed by Suchinda, who was himself forced out following the Black May riots (terrifying, I was there). Then Thaksin. Then Yingluck. Then Niwatthamerong, who was a bit like Thailand's answer to Liz Truss. Blink and you missed him. 

 

Have I missed any coups Eric? There have been a lot of them.

 

Thankfully, the powers that be now keep Thailand on am even keel.

[Eric Loh]

6 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

Semantics. The government was chucked out. It doesn't really matter whether the military does it, or the judiciary does it.

 

Actually, if you include judicial removal of a PM, you could claim four coups I've lived through then.The first one in 1991 when Chatichai was deposed by Suchinda, who was himself forced out following the Black May riots (terrifying, I was there). Then Thaksin. Then Yingluck. Then Niwatthamerong, who was a bit like Thailand's answer to Liz Truss. Blink and you missed him. 

 

Have I missed any coups Eric? There have been a lot of them.

 

Thankfully, the powers that be now keep Thailand on am even keel.

Now you’re on semantics. Ain’t we talking about coups post Thai Rak Thai government. If we go back history, Thailand has the most coups by any global measurement and the country held back economically by coups. Not too long ago, Thailand was touted as the 5th Asian Tigers. Now it is back to the drawing board because of the last 3 coups. The country well being has been held back by the military and elites. That’s far from an even keel. 

[sidneybear]

50 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Now you’re on semantics. Ain’t we talking about coups post Thai Rak Thai government. If we go back history, Thailand has the most coups by any global measurement and the country held back economically by coups. Not too long ago, Thailand was touted as the 5th Asian Tigers. Now it is back to the drawing board because of the last 3 coups. The country well being has been held back by the military and elites. That’s far from an even keel. 

Asian Tigers. I remember them. A gigantic credit fuelled asset bubble that imploded in 1997. I haven't heard that term used since, although while we're on the subject of credit fuelled asset bubbles, the West looks so very vulnerable to a similar bust right now. 

 

Anyway, there are no more Asian tigers. Thailand hasn't done too badly since that bust though. It's got a growing middle class and people are much better off now than they were back then. For all its political instability, Thailand has quite a healthy balance of agriculture and industry that would make many deindustrialised western countries envious. It's tough everywhere, but Thailand's economic indicators compare favorably.

Edited April 10, 2023 by sidneybear

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, sidneybear said:

Semantics. The government was chucked out. It doesn't really matter whether the military does it, or the judiciary does it.

 

Actually, if you include judicial removal of a PM, you could claim four coups I've lived through then.The first one in 1991 when Chatichai was deposed by Suchinda, who was himself forced out following the Black May riots (terrifying, I was there). Then Thaksin. Then Yingluck. Then Niwatthamerong, who was a bit like Thailand's answer to Liz Truss. Blink and you missed him. 

 

Have I missed any coups Eric? There have been a lot of them.

 

Thankfully, the powers that be now keep Thailand on am even keel.

"Thankfully, the powers that be self-serving elite now keep Thailand on am even keel under their heal."

 

Democracy be damned, right?

[Eric Loh]

38 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

Asian Tigers. I remember them. A gigantic credit fuelled asset bubble that imploded in 1997. I haven't heard that term used since, although while we're on the subject of credit fuelled asset bubbles, the West looks so very vulnerable to a similar bust right now. 

 

Anyway, there are no more Asian tigers. Thailand hasn't done too badly since that bust though. It's got a growing middle class and people are much better off now than they were back then. For all its political instability, Thailand has quite a healthy balance of agriculture and industry that would make many deindustrialised western countries envious. It's tough everywhere, but Thailand's economic indicators compare favorably.

Thailand as a fifth Asian Tiger was coined much later after the 1997 financial debacle. Do read up. Try find out which year the term was coined and which government and why. You will be surprised. 

[sidneybear]

5 minutes ago, heybruce said:

"Thankfully, the powers that be self-serving elite now keep Thailand on am even keel under their heal."

 

Democracy be damned, right?

It's difficult to think of a truly democratic country anywhere in the world right now, regardless of what CNN might say. Most western countries,  for example, have a couple of main parties, propped up by huge corporate and individual donors and marketing machinery - when they get elected they then do all do exactly the same things and have identical policies that benefit them and their mates. The smaller parties are drowned out and are unable to raise sufficient funding to compete with that. It's like a cottage industry trying to compete with Coca Cola.

 

Yet, despite its democratic failings, the West always stomps around the world, wagging its collective finger and lecturing other countries that have their own culture and systems of government. It's a giant sized hypocrisy, designed by the west to keep the rest of the world under its steel boot.

[sidneybear]

3 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Thailand as a fifth Asian Tiger was coined much later after the 1997 financial debacle. Do read up. Try find out which year the term was coined and which government and why. You will be surprised. 

Well anyway, we're into the etymology of where the term Asian Tigers was coined. Regardless, Thailand has a robust economy that is the envy of its so called superiors.

[MrMojoRisin]

1 hour ago, sidneybear said:

Asian Tigers. I remember them. A gigantic credit fuelled asset bubble that imploded in 1997. I haven't heard that term used since, although while we're on the subject of credit fuelled asset bubbles, the West looks so very vulnerable to a similar bust right now. 

 

Anyway, there are no more Asian tigers. Thailand hasn't done too badly since that bust though. It's got a growing middle class and people are much better off now than they were back then. For all its political instability, Thailand has quite a healthy balance of agriculture and industry that would make many deindustrialised western countries envious. It's tough everywhere, but Thailand's economic indicators compare favorably.

Yeah, once again, you are completely wrong.

 

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, sidneybear said:

It's difficult to think of a truly democratic country anywhere in the world right now, regardless of what CNN might say. Most western countries,  for example, have a couple of main parties, propped up by huge corporate and individual donors and marketing machinery - when they get elected they then do all do exactly the same things and have identical policies that benefit them and their mates. The smaller parties are drowned out and are unable to raise sufficient funding to compete with that. It's like a cottage industry trying to compete with Coca Cola.

 

Yet, despite its democratic failings, the West always stomps around the world, wagging its collective finger and lecturing other countries that have their own culture and systems of government. It's a giant sized hypocrisy, designed by the west to keep the rest of the world under its steel boot.

Still trying to deflect to the west.

 

The Thai people should have a say in how they are governed.  Elections is how that is accomplished.  There are many forms of democracy and none are perfect, but all are better than the "traditional" autocracy you favor for Thailand.  Staging coups whenever the elected government upsets the elites is not a tradition worth keeping.

[zzaa09]

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

You like to give an example of a democratic country without criminal, corruption, abuse of power and vote buying. 

Such an example doesn't exist.

Never has.

[sidneybear]

50 minutes ago, MrMojoRisin said:

Yeah, once again, you are completely wrong.

 

Ever since I first started living in Thailand, back in 1990, there have been all these prophesies of doom, that Thailand was going to hell in a handcart, from all these culture shocked farangs. Here we are, in 2023, and life goes on. Thailand has come a long way, and will continue to prosper. 

[MrMojoRisin]

5 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

Ever since I first started living in Thailand, back in 1990, there have been all these prophesies of doom, that Thailand was going to hell in a handcart, from all these culture shocked farangs. Here we are, in 2023, and life goes on. Thailand has come a long way, and will continue to prosper. 

The economy hasn’t collapsed, but it has most certainly underperformed due to incompetent and corrupt coup leadership. How silly are you? Willing to accept third rate results so long as your bigoted views are dictated to the masses by usurpers. Talk about cutting of your nose to spite your face.

????????????

The Thailand you imagine does not exist anymore, the people are wiser and your type of nonsense has been consigned to the history bin.

Good riddance.

[sidneybear]

3 minutes ago, MrMojoRisin said:

The economy hasn’t collapsed, but it has most certainly underperformed due to incompetent and corrupt coup leadership. How silly are you? Willing to accept third rate results so long as your bigoted views are dictated to the masses by usurpers. Talk about cutting of your nose to spite your face.

????????????

The Thailand you imagine does not exist anymore, the people are wiser and your type of nonsense has been consigned to the history bin.

Good riddance.

Now you're just resorting to ad hominem attacks and rudeness, because you've lost the argument. 

[MrMojoRisin]

15 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

Now you're just resorting to ad hominem attacks and rudeness, because you've lost the argument. 

I see you win arguments the same way Prayuth wins elections????????????

[h90]

18 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

You like to give an example of a democratic country without criminal, corruption, abuse of power and vote buying. 

I never heard of vote buying in Europe.....And from time to time when politician got cough being criminal or corrupt they get jailed. Austria had a former minister who got recorded being corrupt going to jail, most probably he couldn't flee to Dubai.