Thailand not ready for election yet;

Read the above, members, try to understand and accept it.

I know it will be difficult for you, but you always have TVF to spill your nonsense about the opposite.

Cheers, non believers and as the say.......Hard Luck.

Perfect timing again Costa......

In a scientific survey from the "Happiness" group, I would like some details about social indicators.

Are there any?

"I only want what's best for the people of Thailand and I don't care about the rich elite from Bangkok, it's the majority of the people that are important" Said General Prayuth. Never.

What a coincidence that all 100 polls/surveys has exactly the same outcome as the generals thoughts

Some might think so - Costa and Rubl and their mates but it's not a coincidence that the Community Happiness Association which runs all of these surveys (all of which survey almost the same number of "people" - between 500 and 700) was started just after the Junta elected their General as PM. It's also not a coincidence that the director of this association also owns the domain names to the associations websites, is employed by the Royal Thai Army.

Oh come on Alwijn, the only poll results in Thailand I would consider believing is the one where a larger part of those polled state rather to have Valentines Day with Ms. Yingluck than with Abhisit. All other polls I've seen the last twenty years are very doubtful in their correct scientific approach and neither are details, methodology provided.

What mostly amuses me is that many profess not to believe polls and follow up with discussing the figures.

General Prayuth's roots are in the Issan. Why would you bash him?

Thailand not ready for election yet;

Read the above, members, try to understand and accept it.

I know it will be difficult for you, but you always have TVF to spill your nonsense about the opposite.

Cheers, non believers and as the say.......Hard Luck.

Sure, as the Greeks know !

I read this passage the other day in a book on the psychology of lying and deception ('Born Liars' by Ian Leslie). It really clarified for me one of the most important arguments for democracy:

“One of the underrated virtues of a liberal democracy is that it militates against delusion in its leaders. Democratic leaders are subject to critical oppositions, and to a free press which helps keep their feet on the ground and punctures information bubbles. Dictators, who have no such checks and hear only good things about themselves, are much more likely to cross the frontier that separates a healthy margin of self-deception from dangerous delusion.”

Of course, this is just a generalisation, and I'm not suggesting that any it applies to our friends in Bangkok ... but it might be worth thinking about.

BTW, what's the "Thai Researchers in Community Happiness Association"?

Jobs for the boys.

So the junta doesn't want to give up power so they conduct a poll amongst themselves to support themselves. What a bunch of morons and they look down on the people and actually think they will gobble this rubbish up.

So the junta doesn't want to give up power so they conduct a poll amongst themselves to support themselves. What a bunch of morons and they look down on the people and actually think they will gobble this rubbish up.

You would expect that they could hide who is behind the poll a little bit better.

Absolutely useless article. Why not a more thoughtful article interviewing people as to what they THINK is still needed before elections? Also the reporter needs to state the background or affiliation of the interviewee. It's important to know if this is a BKK elite he is talking to or a Pheu Thai member or red shirt, etc.

So the Ministry of Ordered Happiness asked the 600 odd favorite puppies if there should be an election soon and the answer was -very surprisingly- "No"!

The same 600 odd puppies, who think that Military Junta is the best thing ever invented, Prayut is a beacon of freedom, all 60 Million people in Thailand are bingbonghappyhappy....

Stop this crab (yes, I know!) already!

Edited February 23, 201511 yr by DM07

In any Democracy the necessary quilification for a "free and fair" election is:

• A compentant fuctioning system of political parties free from corruption and with honest politicians running it..
• An educated electorate.
• And an electorate who can not be "bribed" or influenced by politicians due to fear of the consequences of their vote.

Now, do you really think that description fits Thailand?

I don't.

And I fear it will be a very long time before Thailand even comes close to that description.

You could be right, but the countries that do have elections seem to do sort-of okay and stumble along even though it will be a very long time and certainly beyond your lifetime before one of them comes close to that standard set by King Ima.

That's probably a good description of the scenario in Europe, where the majority of the electorate fails to vote - simply because they say: There's nothing in it for us.

If I would be an "underdog", I would prefer to get bribed for my vote.

Maybe elites have done a bad job if after 9 months Thailand is still not ready for elections.

Why not take the Swiss model and try some "grass-root democracy" on certain issues?

Yes, I know, one issue could be a local Farang quota.

But what would be wrong with that?

A popularity contest to determine that holding a popularity contest would be wrong.

Tautologies are never a solution.

You should define "democracy" before you talk about prerequisites.

According to the list given above, Germany would surely not be ready for elections.

Approx. 10 pct of native Germans are completely illiterate and cannot even read the prices in their convenience shops.

as decided by the happy dafty club

Additionally, you should define "educated"

One of the members of the PISA study told me:

Ask Germans for the translation of a simple IF-THEN condition, and you will hardly get a any answer.

I tried it, this man was right. Only bashing, almost no German understood the question.

From an elitist point of view, I could come up now and say:

If this German population is not able to consider any consequences at all, then there can be no functioning democracy in Germany.

More brutally: Germany is a country full of idiots.

Please disagree by logic.

Edited February 23, 201511 yr by micmichd

In any Democracy the necessary quilification for a "free and fair" election is:

• A compentant fuctioning system of political parties free from corruption and with honest politicians running it..
• An educated electorate.
• And an electorate who can not be "bribed" or influenced by politicians due to fear of the consequences of their vote.

Now, do you really think that description fits Thailand?

I don't.

And who is entitled to say yes or no to these "conditions" ?

you? Western countries? Junta leader?

If this was the qualifications needed a lot of countries worldwide couldn't be called democracy (US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, ...)

Technocrats from the European Commission took over the power to decide in 2001.

All kinds of "expert" regimes were installed to hand over the sovereignty of the electorates of former democracies, for one issue: to muddle through the permanent economic crisis induced by European turbo capitalism.

The next big bang came in 2008, when they found out they had given credit to real estate scammers who didn't own one acre of land anymore. All was already pawned to the big banks.

Edited February 23, 201511 yr by micmichd

and now Farangs want to teach Thailand about democracy. In fact they mean: We've already taken Thai women, now hand us over the land.

Edited February 23, 201511 yr by micmichd

and, of course: We are unemployed in our Farang countries, and now, Thailand: we want your jobs.

Be careful, they might reach out to grab your brains.

...and your problem iiiiiiiiiiis....???

Elections now or later, that is the question here.