Fresh election will not happen in March

[iancnx]

Excellent thread with some learned posters who actually are aware of the factual events of 2006....those seeing red should take heed.

As for the idiotic supporters of an increased minimum wage amounting to an increase of 50%. Have you guys actually got any experience in life? Unsurprisingly the poor guys in my region would rather go back to 200b a day, where the prices for daily living was so much cheaper, and there was far more daily work on offer. Now they sit around doing squat all because 300 a day has priced them out of a delicately balanced market. As for the graduates. 15k minimum might apply for businesses generating billions, but in the rural 90% of the rest of the country forget it. And don't get me started on the official unemployment figures that demonstrates everything in the Thai economy is rosy.

[tonbridgebrit]

Why does Thailand make democracy and good government so hard; maybe because they want neither?

I can try and answer.

Is it because Thailand's elite and middle-class want Thailand to look like a democracy, but they're being forced to accept that they are actually a minority group. The eite and middle-class have the 'power', but in a democracy, it's actually about how many votes you can get.

Most Thais are part of the rural and urban poor, and these people are simply not going to vote for a party that represents the elite and middle-class, that party being the Democrats !

[Mosha]

Why are so many yellows so elated, they think the EC pull off it coup and all they have to do is get some senators elected on the Elite packed Senate with 75 votes in the bag.

What if the Red shirts did not allow a Senate election in the Stronghold of the North and North east, Suthep has already shown that a tiny minority can invalidate an election, it worked for them, I will also work for the Red shirts.

Once the judicial coup becomes a reality, the Rural folk will be made aware that Suthep promised the Elite he would roll back the minimum wage to 200 baht, and the elites dislike of the 30 baht Hospital insurance, once they see the programs they are in line to lose, the situation could change overnight.

It is not over till it is over.

Cheers

Oh good, more red village gossip. Have you any basis for this claim other than your sister-in-law heard it from her cousin in the next village?

BTW it's a bit late to roll back the B300 minimum wage, the inflation damage has already been done.

Is the inflation damage really as bad as people keep claiming?

Inflation was up briefly at the time it was implemented but quickly came back down and it still didn't reach the mid-2011 peak. In fact it rather looks as though inflation started coming down as soon as the min wage was implemented. However, it's likely it had an effect with prices being put up in advance, hence the figure for Dec 2012.

Minimum wage has been one of the few good policies. Helping farmers and introducing kids to tablets were both good ideas but the realities have been mired in corruption and incompetence. Attempts need to be made to raise living standards amongst the poorest and reduce inequality whilst also minimizing the opportunities for corruption. That's why I'm in favour of higher minimum wages and direct cash transfers instead of the rice price guarantee scheme.

Remind me, what is in Thailand's inflation shopping basket?

[charmonman]

Why does Thailand make democracy and good government so hard; maybe because they want neither?

I can try and answer.

Is it because Thailand's elite and middle-class want Thailand to look like a democracy, but they're being forced to accept that they are actually a minority group. The eite and middle-class have the 'power', but in a democracy, it's actually about how many votes you can get.

Most Thais are part of the rural and urban poor, and these people are simply not going to vote for a party that represents the elite and middle-class, that party being the Democrats !

Democracy is also about how you govern after you are elected. That is where the Red Shirt view of democracy falls short, unfortunately. Not that the current protest leaders' vision does not also fall short in other ways, but can people please stop this simplistic nonsense about rural poor versus urban elites, and pro-democracy vs pro-dictatorship.

How do the protesting farmers fit into this? They're part of the urban elites I suppose because they are anti-government?

[charmonman]

This notion of a new royal decree is a sneaky way of trying to invalidate the Feb. 3rd. election, according to what I hear from pro-electoral democratic activists, commonly referenced by their affinity clothing colors, the Red Shirts.

This latter point emphasized to counter PAD-Dem strategy of seeking to deprive them of a political context....Calling the pro-Democracy Movement by their affinity clothing colors tries to avoid the awareness that Democracy is under assault.......A little bit like demonizing the Govt., hoping people don't link it to the millions of voters who put them there.

"Democracy is not my goal" - Thaksin Shinawatra 2006

I think the Red Shirt supporters here need a bit of perspective on just how much respect the Pheua Thai / Red Shirt patron saint had/has for democracy. They love elections as a way of gaining power and then democracy can just take a hike.

Actually that Thaksin quote is from Nov 2003. Except it's not actually a quote.

Full quote: “Democracy is a good and beautiful thing, but it’s not the ultimate goal as far as administering the country is concerned,” he said. “Democracy is just a tool, not our goal. The goal is to give people a good lifestyle, happiness and national progress."

Maybe I should continually quote Thaksin saying "Democracy is a good and beautiful thing" - at least it's accurate, unlike your excerpted version. I still think the full quote implies disrespect for democracy (or at least checks and balances) in the context it was originally used in, as it related to his opposition to a charter amendment which aimed to shore up independent agenies against growing TRT influence. Just pointing out that he didn't actually say what you claim he says.

I stand corrected. I guess the part that I find interesting is "Democracy is just a tool, not our goal". As you say, it implies disrespect for democracy by Thaksin and his Red Shirt/PTP followers. I just get tired of people here calling the Red Shirts "pro-democracy" when the truth is far less pure.