I wasn't here when Thaksin was in power. I'm not interested so much in the power plays up top, I'm more interested in the day-to-day street level - was it any different?

Nope, little if anything has changed at grass roots level.

 

And please remember the rules about political discussions in the General Forum before responding.

Yes very different the economy was much better and Thais appeared much happier. Best way to judge is don't ask here as you'll get lot's of biased stuff - go ask Thais!  I did and that's what 90% of them told me (all from differing backgrounds) and these comments were not 'political' just what they felt day-to-day

When He  was PM in the beginning, he did quite a few good things,he shook up

the Civil Service,so instead of taking days to get anything done,having to return

the the offices 2-3 times, you could get it done in a day,he also gave Farangs

that had Yellow books health coverage*,BUT then,he turned into a megalomaniac,

he started to run Thailand like it was one of his businesses, total power corrupted

him,He realized if he pushed lots of money into Issan,populist policies, (not sure if

he really wanted to help the poor),but if you win there you will win any elections.

 

His backing of the elimination of 2,500 ?, drug dealers ,users,shows what he really turned

into.

regards Worgeordie                  * now with drawn 

Edited January 25, 20179 yr by worgeordie
add on

More relaxed (AND CHEAPER) in the early days and certainly before he was in, though I guess could be partly down to the way things are going in the world in general + rise of the internet as to why it's changed so much. I preferred it back then. 

Some Thais I know missing the times when he was in power saying life was good

than and money was a plenty, never mind that most of that economy was a false

economy, but simple people only care what they have in their hands in the end

of the day never mind where and how it came from....

Both Thaksin's brought the debt to households and the looting of the treasury. The coups brought the reckoning and the cleaning up of balance sheets, household and national.

Just now, lannarebirth said:

Both Thaksin's brought the debt to households and the looting of the treasury. The coups brought the reckoning and the cleaning up of balance sheets, household and national.

 

utter nonsense and please don't derail this thread with Trollish comments and misinformation  

1 minute ago, LannaGuy said:

 

utter nonsense and please don't derail this thread with Trollish comments and misinformation  

Oh, and a lot of extra judicial murders by government controlled police forces.

13 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

 

utter nonsense and please don't derail this thread with Trollish comments and misinformation  

His view is no more invalid as yours that it was such a happy time back then. 

11 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

Oh, and a lot of extra judicial murders by government controlled police forces.

Yes Thaksin was ahead of his time Duarte on a small scale.. quite a few innocents died under his rule. 

59 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

When He  was PM in the beginning, he did quite a few good things,he shook up

the Civil Service,so instead of taking days to get anything done,having to return

the the offices 2-3 times, you could get it done in a day,he also gave Farangs

that had Yellow books health coverage*,BUT then,he turned into a megalomaniac,

he started to run Thailand like it was one of his businesses, total power corrupted

him,He realized if he pushed lots of money into Issan,populist policies, (not sure if

he really wanted to help the poor),but if you win there you will win any elections.

 

His backing of the elimination of 2,500 ?, drug dealers ,users,shows what he really turned

into.

regards Worgeordie                  * now with drawn 

Have to agree with you. His first term was good and then the second election win went to his head particularly against the press. Made a serious enemy of the, still, powerful General Prem in stopping him promoting generals.

OK, evidently I made a moderating mistake in allowing this to run.

 

From our OP :-

 

Quote

I'm more interested in the day-to-day street level - was it any different?

 

So I'm going to close this. Give me a really good reason to re-open and I'll consider it.