Thailand Still At Risk Of Another Coup: Chaturon

[Buchholz]

What would have happened if a democratic route had been followed is obviously open to conjecture, but the chances are it wouldnt have been as bad as what we have seen

Agreeably it's conjecture both ways, but I could easily see it as having become much worse, but then, I lived under another 2-decade-ruling SE Asian despot for awhile which might account for cynicism in "things would have worked out".

Agreeably also, things are a mess now. There's a train of thought that it might not have been as tumultuous as things are now if it had gone further back then. If, for example, Thaksin had been somewhat neutralized by being confined for the past 4 years, how much better might have things been by now?

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[hammered]

What would have happened if a democratic route had been followed is obviously open to conjecture, but the chances are it wouldnt have been as bad as what we have seen

Agreeably it's conjecture both ways, but I could easily see it as having become much worse, but then, I lived under another 2-decade-ruling SE Asian despot for awhile which might account for cynicism in "things would have worked out".

Agreeably also, things are a mess now. There's a train of thought that it might not have been as tumultuous as things are now if it had gone further back then. If, for example, Thaksin had been somewhat neutralized by being confined for the past 4 years, how much better might have things been by now?

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Agree it is not easy to know. However, in retrospect, and that is easy now admittedly, sticking to a democratic framework that all had accepted as the rules, would have at least removed one of big rows we face at present and also oddly enough left the military untainted. The democrats would also be in a better position in terms of being a democratic party and being perceived as such even by opponents. Other aspects could have been worse or better. How the courts and senate handled things would have been interesting. We may also not have seen the rise of thousands of red villages. I'm sure street demo and reaction against it by authority would have been their too.

[Buchholz]

What would have happened if a democratic route had been followed is obviously open to conjecture, but the chances are it wouldnt have been as bad as what we have seen

Agreeably it's conjecture both ways, but I could easily see it as having become much worse, but then, I lived under another 2-decade-ruling SE Asian despot for awhile which might account for cynicism in "things would have worked out".

Agreeably also, things are a mess now. There's a train of thought that it might not have been as tumultuous as things are now if it had gone further back then. If, for example, Thaksin had been somewhat neutralized by being confined for the past 4 years, how much better might have things been by now?

Agree it is not easy to know. However, in retrospect, and that is easy now admittedly, sticking to a democratic framework that all had accepted as the rules, would have at least removed one of big rows we face at present and also oddly enough left the military untainted. The democrats would also be in a better position in terms of being a democratic party and being perceived as such even by opponents. Other aspects could have been worse or better. How the courts and senate handled things would have been interesting. We may also not have seen the rise of thousands of red villages. I'm sure street demo and reaction against it by authority would have been their too.

OR perhaps most of that would never occur as Thailand headed into it's 11th year (6 before the coup and the 5 since) of ever-increasing autocratic rule with all elections suspended as President-for-Life Thaksin tightens the screws further.

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[rubl]

Strictly speaking any coup is illegal. Some clearly so, some less when lots of people agree it was a good idea. The September 2006 coup followed an episode of a caretaker PM trying to wear down some legal framework he saw as obstruction to his 'we can rule for twenty years'. That still doesn't make it a legal coup, but goes a bit to explain why it slowly had become unavoidable.

At the moment we have a new parliament, MPs, a PM choosen by those MPs, a cabinet. Personally I'm still a bit puzzled about UDD MPs and our ever smiling PM Ms. Yingluck, but so be it. It's only when the PM, her cabinet and advisors start to modify structures, laws and other things just to get 'big brother' Thaksin back, that we are in danger of the people who started to defy k. Taksin will do so again. Remember k. Thaksin saying something like 'democracy is not my goal'

That "something like" is nothing like he said. That is a misquotation taken out of context, from guess where, THE NATION. The full phrase is

http://www.thaivisa....is-not-my-goal/

Doesn't sound quite so sinister now, does it? But hey, why not repeat a misquotation thousands of times until everybody thinks that that, is what Thaksin said.....................

Since when is a "something like 'democracy is not our goal'" a misquotation when you dig up the real phrase, being "Democracy is just a tool, not our goal.".

The "democracy as tool" and "the goal is lifestyle, happiness, national progress" suggest something really sinister. "You have 'bread and games', don't bother me about democracy". A variant on the slogan "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts". One man, one party, no compromise. Very sinister indeed.

In Europe and even in England you'd have a national uproar if someone tried that. Things really changed since the 1930sh

Reading your post rubi mate you actually put "something like 'democracy is not my goal'"

Correct, but with 'Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts', the 'my' and 'our' seems interchangeble. Maybe just a freudian slip into majestic plural on k. Thaksin's side