50 Baht To The Pound..the Dream Is Over..!

[britmaveric]

As for Thai bank managers, hmm, well, I'm not sure... =

and the tourist fairy tale as well as the "crashing" Baht makes me yawn since more than two years

I'd have to agree if the baht has burned yet after all the sh*te in the last 5yrs I'm quite confident prob won't happen.

[personchester]

Sorry but how much arrogance can someone have to think that because some 65 years ago the brits saved Europe that now Europe has to pay this back to the UK?

Isn't this amateurish?

You do not seem to understand the issue, Europe does not make the pension payments, the payments would/will have to be made by the British government, Europe's High Court of Human Rights (situated in Strasbourg) provides the judgments on matters affecting all 27 EU member states, and since this case is applicable to Britain (a EU member) Britain

has to accept the judgment and make the requested payment.

Yes, I am sorry to say your reply was rather amateurish.

[mommysboy]

Thought I would save build and retire to Thailand, seems the pound has found it's true value. Let's face it, the UK produces and manufactures nothing of any great use to the outside world. Is my dream really over...?

I can think of a few other places that do not produce much - if you are talking about manufacture. Hong Kong and Singapore. I doubt all these countries will implode just like I doubt the UK will implode. We led the industrial revolution and are capable of leading the post-industrial revolution too.

" We led the industrial revolution" . Please do not put the UK and the USA economies in the same sentence.

The USA is the technical,medical,educational center for the world. At least we produce something. What claim to fame does the UK have? " O" yes, you produce pomposity by the train load.

LOOK MATE, OTHERS HAVE SAID IT, I'M SAYING IT, YOU SEEM TO BE ON THE WRONG THREAD, JUST SLING YER FOOKIN HUCK !!

[mommysboy]

To my mind this is not about fundamentals at all, but yes sometimes 'subjective' factors have their run too, had it not have been you'd never have seen 80 baht to the pound or whatever and 70 plus for some time, and now we have reverse. Som 50 for some time and perhaps my worst case scenario of 45.

But try and assess the fundamentals of the Thai economy and you'll most likely end up in a very sorry state. As usual, it's a case of what you want to believe, eg, last week the deputy of BOT states Thai bt. is overvalued, 2 days later the Gov. says it's in line. I mean, sorry but that's the sort of thing that makes people feel crazy, and thoroughly in keeping with the territory.

So all you can do is concentrate on UK fundamentals and you'll see (with the exception of those determined to see what they want) that it is, no more no less much the same as all other major economies.

I think most detractors need to just do a little browsing on the subject of GDP and it's composition, could be in for a surprise, I mean ship building and railways have were last century's big thing.itish, it's anb attitude thing as much as the passport, scum!

I'd prefer some peoplee on this thread no refer to themselves as Br

It's actually OK for different people from the same country to have differing or opposing views, in fact it's extremely healthy - having different views on a range of subjects concerning the motherland doesn't make any of those people less patriotic. These debates for me are all about trying to identify and understand all of the facts and secondly having an ability to take an informed unemotional view on those facts. Suggesting that some Brits are scum and preferring they not hold the same passport as you, just because their understanding of UK manufacturing output is one thing and you understand something different, is hardly sensible - far better I think to contribute facts to the debate until the correct answer surfaces naturally. And on that point, try these by way of GDP comparisons:

"As per data of financial year 2007, 0.9 percent of United Kingdom's GDP is made up of agriculture sector and 23.4 percent is made up of industrial sector. Services sector of United Kingdom contributed 75.7 percent of gross domestic product in financial year 2007".

Whereas by contrast, Thai GDP looks like this:

"GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.6%, industry: 45.1%, services: 43.3% (2008 est.)"

Criticism that might well be justified were it not for the fact that the poster produces some of the most biased postings on the Thai/UK comparison threads. Treasonous......

[personchester]

Thought I would save build and retire to Thailand, seems the pound has found it's true value. Let's face it, the UK produces and manufactures nothing of any great use to the outside world. Is my dream really over...?

I can think of a few other places that do not produce much - if you are talking about manufacture. Hong Kong and Singapore. I doubt all these countries will implode just like I doubt the UK will implode. We led the industrial revolution and are capable of leading the post-industrial revolution too.

" We led the industrial revolution" . Please do not put the UK and the USA economies in the same sentence.

The USA is the technical,medical,educational center for the world. At least we produce something. What claim to fame does the UK have? " O" yes, you produce pomposity by the train load.

LOOK MATE, OTHERS HAVE SAID IT, I'M SAYING IT, YOU SEEM TO BE ON THE WRONG THREAD, JUST SLING YER FOOKIN HUCK !!

The original thread was somewhat dull, but due to responses has developed into a more interesting debate, if you do not like, fine ... ignore it, may I also say that using capital letters entirely in one's script (as you did) is view distorting, and therefore not recommendable.

[david96]

The AUD is about 0.92 to the USD at the moment, in 2001 it fell to 0.47 to the USD.

With a high dollar exporters lose importers gain.

With a low dollar importers lose and exporters gain.

Interest rates are on the rise again in Australia the first of the G20 countries to do so.

In Thailand with the THB and you are remitting USD you will gain at 35THB/USD and you will loose at eg, 30THB/USD but reverse the transaction and it will be the opposite. Remember when it fell from 25 to 50 to the USD in 1997. If you wanted to buy USD it cost 50THB but if you bought THB with USD you received 50THB.

Currencies float, but some are overvalued. Some are undervalued. Who is the "market" it is not one person or entity.

I usually see the current value of a currency as a guide as the mid point of the high and low values of any given period.

[UKresonant]

Perhaps more relevant, I Expect the UK retail price Index to rapidly increase from

Oct 09 to March 2010, then dropping back slightly. Question is will the Bank of England respond with interest rate increases? Or will they rely on removal of the 2.5% VAT reduction instead? (as substitution of one or two rate increases) I think they will have to move the rates up before March 2010. So I would look for 60 baht to the pound by April 2009.

Shurely a typo error old chap.

Rates rise March 09 and the baht at 60 by April 09. Shurely, Sir you mean 2010.

"?

Yes, I did mean April 2010. my mistake, the wife was rushing me to go out and shop at 52.5 baht to the pound. (wouldn't wait till April 2010 for some reason).

[teletiger]

Naam.....give up the striving.....your rival hasn't even broken into a sweat.

"I mean ship building and railways have were last century's big thing.itish, it's anb attitude thing as much as the passport, scum!"

"The rest of your posting is drivel."

"What will happen is your pension won't last for sure, you never earned it anyway!"

"LOOK MATE, OTHERS HAVE SAID IT, I'M SAYING IT, YOU SEEM TO BE ON THE WRONG THREAD, JUST SLING YER FOOKIN HUCK !!"

"Treasonous......"

'And the mods delete my drivel.

must know people.

Regards.

[12DrinkMore]

This seems to have become the bash the UK thread.

Check out this guy, who is obviously a little overwrought, but definitely hitting the nail squarely on the head.

He responded to

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment...in-the-air.html

which I will refrain from commenting on

Labour's legacy may not be quite as poisonous as predicted, says Jeremy Warner. "

Did you actually write this with a straight face?? We shouldn't even be talking about a "recovery" especially as the "Great Gordo" eliminate3d "Boom and Bust". The recovery if it happens will take YEARS and millions of us will be clearing up Labour's crap and paying for it in raised taxes, trashed pensions, appalling savings rates and the inevitable inflation caused by raised import costs.

Just because Google has made a lot of money out of nothing and the Dow is up does not reflect the fact that we are producing nothing but hollow promises, hedge funds and moonbeams.

For God's sakes, the whole country has been conned and fleeced by that charlatan Blair and always in the background like a bad smell, moral compass swivelling wildly, Gordon Brown, the most useless, dangerous and dysfunctional man ever to allowed near the levers of power. Meanwhile, in the background, the unelected and odious Mandelson is pulling the strings for the unaccountable and contemptuous-of-democracy, EU illuminati.

Between Brown and the bunch of jealous, purse-lipped student union Trots such as Harman, Straw, Hain, Balls, Cooper, they have achieved their aim, to destroy what they hate most in this world, the United Kingdom, and ENGLAND i nparticular, as it stood in the way of their vile aqnd distorted "international".

Everything that "New" Fascist Labour has touched has been corrupted in its image. The country is no longer a free democracy, it is a Puritanical CCTV, Spook, Jobsworth and SNEAK infested, open prison.

If you seriopusly think that there is any REAL economic recovery in the air then you are either a paid up member of "New" Fascist Labour, angling for a nice stipend on a Quango, or the peerage carrot has been dangled.

Sorry to appear harsh, but I have watched as my savings are rendered worthless, my pension fund wiped out, prices soaring, petrol going statospheric, taxes crippling and that is the economic side.

The NHS despite BILLIONS hosed over it is failing those who need it most. We are suffocating in crony packed Quangos. Schools are little more than propaganda spewing daytime Holding Penitentiaries. We are being "equalized" into a terrorised and disarmed peasantry, thrown a few "benefits" while the likes of the public-schooled Harriet Harman et al, are considerably more "equal" than us.

As a once-free British Citizen, I can be criminalized for putting the wrong rubbish, MY rubbish, in the "wrong" bin, because we are in thrall to the enviro-lunatics. There are thousands of new "offences", penalties, traps, catch-alls and "tough new laws" with our DNA, fingerprints and data up for grabs from every State agency that fancies its chances.

Business and manufacturing in particular has been all but regulated out of existence with so many "rights" and "benefits" for employees that companies have decided that it isn't worth the carrot and either gone elsewhere or shut up shop.

My children have jobs but no thanks whatsoever to the nanny State and the appalling curriculum-lite "education" system. They did it themselves, no "benefits" and no strings-laden "handouts". My wife and I taught them what we were taught, reading, arithmetic, diction, common sense, manners and DISCIPLINE, which gave them the edge.

Please do not talk of recovery, it isn't possible while this disgusting Government Of All the TRAITORS, headed by the cowardly and dysfunctional Brown, is in place.

For all of us a GENERAL ELECTION cannot come quickly enough. How much more damage, how many more "landmines" in Brown's spiteful scorched earth policy before we can get rid of them like the political toxic waste that they are?

But please, do not talk of "recovery" until the necessary "political correction" has been made. Anything else is a false dawn, spin and lies.

As for that Election, do not think that by staying at home in "disgust" that this will work. What you will get is another term of "New" Fascist. Sorry folks, but there is only ONE option and that is a CONSERVATIVE government, who once again will have to clear up the mess and take the flak while the dregs of "New" fascist snipe from the safety of opposition.

And you can forget the shapeshifting Europhiles of the LibDums. While tempting that the smaller parties may be, all that will happen is that the vote will be split allowing "New" fascist Labour a possible shoo-in. It is time to wake up to the fact that socialism that has failed everywhere else, has failed and will always fail and must be finally destroyed and buried in the toxic landfill of history.

Sorry about the long rant, but this ill-informed "reportage" is both dillusional and dangerous, especially as there is no hope that the current corrupt junta are capable of running the UK and never were.

Well, that was quite a rant. I'll vote for him.

[teletiger]

Vote for him/her? Dunno about that 12. I prefer someone who's more open.

This little piece of hedge-sitting is going out on the wires. Classic.

Regards.

[teletiger]

This guy/girl should write lyrics. Pink Floyd's " a brick in the wall"?

"Schools are little more than propaganda spewing daytime Holding Penitentiaries."

Regards.

[12DrinkMore]

Vote for him/her? Dunno about that 12. I prefer someone who's more open.

This little piece of hedge-sitting is going out on the wires. Classic.

Regards.

Yep, I think he deserves a wider audience.....

[mommysboy]

Naam.....give up the striving.....your rival hasn't even broken into a sweat.

"I mean ship building and railways have were last century's big thing.itish, it's anb attitude thing as much as the passport, scum!"

"The rest of your posting is drivel."

"What will happen is your pension won't last for sure, you never earned it anyway!"

"LOOK MATE, OTHERS HAVE SAID IT, I'M SAYING IT, YOU SEEM TO BE ON THE WRONG THREAD, JUST SLING YER FOOKIN HUCK !!"

"Treasonous......"

'And the mods delete my drivel.

must know people.

Regards.

Ah great that it's acknowledged as drivel at least and good call by the mods as most of your posts seemed to be about the brown stuff as I recall, although I guess we'd all rather not.

I've had a very good week business-wise. Oddly, UK is the engine for me at the moment. Despite my political leanings I really hope UK slims down, you know cut pensions, kick out illegals, reduce benefits and that sort of thing. It really would cement a great recovery in place.

I see the pound recovered quite strongly for some reason, partly I think by the baht being pumped and dumped. The strong baht may prove to be a very bad thing, same the Euro, this factor alone could forestall any recovery.

I'll not be able to post too much if the business continues like this, I hope it does, but if not I'll be back to continue my honourable defence of the Motherland, not that it seems to need it.

[DFCarlson]

Thought I would save build and retire to Thailand, seems the pound has found it's true value. Let's face it, the UK produces and manufactures nothing of any great use to the outside world. Is my dream really over...?

Many of the comments made on this posting are rather amateurish, the USD & GBP are weak due to financial policies introduced by both countries that is to say extremly low interest rates in order stimulate the economy, that is to say create low cost business lending on the one hand, so that companies can survive the depression, and on the other promoting export in order help the economy, PR. Obama and PM. Brown have made it clear that they intent to keep their respective currency low for sometime (perhaps two years)...

i can't think of a more amateurish claim than yours

The claim that Obama is not unhappy to see the dollar fall has some truth to it. A weaker dollar makes American products cheaper overseas. This tends to reduce the trade deficit as more American products are sold beyond the borders, and helps American industries by increasing the demand for their products. This (theoretically, anyway) will help the US pull itself out of the deep recession in which it has found itself.

The weakening of the dollar can of course can be taken too far. The risk is that investors in American government bonds, which are basically financing the incredible deficit overspending, will bail out - and if that happens, you ain't seen nothin' yet. I believe that at this stage of the game the risk of this happening is relatively small, in spite of the Chinese talk about basing their investments in another currency, and the talk about valuing the price of oil in a currency other than the US dollar.

Meanwhile I just watch and adjust my computerized budget to reflect the new Thai Baht/US dollar ratio, and hope that there is a bottom to that number that will ultimately allow me to live reasonably comfortably in Thailand on my US dollar based income. I believe that since I have absolutely no influence on the curency market, that all I or anyone else can do is to watch and adjust expectations accordingly.

[mommysboy]

Thought I would save build and retire to Thailand, seems the pound has found it's true value. Let's face it, the UK produces and manufactures nothing of any great use to the outside world. Is my dream really over...?

Many of the comments made on this posting are rather amateurish, the USD & GBP are weak due to financial policies introduced by both countries that is to say extremly low interest rates in order stimulate the economy, that is to say create low cost business lending on the one hand, so that companies can survive the depression, and on the other promoting export in order help the economy, PR. Obama and PM. Brown have made it clear that they intent to keep their respective currency low for sometime (perhaps two years)...

i can't think of a more amateurish claim than yours

The claim that Obama is not unhappy to see the dollar fall has some truth to it. A weaker dollar makes American products cheaper overseas. This tends to reduce the trade deficit as more American products are sold beyond the borders, and helps American industries by increasing the demand for their products. This (theoretically, anyway) will help the US pull itself out of the deep recession in which it has found itself.

The weakening of the dollar can of course can be taken too far. The risk is that investors in American government bonds, which are basically financing the incredible deficit overspending, will bail out - and if that happens, you ain't seen nothin' yet. I believe that at this stage of the game the risk of this happening is relatively small, in spite of the Chinese talk about basing their investments in another currency, and the talk about valuing the price of oil in a currency other than the US dollar.

Meanwhile I just watch and adjust my computerized budget to reflect the new Thai Baht/US dollar ratio, and hope that there is a bottom to that number that will ultimately allow me to live reasonably comfortably in Thailand on my US dollar based income. I believe that since I have absolutely no influence on the curency market, that all I or anyone else can do is to watch and adjust expectations accordingly.

This is a good point: other currencies, eg, the pound are in the raw: stripped of any interest rate, not being a reserve currency, and bereft of investor support we see thwem as they are, but not so the dollar, yet isn't it the very fact that so many people have such a massive vested support something of a guarantee of safety? Ultimately, I see the dollar emerging untroubled, but not the baht!

[mrdome]

Regarding the person's piece "there is only ONE option and that is a CONSERVATIVE government", I find the idea that things would be so much better and different if only their preferred political party ran the show very amusing. And that outburst about MY GARBAGE shows just what type of a person s/he is. Unlimited freedom for him/her but let's curb all these other undesirable elements, trends, laws ... That's gonna work, yeah right. Apologies, if I was off topic.

Disclaimer: I'm not a Labour fan Anyway, the exact same piece will be written by a a US conservative in a couple of years.

[OxfordWill]

The solution is to simply make more money... it's not that hard to do either. Especially for those of you who apparantly already have some.

[loverboy44]

I think that basically the UK is overating themselves.

The UK is not the US nor the EU zone although they are thinking they are.

They think they can do their own thing but they are simply too small because they didn't want to join the Euro.

That's what Ireland showed.

Additionally they are igonoring their banking lobby and their problems in the real estate system.

So, i see the GBP will be staying at 50 Bht to the GBP for quite some time but only if it is not getting worse.

[13morris]

the euro now is 50 baths, i hope stay near this for manyyy times..

[chiang mai]

the euro now is 50 baths, i hope stay near this for manyyy times..

I suspect that most Europeans will disagree with you since it is really going to hurt exports, good for tourists though.

[Naam]

the euro now is 50 baths, i hope stay near this for manyyy times..

I suspect that most Europeans will disagree with you since it is really going to hurt exports, good for tourists though.

Europeans retired in Thailand will most probably not disagree

[Pitbullman1]

No offense to any of you who are suffering because of the exchange rate, but I for one am actually quite happy about it. For many of us working in Thailand and getting paid in baht, we actually want the exchange rate to go down even more! I sent home money every month to cover expenses at home. Sending home 40,000 baht/month used to get me $1000. Now it gets me $1200. I'm happy to pocket that extra $100! Sending home bigger chunks of money shows the difference even more dramatically.

You say "No offence to anyone etc." But I feel that you are simply bragging about your earnings from Thailand, and give the impression that you don't give two hoots about the people on UK and US Pensions. I don't know what you do in Thailand but I do know that there are lots of changes to be made, and not for the best may I add. The Thai Baht is now slowly decreasing in it's value. So don't count your chickens before they hatch or your bubble may burst one day!!!

Edited October 21, 2009 by Pitbullman1

[mommysboy]

No offense to any of you who are suffering because of the exchange rate, but I for one am actually quite happy about it. For many of us working in Thailand and getting paid in baht, we actually want the exchange rate to go down even more! I sent home money every month to cover expenses at home. Sending home 40,000 baht/month used to get me $1000. Now it gets me $1200. I'm happy to pocket that extra $100! Sending home bigger chunks of money shows the difference even more dramatically.

You say "No offence to anyone etc." But I feel that you are simply bragging about your earnings from Thailand, and give the impression that you don't give two hoots about the people on UK and US Pensions. I don't know what you do in Thailand but I do know that there are lots of changes to be made, and not for the best may I add. The Thai Baht is now slowly decreasing in it's value. So don't count your chickens before they hatch or your bubble may burst one day!!!

A lot of people got very badly hurt by the crash. The chances are someone on a fixed pension never earnt nor got effected that much by the downturn. Pensions like this are an enormous drag on the economy. I for one would cut them.

Good luck to the poster. He earns money here and sends it home that's good for everyone. And a low pound is very beneficial to the UK.

What you say about exchange rates is right on my opinion, the pound seems undervalued, and like wise the Euro seems very high and the baht also, the latter to a lesser extent. The pound seems to have found it's floor at around 52 and we don't yet know it's celing, I'd guess 57.

[henryalleman]

the euro now is 50 baths, i hope stay near this for manyyy times..

I suspect that most Europeans will disagree with you since it is really going to hurt exports, good for tourists though.

Europeans retired in Thailand will most probably not disagree

Indeed I'm not complaining at all, but still have a wet dream that it will be 52 Baht like it was last year

[kiwiinasia]

The pound was overvalued, now it's undervalued.

I think you may be wrong.

The pound is in a downward spiral that's likely to last a good couple of years.

The reality is that the GBP was over valued for a long time and now its back to fair value.

Plenty of room for it to drop what with the govt needing 200 BILLION GBP from somewhere. China wont help.

The IMF may have to dole out some credits to it soon.

[chiang mai]

The pound was overvalued, now it's undervalued.

I think you may be wrong.

The pound is in a downward spiral that's likely to last a good couple of years.

The reality is that the GBP was over valued for a long time and now its back to fair value.

Plenty of room for it to drop what with the govt needing 200 BILLION GBP from somewhere. China wont help.

The IMF may have to dole out some credits to it soon.

Spot on.

[mommysboy]

The pound was overvalued, now it's undervalued.

I think you may be wrong.

The pound is in a downward spiral that's likely to last a good couple of years.

The reality is that the GBP was over valued for a long time and now its back to fair value.

Plenty of room for it to drop what with the govt needing 200 BILLION GBP from somewhere. China wont help.

The IMF may have to dole out some credits to it soon.

Spot on.

Possibly. surely just normal parameters though!- say plus or minus 10% against most currencies and possibly rises against a currency like the Euro. Can anyone honestly see a major plunge?, it's already happened, and it's already lasted a fair while already. We're seeing historic effects at present, markets are generally future priced.

Again we need to remind ourselves that most economies are in a similar boat, that's a point that otherwise astute posters miss time and time again.

I think a general comment is that the West, most notably the UK, has lived well beyond its means for many decades, there is a major revision in living standards on the cards, and that may well extend to Thailand for instance as opposed to Vietnam although that may seem rather unfair. In a sense then yes the UK or most likely it's residents is/are destined to a 3rd world lifestyle. There never was enough money to maintain the standards they seem to think are their right! and there certainly will not be in the future.

What is a little puzzling to me is that in the five years I'd been away the UK seemed to have moved forward enormously in terms of infrastructure, whereas Thailand still looks a dump. Just one person's view but doesn't investment in infrastructure, communications, education, etc, count. I mean yes UK is in debt but at least some of it was spent wisely. Thailand seems to have gone backwards to me, and the real pressure isn't even on at the moment. So I think it's important to make real comparisons in real life.

But I do agree that a plunge could take place and have personally always said 48 is my floor, and that's priced in to my own finances.

[Abrak]

I suspect you should prepare for at least another 20% appreciation in the baht for 3 reasons.

1. The current account will be in surplus this year around 9% of GDP

2. There is a fair chance that the yuan peg will free float and appreciate 33% dragging the baht up with it (at some point))

3. On a PPP basis by most observers it is undervalued by at least 35%

[Rinrada]

Not great like that day in 97 when it hit...97...but...

The date & time now is 2009-10-23 17:53:21 GMT.

For ATM rates, select the TT currency type.

Bank Country Updated by bank Update no. From To Rate Inverse of rate Chart

Kasikorn Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 07:10 3 GBP THB 55.22375 0.0181082 Chart

Siam City Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 06:58 2 GBP THB 55.21875 0.0181098 Chart

CIMB Thai Thailand 2009-10-22 06:25 3 GBP THB 55.165 0.0181274 Chart

Bangkok Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 10:15 4 GBP THB 55.11 0.0181455 Chart

Thanachart Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 09:44 5 GBP THB 55.09 0.0181521 Chart

Siam Commercial Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 11:10 GBP THB 55.07375 0.0181575 Chart

Bank of Ayudhya Thailand 2009-10-22 10:08 4 GBP THB 55.005 0.0181802 Chart

UOB Thailand 2009-10-21 17:00 3 GBP THB 54.976 0.0181898 Chart

Krung Thai Bank Thailand 2009-10-22 09:17 GBP THB 54.97 0.0181917 Chart

Percentage difference between minimum and maximum exchange rates above = 0.46%

Average bank exchange rate from data above: 1 GBP = 55.0924722 THB

[mommysboy]

I suspect you should prepare for at least another 20% appreciation in the baht for 3 reasons.

1. The current account will be in surplus this year around 9% of GDP

2. There is a fair chance that the yuan peg will free float and appreciate 33% dragging the baht up with it (at some point))

3. On a PPP basis by most observers it is undervalued by at least 35%

already holds

Let's then look at this sensibly! Supposing there was a 'just' 20% rise and I assume you mean generally so that the dollar would be valued at 28 appx., what effect do you think is would have an on an economy that is already in recession and suffering a steep decline in exports and tourism? one that is especially dependent on the USA and would lose billions on the dollars it already holds.

Surely the effect would be catstrophic ?. In order to avoid a complete collapse in GDP, wouldn't the Government have to pump perhaps say a further 3% public spending in to GDP for years to come?

Domestic spending is terribly weak in Thailand at present anyway, and yet household debt has doubled in 10 years. Thailand like the West is spent out. It was already stalling badly before the crisis, and will be servicing increasingly expensive public debt.

Time and time again, otherwise sensible posters, lose sight that the grass really isn't greener (that much at least) on any other side. Possibly with exceptions we're about to see a major revision in living standards pretty much everywhere.

To be mischievous, I guess it would be quite amusing to see your prediction come true. Does anyone have any comparisons on every day prices ?. Beer would certainly be more expensive in Thailand than UK, which shows that my mind is where it should be on a Friday night anyway.

I actually just enjoyed a nice night out with a couple from England who couldn't believe how cheap it is to live out here, and we had a slap up meal with plenty of grog for 580bt (4 people), certainly couldn't do that in Blighty, or go home to a luxury apartment for just 7000bt.