The first anniversary for the continued use of FREE plastic bags by all the major supermarkets and department stores should not go unheralded.

As Margaret Thatcher would would say, "Just rejoice at that news, and congratulate our resident expats for putting up such a magnificent campaign of logical common sense".

In fact the 14th February should be declared national plastic bag freedom day.

But of course there is a much more to all of this than just trying to clean up the island's environment.

What was at stake was an insidious attempt at the potential loss of our civil liberties here.

This was one of the first major western campaigns to come to this island, to try to tell the Thai people how they should lead their own lives.

24 retailers were coerced and indoctrinated into signing a Memorandum of Understanding, but on the day of reckoning and thereafter nearly all have seen the light and discarded such nonsense.

Putting aside the fictitious merits of this proposal, what we must be all conscious and overtly aware of is any attempts by the likes of ******** and his ilk, of coming to these shores with the arrogance of trying to change our lifestyles.

Not so much that Messrs ********* lost face, pride but has been totally humiliated in the abject failure of his campaign.

Let this be a warning to others.

i did not understand a single word you wrote, but i keep getting a lot more plastic bags than i used to.. so they're failing hard.

Plastic bags are most handy. Thank you for reminding us to celebrate National Plastic Bag day!

Like most ideas by farlangs here inPhuket...good idea in...PRINCIPLE.. but does not work in....PRACTICE...

Plenty of free plastic bags down Nai Harn beach these days go get some for free....

While your at it pick up some dog crap too plenty of it on Nai Harn Beach.....yuck

A few years ago there was a similar campaign by some " Green " group on Koh Tao. They had loads of T Shirts printed with slogans about banning plastic bags. When the were delivered to my friends dive shop to be sold they all came individually wrapped in ----------------------------------

YEP!!!

You guessed it a plastic bag. :cheesy:

Another time on KPG there was a similar campaign where they had loads of signs made up telling people to avoid plastic bags etc.

All made from non degradable plastic.

Sometimes even with the best intentions things just go t#ts up from the off