Just because there is voting does not mean there is democracy.

Of course it does! It means the people have the right to choose who is to govern them. How the govt they pick conducts themselves is beyond the voters control until the next election when the voters have the chance to democratically choose some other party.

Please don't bang on about vote buying because we all know that every party is guilty of it both in local and national elections.

North Korea has voting. You think they have democracy? And that is just the first one to come to mind.

You funny man!

Ah the North Korea argument. I sort of knew that it would be raised sooner or later.

Let me try to explain really simply, and without using any long words like wheelbarrow and marmalade!

In North Korea you go and vote. There is only one name on the ballot paper - the psychopath with the permanent bad hair day, who looks like he is mainlining Imodium.

If you should fail to endorse his candidacy you, and your extended family disappear into the gulags, where you all will perish miserably. That is why said psychopath with the comic haircut achieves a 99.9% result.

In Thailand, whilst it was not a perfect democracy, and whilst the candidates may have been far from being paragons of political integrity, you went to vote, and had a free choice as to who you voted for. Nobody was going to drag you and three generations of your family off to a gulag if you didn't vote for a certain candidate. It was your free choice, and that is why a certain Thaksin, or his proxies, won the last 4 elections.

To claim that they are comparable is beyond ridiculous. Your argument is frankly b*ll*cks.

You funny man!

Ah the North Korea argument. I sort of knew that it would be raised sooner or later.

Let me try to explain really simply, and without using any long words like wheelbarrow and marmalade!

In North Korea you go and vote. There is only one name on the ballot paper - the psychopath with the permanent bad hair day, who looks like he is mainlining Imodium.

If you should fail to endorse his candidacy you, and your extended family disappear into the gulags, where you all will perish miserably. That is why said psychopath with the comic haircut achieves a 99.9% result.

In Thailand, whilst it was not a perfect democracy, and whilst the candidates may have been far from being paragons of political integrity, you went to vote, and had a free choice as to who you voted for. Nobody was going to drag you and three generations of your family off to a gulag if you didn't vote for a certain candidate. It was your free choice, and that is why a certain Thaksin, or his proxies, won the last 4 elections.

To claim that they are comparable is beyond ridiculous. Your argument is frankly b*ll*cks.

You funny man!

You forget to mention that in Thailand, should you feel the need to demonstrate against the policies, and blatant criminal actions, of the "democratically" elected party, you should also expect a visit from their private militia, for a quiet session of intimidation of yourself or your family, or perhaps a little violence. Should you persist, or even go so far as to promote ANOTHER political party in THEIR areas, don't be surprised if a family member has a nasty accident.

The violence only REALLY escalates when protests become too big to quietly suppress. Then the explosives and military weapons come out of the cupboard, perfectly in line with the democratic ideal because they are reflecting the will of the majority, as evidenced by the complete lack of police intervention.

Ah the North Korea argument. I sort of knew that it would be raised sooner or later.

Let me try to explain really simply, and without using any long words like wheelbarrow and marmalade!

In North Korea you go and vote. There is only one name on the ballot paper - the psychopath with the permanent bad hair day, who looks like he is mainlining Imodium.

If you should fail to endorse his candidacy you, and your extended family disappear into the gulags, where you all will perish miserably. That is why said psychopath with the comic haircut achieves a 99.9% result.

In Thailand, whilst it was not a perfect democracy, and whilst the candidates may have been far from being paragons of political integrity, you went to vote, and had a free choice as to who you voted for. Nobody was going to drag you and three generations of your family off to a gulag if you didn't vote for a certain candidate. It was your free choice, and that is why a certain Thaksin, or his proxies, won the last 4 elections.

To claim that they are comparable is beyond ridiculous. Your argument is frankly b*ll*cks.

You funny man!

You forget to mention that in Thailand, should you feel the need to demonstrate against the policies, and blatant criminal actions, of the "democratically" elected party, you should also expect a visit from their private militia, for a quiet session of intimidation of yourself or your family, or perhaps a little violence. Should you persist, or even go so far as to promote ANOTHER political party in THEIR areas, don't be surprised if a family member has a nasty accident.

The violence only REALLY escalates when protests become too big to quietly suppress. Then the explosives and military weapons come out of the cupboard, perfectly in line with the democratic ideal because they are reflecting the will of the majority, as evidenced by the complete lack of police intervention.

1: Those are some allegations of widespread voter intimidation, I presume you mean by Pheu-Thai. Have you any proof?

2: The lunatic fringe on both sides used military weapons. Doesn't excuse it, but it was a fringe. The Police failed to stop it, partly through incompetence and partly because they were warned off.

3: The military could have stopped it in 24 hours, but they had "other plans".

None of the points you make have anything at all to do with "The North Korea" argument, but keep trying to justify the coup and junta. You are nothing if not persistent.