Meeting Voters More Important Than Debate With Abhisit: Yingluck

[scorecard]

She has her head screwed on. Go and see the people face to face as Thai's like. She will get heaps of publicity from the local TV stations and media outlets, newspapers, magazines and the like, currently world wide. Then she can debate all she wants to at a later time and get more media exposure as she is currently getting. I think she is going down the right track as most other western countries do to get their points across, before debating.

Part quote: "...........She will get heaps of publicity from the local TV stations and media outlets, newspapers, magazines and the like, currently world wide. "

Might be OK for her but what about the other side of the coin and 'what's ultimately best for Thailand'?

- Yes lots of publicity from local TV etc., who in most cases will just repeat whatever she says with totally positive commentary, because they wouldn't dare interview her face to face with insightful / challenging questions.

Ultimately, not good for Thailand.

IMHO one of the things which is severely lacking in Thai politics is the requirement that parties should have a registered detailed manifesto. Whilst they don't they are not pinned down / politiciians can very eaisly jump parties, and long-term this is all NOT helping Thailand to develop a strong democracy and strengthen the building blocks of building and maintaining a strong democracy.

IMHO there needs to be changes to Thailand's election laws to make it compulsory for such debates, organized by the election commission, including compulsory content / compulsoty questioning protocols, etc, and include processes whereby the general public could send in questions in advance, and could SMS questions to be thrown in during the actual debate.

[lungmi]

"she is scheduled to hit the campaign trail in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun and Phayao."

She's really playing it safe with that list! Those provinces are pretty much guaranteed to vote Red anyway. She should really campaign in the "swing provinces", like Phitsanolok or Sukhothai or Nakhon Sawan.

^ Since the 2007 election, BMJ has taken quite a few seats away from PPP (now PT) in lower Issan.

Good information map.Thank you. I stay in the province where the Thaksin clan never never took place. And we have more poor people than in Esaarn. Hill tribes, 20 % have no civil rights. But more Health stations in comparision to the rest of Thailand. Chuan Leekpai's and Democrat's work and not forget the Mother of our beloved King, the Holy Woman of the Hill Tribes. (TAK province)

[colinscarr]

"Hi Thaksin, it's Yingluck, yeah, fine. Look the running dog paper tiger prime minister wants a TV debate with me sometime soon. What d'you think?"

"Yingluck, did you SEE how he demolished Jatuporn & co last year? Don't even think about it!"

"OK Boss, I've just decided to go campaigning in Isaan instead. Oh, by the way, is it a good idea to offer those arrogant Bangkokians cheap train fares?"

[OZEMADE]

"Hi Thaksin, it's Yingluck, yeah, fine. Look the running dog paper tiger prime minister wants a TV debate with me sometime soon. What d'you think?"

"Yingluck, did you SEE how he demolished Jatuporn & co last year? Don't even think about it!"

"OK Boss, I've just decided to go campaigning in Isaan instead. Oh, by the way, is it a good idea to offer those arrogant Bangkokians cheap train fares?"

Yeah and give em the Glass Sky Walk and dont forget to give the Military the Submarines I paid for when I was prime Minister.

[hanuman1]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

[Mitker]

Replying to Meeting Voters More Important Than Debate With Abhisit: Yingluck

read:

throwing coins for vote more efficient and secure than debate with Abhisit: Yingluck

(T. family values)

[HenryCHunter]

The best way to reach the public is to debate with Abhisit. She will have to debate with him in parliament if she wins a seat. No better way to let the public know who is best than to have an open debate.

I hope I am not offending anyone, replying to a political race in the Great Country I now call home. I live in the North and not a typical Ex-Pat. With respect to you, she is being guided and shouldn't debate with Abhisit yet if she does not want to look anything other than a seasoned debater. Abhisit is someone that I did not like, he was given the job and wasn't voted in but after watching him several times and attending a dinner where he spoke, he is very eloquent, confident looks sure of himself and quite right too, he knows his stuff and was difficult not to like he is very personable. Yingluck, although an acomplished business person, is not a seasoned debator. She has been voted in as the No 1 contender and I as a foreigner suffering from the low exchange rate, who knows the positives that Thaksin brought to Thailand and was elected in fair elections, wish her and the party luck and success. I do hope though, that whatever happens we do not see the carnage seen two years ago in Bangkok. The world has a lot of respect for Thailand, I love Thailand, my wife and I have had four children and do a lot of work for charity where we live. Let Thailand continue to be respected in the greater Political stage. With no respect meant or implied.

[timekeeper]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

Edited May 19, 2011 by timekeeper

[hyperdimension]

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

But what do you think of Yingluck... or do you think it does not matter because she is just Thaksin's puppet or clone anyway?

[hanuman1]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report that part of your post for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

Edited May 19, 2011 by hanuman1

[HenryCHunter]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

Why do the comments have to aimed personally, this is how it started two years ago and many were left injured and dead. I agree, as a foreigner that Abhisit is a very good politician but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand deserves better and so do the Thais. As for Thaksin, as a foreigner, perhaps he should be charged and tried by a non political, elected government led judiciary. Then if found guilty, he should go to jail but whatever is said it was not a fair triial and should not stand. Respectfully HenryCHunter

[hanuman1]

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

But what do you think of Yingluck... or do you think it does not matter because she is just Thaksin's puppet or clone anyway?

Generally speaking I think it's always risky to have business people running countries. Loads of conflicting interests for starters, maybe not much appreciation of not-for-profit operations etc.

Look at Berlusconi, look at the prospect of Trump becoming US President, look at Thaksin.

Dodgy, the lot of them. So in answer to your question, I don't know what Yingluck's like but being a good business person doesn't qualify her for the job as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for asking.

[HenryCHunter]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

.

Paranoia or Opinion, you both seem like very intelligent people, surely we can leave it that intelligent people can have different opinions, that nurtures debate. Respectfully HenryCHunter

[timekeeper]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

ok the locals knowing there was a thaksin hater in my wifes family, they were threatened if they did not support reds

gonna call me or them a liar now ?

''Looking forward to your response. you need the practice, after all. ''

Edited May 19, 2011 by timekeeper

[hanuman1]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

Why do the comments have to aimed personally, this is how it started two years ago and many were left injured and dead. I agree, as a foreigner that Abhisit is a very good politician but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand deserves better and so do the Thais. As for Thaksin, as a foreigner, perhaps he should be charged and tried by a non political, elected government led judiciary. Then if found guilty, he should go to jail but whatever is said it was not a fair triial and should not stand. Respectfully HenryCHunter

But don't you think that accusing people en masse of threatening others with death if they vote the wrong way is inflammatory?

[timekeeper]

she shouldn't encounter any opposition in Chang mai, Chang rai et al

you daren't be anything else but red up there at threat of being killed

(reference: yellow shirt DJ's father murdered by red shirts for making anti red comments)

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

.

Paranoia or Opinion, you both seem like very intelligent people, surely we can leave it that intelligent people can have different opinions, that nurtures debate. Respectfully HenryCHunter

thank you Henry for your utopian view

i wish it could be possible but many folks on here resort to name calling when the words run out

sadly its human nature, not all can be blessed with higher intelligence and have to resort to more base tactics to make their point.........

[hanuman1]

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

ok the locals knowing there was a thaksin hater in my wifes family, they were threatened if they did not support reds

gonna call me or them a liar now ?

''Looking forward to your response. you need the practice, after all. ''

You're the only one in this exchange concerned with lying. I never mentioned the word.

Obviously I can't call into question what happens in your personal life, but you've taken an incident which applies to a Thaksin hater in your wife's family and have projected it onto the entire provinces of Chaing Mai/Chiang Rai et al.

It just doesn't strike me as being particularly responsible and is actually quite inflammatory in my opinion.

[timekeeper]

Don't worry, I'm sure one day your posts will be taken seriously.

Keep working on it. The opinion/fact and paranoia/truth ratios need a bit of adjusting but you'll soon get the hang of it.

(PS - Thaksin should be in jail and Abhisit's quite a good politician - just in case you wanted to accuse me of being a 'red/terrorist' sympathizer simply for disagreeing with you)

ok handyman,

are you trying to tell me its a lie about the mans murder or tell me its just paranoia and propaganda i am spreading

NOW PROVE ITS A LIE!!

if you can't prove i am lying about the yellow guy being murdered by the reds then an apology will be OK before i report you for flaming

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

ok the locals knowing there was a thaksin hater in my wifes family, they were threatened if they did not support reds

gonna call me or them a liar now ?

''Looking forward to your response. you need the practice, after all. ''

You're the only one in this exchange concerned with lying. I never mentioned the word.

Obviously I can't call into question what happens in your personal life, but you've taken an incident which applies to a Thaksin hater in your wife's family and have projected it onto the entire provinces of Chaing Mai/Chiang Rai et al.

It just doesn't strike me as being particularly responsible and is actually quite inflammatory in my opinion.

you asked for proof

i gave it as best i could

i did not say you had lied about anything in these posts

i challenged you to say what i said is a lie

i am the thaksin hater and my wifes family were threatened because of it

i take that very personally

whether my comments are socially responsible or not, i truly care not

if you think that there is not an undercurrent of red intimidation in these places then you are wearing red tinted glasses

everyone knows it, few are prepared to say it........

Edited May 19, 2011 by timekeeper

[whybother]

Why do the comments have to aimed personally, this is how it started two years ago and many were left injured and dead. I agree, as a foreigner that Abhisit is a very good politician but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand deserves better and so do the Thais. As for Thaksin, as a foreigner, perhaps he should be charged and tried by a non political, elected government led judiciary. Then if found guilty, he should go to jail but whatever is said it was not a fair triial and should not stand. Respectfully HenryCHunter

"but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand."

Maybe you would like to explain how Abhisit became an MP without being elected by the people?

And then you could explain how Abhisit becoming PM was different to how Samak and, particularly, Somchai, became PM?

[whybother]

I hope I am not offending anyone, replying to a political race in the Great Country I now call home. I live in the North and not a typical Ex-Pat. With respect to you, she is being guided and shouldn't debate with Abhisit yet if she does not want to look anything other than a seasoned debater. Abhisit is someone that I did not like, he was given the job and wasn't voted in but after watching him several times and attending a dinner where he spoke, he is very eloquent, confident looks sure of himself and quite right too, he knows his stuff and was difficult not to like he is very personable. Yingluck, although an acomplished business person, is not a seasoned debator. She has been voted in as the No 1 contender and I as a foreigner suffering from the low exchange rate, who knows the positives that Thaksin brought to Thailand and was elected in fair elections, wish her and the party luck and success. I do hope though, that whatever happens we do not see the carnage seen two years ago in Bangkok. The world has a lot of respect for Thailand, I love Thailand, my wife and I have had four children and do a lot of work for charity where we live. Let Thailand continue to be respected in the greater Political stage. With no respect meant or implied.

"She has been voted in as the No 1 contender" - wasn't she the only choice for number 1?

"and I as a foreigner suffering from the low exchange rate" - Maybe you need to tell Abhisit to stop printing all those US dollars that's making the baht so strong. Maybe you can have a word to him about the strong Aussie dollar while you're at it.

[hanuman1]

OK timekeeperer

The murder you refer to happened, of course (that's the 'fact/truth') part of your posting.

The threat of being killed if voting anything other than red is the 'opinion/paranoia' part, and you'd better PROVE that threats have been made before I report your posts for being an utter waste of hard disk space on the TV server.

Looking forward to your response. It's all good practice, after all.

ok the locals knowing there was a thaksin hater in my wifes family, they were threatened if they did not support reds

gonna call me or them a liar now ?

''Looking forward to your response. you need the practice, after all. ''

You're the only one in this exchange concerned with lying. I never mentioned the word.

Obviously I can't call into question what happens in your personal life, but you've taken an incident which applies to a Thaksin hater in your wife's family and have projected it onto the entire provinces of Chaing Mai/Chiang Rai et al.

It just doesn't strike me as being particularly responsible and is actually quite inflammatory in my opinion.

you asked for proof

i gave it as best i could

i did not say you had lied about anything in these posts

i challenged you to say what i said is a lie

i am the thaksin hater and my wifes family were threatened because of it

i take that very personally

whether my comments are socially responsible or not, i truly care not

if you think that there is not an undercurrent of red intimidation in these places then you are wearing red tinted glasses

everyone knows it, few are prepared to say it........

Quite a few of the most vocal Thaksin haters on this forum seem to be people like you who have been personally affected in a very direct manner by the actions of some parts of the red shirt movement. Of course this doesn't invalidate your opinions in an open forum, but you really do need to understand that the vast majority of people have not been effected in the same way and can therefore not possibly empathize or completely agree with your viewpoint. And rightly so, because they are entitled to their stance - based on their personal experiences - every bit as much as you are.

So if you are going to get upset and defensive about perceived accusations of being a liar when people call into question the generalizations you cook up driven by your reaction to the shock/indignation of what happened to you individually, then this forum is going to make you angry quite a lot.

As for not caring about being socially responsible, isn't that a charge you lay on your enemies in this highly personal battle of yours?

In the words of dear old Rubl 'Keep smiling/whistling' etc etc

Cheers.

[Old Man River]

Newin has bigger plans I think, and he knows he is going in as king maker for this election; his will be a sizeable block of seats and with that, the ability to either completely hold PT to ransom (who won't want to pay) or to make the Dems pay again and get exactly what he wants plus the legitimacy to push for a big job when the 5 years is up in future.

I find no holes in your views. I can't find any arguments that say anything else. Still, the 5 year ban ends sometime next year and I wonder how long Newin will want to be part of another Dem led coalition.

[hanuman1]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Always good to know where people are 'coming from'.

I still have a bit of a problem understanding the link between:

'The red shirts that threatened me and my family are bullies' - which there is no reason to question

AND

'All red shirts are bullies' - which is perfectly reasonable to question given the scale of the statement

Personally I don't see a link but can understand with a bit of empathy how that jump can be made easily when effected so directly as you were.

Cheers

Edited May 19, 2011 by Scott
reply to deleted quote edited out

[Scott]

Posts have been deleted or edited. Let's stop personal arguments and insinuations.

[scorecard]

In management consulting we call it picking the low hanging fruit.

She wants to get a few victories under her belt before facing anythign difficult; remember Peua Thai is rather unstable at the moment with several factions not entirely convinced that she should be the leader; they will go ahead and win their regional faction areas anyhow but will they be willing to invest heavily in promoting the party? Will they stay? Do they believe she can bring them victory? She needs to look good early on, otherwise she's dead on arrival internally.

Also, a pretty face and looking quite ok on paper (well compared to the Shinawatra kids or some of the other relatives) means media will be on her side for a little while.

Given her trackrecord in business I would strongly question whether she has the skills and experience to run a country, when her role in business most of the time has been as an agent rather than her own boss, just from what I've seen.

However, Peua Thai for all their bluster, are really only the 'bring back Thaksin at all costs' party so it should not be a particular surprise that only a trusted nominee of the party boss who is banned from politics and isn't even in the country can override any concerns or suggestions of his party.... democracy inaction indeed!

Part quote from above:

...She wants to get a few victories under her belt before facing anythign difficult; remember Peua Thai is rather unstable at the moment with several factions not entirely convinced that she should be the leader; they will go ahead and win their regional faction areas anyhow but will they be willing to invest heavily in promoting the party? Will they stay? Do they believe she can bring them victory? She needs to look good early on, otherwise she's dead on arrival internally. ..."

Overall, I agree, especially your words from "Puae Thai is rather unstabel.............."

There have been many rumblings in the party over the last few months, just one example; just recently a group of 40 were about to defect but the paymaster reigned them in.

Is this group of 40 now totally happy / totally committed to pt? Of course not, and as yingluck proceeds they will be listening to every word she says and she will have to watch every word that comes out of her mouth, the rumblings will start again at the slighest spark.

[animatic]

Banharn definitely both sides.

From what I understand, Peua Thai could only strike a deal with BJT if Thaksin was not involved.... which is why I originally had thought there was a chance that another faction would take over the party 4-5 months ago when Thaksin had really faded. Thaksin has a personal issue of feeling betrayed by Newin, and you saw that in the deliberate attack on on of BJT's backers KingPower during the red shirt occupation in I think 2009 and then again in 2010 which we can assume was conducted with Thaksin's blessing - assuming we ignore the whole real fake red shirts thing.

BJT have a lot less to gain in striking a deal with PT anyhow; BJT is a medium sized regional rural powerhouse who can allow the Dems to reduce their marketing budget for Surin/Buriram/southern Isaan etc and there is little cross over between the voters backing the two parties; however PT and BJT are a lot more similar and will spend considerable sums in both legit marketing of their parties and most likely the 'night of the howling dogs' style spending as well, so the cost to win seats against PT, then do a deal with PT and be after most of the same ministerial portfolios would be more problematic.

If you recall, CT previously stated pre 2007 they would NOT do a deal with PT and then changed their minds; so they are probably the party most similar to a lady of the night who will do anyone for a price (slight sidetrack, a wily politician once asked a newsreader, would she sleep with him if he bought her a house, boat and a 10 carrat ring plus 10 million baht, to which she replied yes. When he then said could he sleep with her for 2,000b she replied haughtily, what do you think I am some sort of curry prostitute? To which he said, madam that's already established, now we are just negotiating on price). CT will do and go with whoever, and that's why Banharn and the other similar faction leader Sanoh are friends with everyone. Thaksin's success rested on lining all these old codgers up into his party. It's not so easy to do now.

Newin has bigger plans I think, and he knows he is going in as king maker for this election; his will be a sizeable block of seats and with that, the ability to either completely hold PT to ransom (who won't want to pay) or to make the Dems pay again and get exactly what he wants plus the legitimacy to push for a big job when the 5 years is up in future.

I don't really see PT forming a govt without it being a coalition; however let's bear in mind:

2006 election - TRT caught blatantly rigging an election

2007 election - PPP caught cheating multiple times

Whether some of the regional constituents of PT many of whom aren't exactly sunlight suds clean in their electioneering can help themselves from cheating again we shall have to see. Without cheating, I am unsure they will be anywhere near enough to form a single party majority as Chalerm stated they would need to do.

Hey Steve, great analysis from good source data as usual.

I particularly like this anecdote!

(slight sidetrack, a wily politician once asked a newsreader, would she sleep with him if he bought her a house, boat and a 10 carrat ring plus 10 million baht, to which she replied yes. When he then said could he sleep with her for 2,000b she replied haughtily, what do you think I am some sort of curry prostitute? To which he said, madam that's already established, now we are just negotiating on price).

It really calls for the drummer to hit a rimshot at the end!

Edited May 20, 2011 by animatic

[scorecard]

Why do the comments have to aimed personally, this is how it started two years ago and many were left injured and dead. I agree, as a foreigner that Abhisit is a very good politician but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand deserves better and so do the Thais. As for Thaksin, as a foreigner, perhaps he should be charged and tried by a non political, elected government led judiciary. Then if found guilty, he should go to jail but whatever is said it was not a fair triial and should not stand. Respectfully HenryCHunter

"but was not elected by the great people of The Kingdom of Thailand."

Maybe you would like to explain how Abhisit became an MP without being elected by the people?

And then you could explain how Abhisit becoming PM was different to how Samak and, particularly, Somchai, became PM?

I agree totally with whybother.

The electoral processes (all part of Thai law, and similar electoral processes / law exist in many healthy democarcies) of how abhsiit became PM has been explained clearly and in detail more times than you can count. The process is clear, it's there for good reason, and it has merit.

Plus, as whybother clearly syas, samak and moreso somchai came to the pm's chair though the same process.

Seems that some don't accept facts simply because they don't want to accept.

Seems to be similar to jatuporn who was told that he can sign his registration form inside the jail (where IMHO he should be) but he wants special treatment to be allowed out to personally go the registration venue.

Yesterday he was campaiging for equal application of the law and no double standard, today we wants special teatment outside of the law.

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However, Peua Thai for all their bluster, are really only the 'bring back Thaksin at all costs' party so it should not be a particular surprise that only a trusted nominee of the party boss who is banned from politics and isn't even in the country can override any concerns or suggestions of his party.... democracy inaction indeed!

The one thing I am playing around with (in my mind) is whether the swing group (Newin and Banharn) have already struck deals with both sides. To do this and make it acceptable to Prayuth, they would have to have included him in their discussions.

Do you see any possibility that the PTP can take over the government as a political party (i.e. loyal to what we can't discuss and without Yingluck as PM or Thaksin involved) with the blessing of the military?

Its a tough one, but my thoughts with Thai politics is normally to look for the compromise.

In it's current form I doubt that pt, even without thaksin and his clone, could be very cridible party. Where's their credibility as a capable and insightful group? When have you / I even heard even one of their 'team' give some highly insightful focused presentation about democracy, justice, respect for the law, and more? Perhaps it's just coincidence, both pt and their cohorts the red shirts, have made lots of noise in the last year and more about democracy, justice etc etc.

Here's an open question to anybody:

Please name 5 people or more from pt who stand out as highly capable, highly insightful, highly sincere and clean. Plus please share details of of focused speeches, debates etc that these people have contributed to, or highly insightful analysis or valuable comments they have made to reporters questions, etc.