Thaksin A Man Of Dwindling Means

[Publicus]

Can you believe anything you read in a newspaper.

As Bill Clinton said "they need to sell papers....stupid"

I have some sympathy, with this point-of-view, however there are some exceptions, for example 'Red News' is clearly an unbiased publication, giving a rational & balanced perspective on the current situation.

Perhaps the answer is to permit a range of different views to be published, and let the buyers decide, what to trust or disbelieve ?

This appears to be happening now, more than previously in Thailand, Good ! But it does seem to mean fewer billion-baht libel-cases, for the courts to consider, than in the old days. And presumably fewer 'lunch-boxes' for the judges, poor fellows.

And politicians need to get votes whether they're bought by passing money hand to hand or via mass media advertising and other means.

Considering the overtly subversive nature of Red Mass media funded by the man himself, it's clear that freedom of the press in Thailand is going strong. I don't know why a flaming subversive who also works for a competing country should be allowed such press freedom, but he does get it and he gets it free of censorship.

However, as to how much longer he can finance his personal mass media and cult of personality in it, appears to be an open question. 

As an aside take a look at what is happening in the Ukraine. People are setting up websites to sell their vote to the highest bidder in the upcoming presidential race! Kind of inverts the relationship.

Shhhhhhhh! That is an observation of radically new definitions of "people power", but don't give people around here any additional ideas about further warping democratic processes! The man has done or precipitated far too much in that direction already.

We need countries like Ukraine, the same as the state of Alabama in the US needs its neighboring bottom of nearly every list state Mississippi, i.e, to keep Thailand from last place, in this case the global corruption sweepstakes.

it might be a good way to promote Thaksin's bankruptcy tho, running up bids against him until he has to fold his tent completely and then have to start ducking the Russian bosses besides. 

[Ricardo]

The wisest of words

"If you know how much you are worth, you ain't worth much at all"

Wisdom indeed although, as an ex-accountant, I usually have quite a good idea of my/our overall financial-situation, which is still a necessary part of the wider-picture.