58 minutes ago, Mr Derek said:

It was my phrase. It's realism. (And since you mention it, Russia is managing its society rather better than the US in which everybody hates each other and mass murderers run amok). Give the people too much freedom and you get chaos and degeneracy - in any society. There's always need for discipline - some countries fall apart without it. My point is that Thailand has ticked along quite well under Prayut so don't rejoice that he's going. The country has been fairly stable. It could be a whole lot worse.

 

Westerners egocentrically think that because they have grown up with liberal democracy (after centuries of hard work developing it) then so should the rest of the world quite suddenly - and they try and impose in on everyone else. The result in many countries is a hornet's nest because their societies are not adapted to it. I have little confidence that Thailand will run any better under liberal democracy - sure there are more checks and balances (in theory), but that doesn't prevent eternal chaos and instability.   

How do you work out that too much freedom leads to chaos and degeneracy? Is this some new entropic law?

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy

 

How can you make such statements? Based on what? Your own observations, or those of political scientists down the ages?

 

Are you in the queue to get into Russia, home of today's well managed society? A falling into the bog shed half buried in the melting Siberian permafrost, or a log cabin in Oregon? Anyone arguing for Russia should consider carefully what they're trying to sell. Go check it out. You'll probably be arrested for spying and never make it out.

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

It's always possible that his successor, whomever that may be, could make things worse. Would everyone prefer Anutin? Prawit? Does Pita look all that competent in light of the "media shares" fiasco? My only interest in Thai politics is the hope that whoever is in charge just leaves Immigration alone and doesn't change anything. Otherwise, I just want a safe trip to Foodland and back and an easy walk around the village.

Pita can still be PM without being an MP.

More like politics quit him.

48 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Pita can still be PM without being an MP.

correct  but Pita is a MP

Good.  I wish him the best in retirement.  It's a good thing to know when to quit.

Just now, connda said:

Good.  I wish him the best in retirement.  It's a good thing to know when to quit.

Now - Khun "It's My Dead Friends Watches?"  

There's a leech that need to have a salt bath.

Could have done this 8 years ago. Would have been better for the world. W*anchor.

6 hours ago, h90 said:

do well as in economic means people have good food, good education, good medical care, have a car, have a house with air condition, have safety....doing well as in economically means doing well in everything. And good economic always creates more freedom as well (looking at China I have some doubts at the moment....but long term they are now more free than in the past)

I am presuming you have been to these countrys and seen all this good living,   well i have  and i must have worn blinkers  becuse the average joe does Not have this,  if it is as you say why are you not there ????  sorry to say but you are smoking some thing or dreaming  you need to prove all this or i think you can class this as a troll post

Little the Junta and later Chan Ocha have done has affected us foreigners, but the  average Thai, has had to put up with this,

Our children have not been locked up for protesting against an illicit government - remember the outside world has the widely held belief that the 2019 election was a corrupt sham and that the election result was stolen from the real winners. The coupists Constitution was designed to prevent any other prime minister or party ousting the military-heavy government and peace was only restored due to the terror inspired by the constant crackdowns on dissent which had become well-nigh eradicated.

Section 112 and loose laws on computer crime etc have served the outgoing government well in exerting control, while under their incompetant mismanaging the country now has the biggest personal debt world wide, and air pollution was the world's worst in Chaing Mai recently while the government did - nothing!

Drought and flood were pressing needs but we are now warned about an El Nino drought for the coming year, and 18 separate dissenting water management agencies are unable to agree or cooperate on any solution. Farmers burn bio-waste in fields next door to police stations who simply close their windows and turn on the air-con and police corruption is reckoned to be at an all time high. 

As I said - bad air and the high price of energy, especially considering Thailand boasts of 50% over capacity and owning oil wells in the gulf demonstrating the hi-so elites control of basics while the equality gap worsens year on year. I hope the MFP coalition and Pita succeed this time and that the army are constrained against yet another coup and forced to relinquish their businesses - armies should not be involved in sports businesses, nor in drugs, people trafficking etc as they with police are reputed to be. 

The Thai people deserve far better than they have been allowed by successive corrupe military coups!

33 minutes ago, Otter3737 said:

correct  but Pita is a MP

Not if the CC says so.

6 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Not if the CC says so.

But they have not said anything yet so he is a MP

13 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

WTF?

 

China has a million Uyghur people in concentration camps, they harvest human organs and have created an all encompassing dystopian surveillance state.

 

Are you nuts?

To answer your question - yes. 

13 hours ago, Otter3737 said:

I am presuming you have been to these countrys and seen all this good living,   well i have  and i must have worn blinkers  becuse the average joe does Not have this,  if it is as you say why are you not there ????  sorry to say but you are smoking some thing or dreaming  you need to prove all this or i think you can class this as a troll post

you have seen the income increase in these countries? Do you see the Chinese tourists in Thailand? Did you see the cities?

You can all believe that they have nothing and there are less developed areas but there is a grow of 5-10% over many years

The Fat ???? has left the building but for how long. 

Anyway cashed up  to the max  hes  sitting pretty 

Life a luxury and some pretty good contacts. 

Lifes good for the ???? 

 

 

21 hours ago, bradiston said:

How do you work out that too much freedom leads to chaos and degeneracy? Is this some new entropic law?

 

It just takes some understanding of human nature - actually, common sense. Without sufficient discipline society falls apart - drug use, hooliganism, gangsterism, falling populations, crass and non-productive behaviour in general etc. 

For an example: the EU, which is in the process of dismantling culture - the thing that keeps society together. The results are obvious and disastrous.

 

My point is that Thailand had better retain some of its conservatism in order to defend its culture so the country had better step carefully rather than rush headlong into some utopian idea of 'democracy' into which you seem to propel it.