21 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

And the BBC isn't left wing. It can hardly get any more left wing.

Oh and if you think labour will get re-elected then you are living in cloud cuckoo land.

No idea why you have partially/selectively included me within the above post. No idea whatsoever. You may want to re-read my post. Also, you seem to wildly contradict yourself in the first two sentences. Which is it?

7 hours ago, TedG said:

What I stated is a statement of fact.

So is the Bible. A massive 66 books of mythological facts.

On 4/9/2026 at 9:53 PM, mordothailand said:

i wish they would do it the thai way,

not a single baht to any foreigner until said foreigner has proved he is a contributer rather than a leach on society,

by first paying tax 5 years before becoming eliglible for citizenship and then subsidized healthcare, rent support etc.

thais dont resent foreigners for the specific reason we are not a burden, but an income.

westerners resent immigrants for the specific reason they almost invariably are a burden from day 1.

do you see how politics can and will cause resentment ?

And you don't think foreigners are a burden on Thai society, taking everything and giving nowt in return, pretty much same same as foreigners to UK. Look at the millions of baht spent on policing the latest invasion of potheads the past 3 years, unpaid hospital bills cos they are all skint living on the bones of their arse, working and no WP paying no tax or SS, taking jobs from Thais, constantly moaning how crap Thailand is...think about it 👍

On 4/9/2026 at 9:55 PM, PhilipHabib said:

I could probably swim the English Channel but why would I ?

England is bloody Pakistan now

Racist hyperbole. Approximately 2.5% to 2.7% of the total UK population is of Pakistani origin.

21 hours ago, nick supreme said:

Western nations could benefit from exploring the principles of Wahhabism and Sharia law. Approaching these ideas with an open mind may lead to valuable insights and a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives.

Ah, exploring the principles of Wahhabism and Shariah.

I'm all for public executions, requiring women under 21 to get permission from a male guardian to apply for a passport, stoning or flogging adulterers, imprisoning LGBT individuals, allowing unilateral divorce.

Mind you, it's not all bad:

Married women are required to obey their husbands in a “reasonable manner.” A husband’s financial support is specifically contingent on a wife’s “obedience,” and she can lose her right to such support if she refuses without a “legitimate excuse” to have sex with him, move to or live in the marital home, or travel with him.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/08/saudi-arabia-law-enshrines-male-guardianship

21 hours ago, nick supreme said:

Western nations could benefit from exploring the principles of Wahhabism and Sharia law. Approaching these ideas with an open mind may lead to valuable insights and a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives.

If you are married nick i pray that your wife wears a niqab and or a burka.

Right ? That way she has a deeper understanding of sharia law

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

So is the Bible. A massive 66 books of mythological facts.

Your entire posting history mirrors the bible.

4 hours ago, baansgr said:

And you don't think foreigners are a burden on Thai society, taking everything and giving nowt in return, pretty much same same as foreigners to UK. Look at the millions of baht spent on policing the latest invasion of potheads the past 3 years, unpaid hospital bills cos they are all skint living on the bones of their arse, working and no WP paying no tax or SS, taking jobs from Thais, constantly moaning how crap Thailand is...think about it 👍

Weed is legal here not only because of foreigners but for the locals, who smoke it and sell it, so the money stays here. If they're working how are they skint?

Some work illegally yes, but the amount isn't that much. And when they take a Thai's job, they're usually busted pretty quick, as there are rats all over who dislike foreigners and are quick to point them out if they're working illegally.

And all foreigners spend much of their money here monthly, more than the average local by far, so they are contributing to society, meaning paying businesses of all sorts, helping them stay afloat. What burden would they have on Thai society, as many are taking care of women and children, along with that buying power.

3 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

Ah, exploring the principles of Wahhabism and Shariah.

I'm all for public executions, requiring women under 21 to get permission from a male guardian to apply for a passport, stoning or flogging adulterers, imprisoning LGBT individuals, allowing unilateral divorce.

Mind you, it's not all bad:

Married women are required to obey their husbands in a “reasonable manner.” A husband’s financial support is specifically contingent on a wife’s “obedience,” and she can lose her right to such support if she refuses without a “legitimate excuse” to have sex with him, move to or live in the marital home, or travel with him.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/08/saudi-arabia-law-enshrines-male-guardianship

Does that include stoning male cheaters?

2 hours ago, rickudon said:

George, you are a moron and know nothing about the UK. 70 million people live on an Island (actually a group of islands) less than one third the size of New South Wales. We do not need more immigrants, it is hard enough to buy a house already. We actually need emigration to reduce the population, the infrastructure is unable to support 70 million people and the environment is in a bad shape, most wildlife is in decline.

I am not against a low level of migration, but it has to be people the UK needs. We do not need one million poorly educated Indians and Africans every year (courtesy of the previous Conservative government). Yes GDP goes up, but GDP per capita is decreasing.

Diversity - there is plenty - probably more than Australia. But nothing like all the racists on here think - England and Wales is still 80% white, 10% Asian, 4% Black African, 3% mixed and only 0.6% Arab. As for religion, only 6.5% are Muslims. I have done my bit for diversity, all my kids are mixed race.

The problem with immigrants is that most tend to live in large cities, so are more 'visible'. Also cultural differences. Integration is a generational thing, it takes time. Also the right wing media play up the problems and fears of the white Britons - my son was complaining today that while he was walking down a road in a country town with his girlfriend, a white middle aged woman coming the other way clutched her purse to her chest and gave them a wide berth - they were more afraid of being racially abused by her

19 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Weed is legal here not only because of foreigners but for the locals, who smoke it and sell it, so the money stays here. If they're working how are they skint?

Some work illegally yes, but the amount isn't that much. And when they take a Thai's job, they're usually busted pretty quick, as there are rats all over who dislike foreigners and are quick to point them out if they're working illegally.

And all foreigners spend much of their money here monthly, more than the average local by far, so they are contributing to society, meaning paying businesses of all sorts, helping them stay afloat. What burden would they have on Thai society, as many are taking care of women and children, along with that buying power.

I think you only need to look at FB pages to see the thousands of yoga teachers, real estate, health entrepreneurs, nannies and many other foreigners that are obviously working illegally...not one cent paid in tax...then you have the hundreds weekly idiots fighting, thieving and causing untold mayhem...who pays for the policing and emergency workers...Thais..so again no contribution from foreigners. Have a look at recent arrivals from UK...you have far right extremists and some on bail in UK stirring up hate and telling Thais to F off...all on student or DTV visas, so again no contribution. Maybe from your living room you are oblious to what is actually happening.

1 minute ago, baansgr said:

I think you only need to look at FB pages to see the thousands of yoga teachers, real estate, health entrepreneurs, nannies and many other foreigners that are obviously working illegally...not one cent paid in tax...then you have the hundreds weekly idiots fighting, thieving and causing untold mayhem...who pays for the policing and emergency workers...Thais..so again no contribution from foreigners. Have a look at recent arrivals from UK...you have far right extremists and some on bail in UK stirring up hate and telling Thais to F off...all on student or DTV visas, so again no contribution. Maybe from your living room you are oblious to what is actually happening.

1 minute ago, baansgr said:

I don't believe anything unless it's proven. Thousands of people post thousands of things on FB to show off. That doesn't mean they're true. People who work illegally here get busted every week,and I'm thinking you are exaggerating things saying you've seen thousands talking about working illegally here, as that's not something any smart person would admit to. Remember, 99% of all crime here is done by locals, even though there are foreigners who act like morons here.

What I stated was true. ALL foreigners living or visiting here contribute to Thai society, paying the people who most need it. The businesses. Maybe I know a little more than you think, seeing I do look at stats and have been researching daily on things I'm interested in since I've had internet.

Assuming people are living in basements, living rooms, in mom's spare room, and know nothing, are assumptions, as you know nothing about what anyone on earth is doing besides yourself.

1 hour ago, TedG said:

Your entire posting history mirrors the bible.

Oh my. You don't know utterly disheartening that is. I was hoping it would be more akin to Tolstoy's War and Peace.

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

Oh my. You don't know utterly disheartening that is. I was hoping it would be more akin to Tolstoy's War and Peace.

It’s more like a Dr Seuss.

On 4/10/2026 at 12:44 AM, blaze master said:

And to further that. I am trans racial and identify as a thai. Are you denying my right to exist ?

Certainly nobody is denying your right to self-identify, label or pigeonhole.

As my non-existent paternal great uncle never advised, "You gotta be sumthin' son, or else you're nuthin'."

7 minutes ago, TedG said:

It’s more like a Dr Seuss.

Yes, that's it. Thanks Enid Blyton.

5 hours ago, baansgr said:

And you don't think foreigners are a burden on Thai society, taking everything and giving nowt in return, pretty much same same as foreigners to UK. Look at the millions of baht spent on policing the latest invasion of potheads the past 3 years, unpaid hospital bills cos they are all skint living on the bones of their arse, working and no WP paying no tax or SS, taking jobs from Thais, constantly moaning how crap Thailand is...think about it 👍

...and moaning on this forum about them.

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

...and moaning on this forum about them.

+1

On 4/9/2026 at 9:36 PM, georgegeorgia said:

I was listening to the ABC Radio last night whilst mopping the stairway ,

For those who are not academic, the ABC is I guess equivalent to the BBC , only the ABC is very left wing opinionated

I am quite fascinated by the City of Glasgow in Scotland

I was quite sad listening to the way some people are treating the refugees who go there for a better life

Although one group has started a charity to help these poor people

My question to you are you personally against immigration to your country

I found it sad and difficult to watch all those poor refugees being stopped at that wall in the USA

Are the left wing correct when they say the "racists" anti immigration are actually in the minority but just shout the loudest ?

In fact there is many in the UK who want immigration they want more refugees, and these are English people who have lived generations there

I did recently watch a current affairs show where a man who was a member of the pro immigration group became a hypocrite when his country village was marked for development and tear down the old houses for factories and he started complaining, however hypocrites are everywhere!

.the UK people need to get with the times , build more factories ,more apartments etc , there is plenty of land to build

I personally believe that the UK government will be re elected , yes , I believe so , despite the loud mouths against the beautiful UK PM Kyle Starmer who lives helping people

.Are you for refugees or against?

Oh there's no need for racism please

I am a 69 year old refugee from America living in Thailand for 13 years now. In 2013 I could no longer stand what the US was turning into, and it has nothing to do with left wing or right wing. It has to do with morality and the fundamental principles upon which the country was founded in 1776 and codified into the constitution and bill of rights. I came to Thailand to escape the dumpster fire of hate lit by MAGA, to spend the rest of my days in peace among happy people.

The US is a country born of and built by the blood sweat and tears of immigrants. There is not a single American save the Indians who is not descended from immigrants. Unfortunately racist white supremacists have taken over the powers of government whose agenda is now the ethnic cleansing and purging of all non white Americans and immigrants. Trump has made ICE immigration enforcement into his private gestapo army committing violence and murder at his behest. So if I were to be against immigration, as a person (last name Field) directly descended from English immigrants, I would be against our democracy and my own life in the US and of my ancestors. It is the most obscene hypocrisy for any American to be against LEGAL, and I stress LEGAL, immigration, or the rights of legitimate refugees escaping murder and genocide in their own countries.

What does it say on the statue of liberty? The statue deemed The Mother Of Exiles? The statue that was built and dedicated in 1886 as a beacon of freedom and democracy to the entire world? Are freedom and democracy "left wing"? Are civil and constitutional rights "left wing"? What did we inscribe on that statue in the words of New York poet Emma Lazarus as a message to all (emphasis on the second verse)?

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

To be against immigration is to be a traitor to the principles upon which America was founded, principles originally embraced by all regardless of political beliefs, because EVERYONE recognized that we were, and are, a nation of immigrants, the UNITED states of America.

Regarding ABC and your "perception" of left wing bias.

ABC is a private network news media mega corporation, owned by Disney, whose only real bias is their greed, ratings, and ad revenue, just like every other news outlet. ABC is not "opinionated". You have various commentators whose JOB it is to be "opinionated" because duh. Newscasters are not commentators, commentators are not newscasters, although commentary is BASED on news. Commentators are hired based on their qualifications, ratings, popularity, and audience. In other words, they are hired based on the revenue stream they bring to the corporation. The popularity of commentators is based on what viewers like and approve of. What that means is that the perspective of these commentators is widely valued and supported by a large segment of the viewing public. Commentary has always been an integral part of news and politics. Its purpose is to make people think and promote dialog, not to promote a biased perspective. You may think they're biased, but what they say is fact based, they draw their conclusions from a logical analysis of those facts, not made up or fabricated. Many are actual trained licensed attorneys who bring legal credentials to what they say. You may not draw the same conclusions from the same set of facts, but facts are still facts. ABC /Disney themselves and the others don't care one whit about any issues at all one way or the other. They are NOTHING like the BBC. They have nothing to do with the government.

The present administration has been using the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as a goon squad to threaten networks with loss of licenses if they don't swing to the right in their programming and commentary. They succeeded in cancelling Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel because of their Anti Trump jokes and opinions. Kimmel was successful in humiliating his network into reinstating him after public outcry.

For the most part bias is in the eye of the beholder. To most people anything that doesn't agree with them is biased. If you're right wing anything that isn't right wing will be left wing to you. So let me ask - why do you have to boil things down into left/right? Why do you have to categorize everything into A, B, or C? In reality the world is composed of infinite shades of grey. The world does not fall neatly into your categorization of "left/right", and therein lies the problem of divisiveness, which is the real problem. Not the issues, they are not the problem - allowing ourselves to be divided against each other is the real problem. Hence the current climate of hostility against brown skinned non white immigrants. "Us" the white MAGA government and their cult of followers, vs "them" the brown skinned immigrants.

Uploading Attachment...

9 hours ago, baansgr said:

And you don't think foreigners are a burden on Thai society, taking everything and giving nowt in return, pretty much same same as foreigners to UK. Look at the millions of baht spent on policing the latest invasion of potheads the past 3 years, unpaid hospital bills cos they are all skint living on the bones of their arse, working and no WP paying no tax or SS, taking jobs from Thais, constantly moaning how crap Thailand is...think about it 👍

overall, foreigners are not a burden, but an income for thailand, or we would be banned from enter.

there are a few foreigners that die in thai hospitals and consequently cant pay the bill, but those are rare cases, anomalies even, in an otherwise steady stream of income, and are better viewed as the cost of doing business.

no nothing like same same in UK or anywhere else in northern europe, where taxes are stolen and handed over to immigrants from day 1 for shelter, healthcare, language education, etc etc ad infinitum

On 4/9/2026 at 9:36 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Are you against immigration?

Whilst many have issues with them I have found the immi peeps at swampy to be very nice people, service with a wai.

51 minutes ago, mordothailand said:

overall, foreigners are not a burden, but an income for thailand, or we would be banned from enter.

there are a few foreigners that die in thai hospitals and consequently cant pay the bill, but those are rare cases, anomalies even, in an otherwise steady stream of income, and are better viewed as the cost of doing business.

no nothing like same same in UK or anywhere else in northern europe, where taxes are stolen and handed over to immigrants from day 1 for shelter, healthcare, language education, etc etc ad infinitum

But the main argument about foreigners going to UK is they don't pay tax and leach on the system....most foreigners from UK the past 3 years

are doing exactly the same here... hypocritical little Nazis, they don't like anyone that isn't white, they don't pay tax, they just cause fights, mayhem and stir up racial hatred while all along making out they are living the high life on social media whereas they are dossing in 7,000 a month condos, parasites the lot of em..it's all over social media.

There's 2 things that I can't stand. They are racial discrimination and Indian trash that sully our wonderful family orientated city.

On 4/9/2026 at 9:53 PM, mordothailand said:

i wish they would do it the thai way,

not a single baht to any foreigner until said foreigner has proved he is a contributer rather than a leach on society,

by first paying tax 5 years before becoming eliglible for citizenship and then subsidized healthcare, rent support etc.

thais dont resent foreigners for the specific reason we are not a burden, but an income.

westerners resent immigrants for the specific reason they almost invariably are a burden from day 1.

do you see how politics can and will cause resentment ?

"by first paying tax 5 years before becoming eliglible for citizenship and then subsidized healthcare, rent support etc."

I guesss this is your attempt (your hope) to invent a Thai citizenship process.

Certainly a radical apraoch given the traditional process: work with work permits to contribute somethig real and valuable to society and more.

I have Thai PR (28 yers already) I got asked by a US husband and wife 'how many years do you have to live in Thailand to automtically get Thai PR?

They refused to believe that Thai PR is not based on time in country, and also asked 'why aren't these thinsg all based on US processes?

On 4/10/2026 at 7:06 AM, SAFETY FIRST said:

That's exactly what the Australian government wants, the Muslims are doing this.

The Muslims arrive, they marry 2 or 3 women, have loads of children and drain the welfare system. They don't contribute anything to the economy

Let me share that I do believe in some level of socialism (free / veryclose to free) national world class health care, big support for quality education for all, share the wealth, some support when it's difficult to find work, help to buy a home and more...

2 hours ago, baansgr said:

But the main argument about foreigners going to UK is they don't pay tax and leach on the system....most foreigners from UK the past 3 years

are doing exactly the same here... hypocritical little Nazis, they don't like anyone that isn't white, they don't pay tax, they just cause fights, mayhem and stir up racial hatred while all along making out they are living the high life on social media whereas they are dossing in 7,000 a month condos, parasites the lot of em..it's all over social media.

ok. what i find offensive is that goverment spend on them,

not that they arent paying taxes, because swedish government hand out allowances to them so work they do not,

their only income to pay for them self is subsidies paid for by swedish workers

On 4/10/2026 at 3:15 AM, nexus7 said:

er...The BBC is pretty left-wing too!

Yeah right. Do you mean the “left-wing” BBC that employs Laura Keunssberg, Fiona Bruce and gives disproportionately more air time to Farridge than the leader of the party which has 15 times as many MPs as Farridge’s party.

Ah, that “left-wing “ BBC eh?

On 4/10/2026 at 3:15 AM, nexus7 said:

er...The BBC is pretty left-wing too!

14 hours ago, Purdey said:

Racist hyperbole. Approximately 2.5% to 2.7% of the total UK population is of Pakistani origin.

Back up?

18 hours ago, Keeps said:

No idea why you have partially/selectively included me within the above post. No idea whatsoever. You may want to re-read my post. Also, you seem to wildly contradict yourself in the first two sentences. Which is it?

Attached to your post in error. I don't see why you think there is a contradiction. 2024 with the Tories hated Labour scraped a 1% increase in their total votes. Now they Labour are universally hated.

1 hour ago, Red Forever said:

Yeah right. Do you mean the “left-wing” BBC that employs Laura Keunssberg, Fiona Bruce and gives disproportionately more air time to Farridge than the leader of the party which has 15 times as many MPs as Farridge’s party.

Ah, that “left-wing “ BBC eh?

You think the BBC are giving Reform so much coverage because the BBC is right wing? They are doing it to try and discredit Reform.

6 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

I am a 69 year old refugee from America living in Thailand for 13 years now. In 2013 I could no longer stand what the US was turning into, and it has nothing to do with left wing or right wing. It has to do with morality and the fundamental principles upon which the country was founded in 1776 and codified into the constitution and bill of rights. I came to Thailand to escape the dumpster fire of hate lit by MAGA, to spend the rest of my days in peace among happy people.

The US is a country born of and built by the blood sweat and tears of immigrants. There is not a single American save the Indians who is not descended from immigrants. Unfortunately racist white supremacists have taken over the powers of government whose agenda is now the ethnic cleansing and purging of all non white Americans and immigrants. Trump has made ICE immigration enforcement into his private gestapo army committing violence and murder at his behest. So if I were to be against immigration, as a person (last name Field) directly descended from English immigrants, I would be against our democracy and my own life in the US and of my ancestors. It is the most obscene hypocrisy for any American to be against LEGAL, and I stress LEGAL, immigration, or the rights of legitimate refugees escaping murder and genocide in their own countries.

What does it say on the statue of liberty? The statue deemed The Mother Of Exiles? The statue that was built and dedicated in 1886 as a beacon of freedom and democracy to the entire world? Are freedom and democracy "left wing"? Are civil and constitutional rights "left wing"? What did we inscribe on that statue in the words of New York poet Emma Lazarus as a message to all (emphasis on the second verse)?

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

To be against immigration is to be a traitor to the principles upon which America was founded, principles originally embraced by all regardless of political beliefs, because EVERYONE recognized that we were, and are, a nation of immigrants, the UNITED states of America.

Regarding ABC and your "perception" of left wing bias.

ABC is a private network news media mega corporation, owned by Disney, whose only real bias is their greed, ratings, and ad revenue, just like every other news outlet. ABC is not "opinionated". You have various commentators whose JOB it is to be "opinionated" because duh. Newscasters are not commentators, commentators are not newscasters, although commentary is BASED on news. Commentators are hired based on their qualifications, ratings, popularity, and audience. In other words, they are hired based on the revenue stream they bring to the corporation. The popularity of commentators is based on what viewers like and approve of. What that means is that the perspective of these commentators is widely valued and supported by a large segment of the viewing public. Commentary has always been an integral part of news and politics. Its purpose is to make people think and promote dialog, not to promote a biased perspective. You may think they're biased, but what they say is fact based, they draw their conclusions from a logical analysis of those facts, not made up or fabricated. Many are actual trained licensed attorneys who bring legal credentials to what they say. You may not draw the same conclusions from the same set of facts, but facts are still facts. ABC /Disney themselves and the others don't care one whit about any issues at all one way or the other. They are NOTHING like the BBC. They have nothing to do with the government.

The present administration has been using the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as a goon squad to threaten networks with loss of licenses if they don't swing to the right in their programming and commentary. They succeeded in cancelling Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel because of their Anti Trump jokes and opinions. Kimmel was successful in humiliating his network into reinstating him after public outcry.

For the most part bias is in the eye of the beholder. To most people anything that doesn't agree with them is biased. If you're right wing anything that isn't right wing will be left wing to you. So let me ask - why do you have to boil things down into left/right? Why do you have to categorize everything into A, B, or C? In reality the world is composed of infinite shades of grey. The world does not fall neatly into your categorization of "left/right", and therein lies the problem of divisiveness, which is the real problem. Not the issues, they are not the problem - allowing ourselves to be divided against each other is the real problem. Hence the current climate of hostility against brown skinned non white immigrants. "Us" the white MAGA government and their cult of followers, vs "them" the brown skinned immigrants.

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Regarding ABC and your "perception" of left wing bias.

ABC is a private network news media mega corporation, owned by Disney, whose only real bias is their greed, ratings, and ad revenue, just like every other news outlet. ABC is not "opinionated

The ABC referred to is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Nothing to do with the USA or Disney. And yes they are very left wing.

Believe it or not, there is a big world outside the USA.