Thaksin home and hosed?

[thonglor55]

Opinion polls are suggesting a landslide for Thaksin's Pheu Thai party, even among Bangkok-based voters. Thais who choose to vote must do so in the electorate where they are officially registered, and even though many live in Bangkok they are still registered back in the village, so a majority of Bangkokians voting for Thaksin despite the allegedly unpopular two-month stoppage in central Bangkok last year is an interesting outcome, to say the least. And before krobbie and others sneer about Thaksin buying votes (all parties do), it's very difficult to buy votes in bulk in the cities; it's the village headman system that can deliver bloc votes to one politician or another.

The one glimmer of hope for the Democrats is that according to a recent Bangkok poll (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/06/14/national/Democrats-have-faith-despite-bad-surveys-30157761.html), while Pheu Thai leads the Democrats both in the party list and Bangkok's 21 constituencies, 44 per cent of people are still undecided on which party to vote for.

So now the focus must be on how the establishment will try to stop Thaksin this time. Will it be the courts (as last time) or the army that delivers the knockout blow?

Opinion polls are suggesting a landslide for Thaksin's Pheu Thai party, even among Bangkok-based voters. Thais who choose to vote must do so in the electorate where they are officially registered, and even though many live in Bangkok they are still registered back in the village, so a majority of Bangkokians voting for Thaksin despite the allegedly unpopular two-month stoppage in central Bangkok last year is an interesting outcome, to say the least. And before krobbie and others sneer about Thaksin buying votes (all parties do), it's very difficult to buy votes in bulk in the cities; it's the village headman system that can deliver bloc votes to one politician or another.

The one glimmer of hope for the Democrats is that according to a recent Bangkok poll (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/06/14/national/Democrats-have-faith-despite-bad-surveys-30157761.html), while Pheu Thai leads the Democrats both in the party list and Bangkok's 21 constituencies, 44 per cent of people are still undecided on which party to vote for.

So now the focus must be on how the establishment will try to stop Thaksin this time. Will it be the courts (as last time) or the army that delivers the knockout blow?


Well

Unlike myself, Thaksin ran away from a crooked police force and justice system / policy he helped to create, and he still has a prison term to serve if and when he returns. That will be the excuse they would use.

Alternatively, they will just as usual void the election on the pretext of vote rigging or the fact they believe the Thai population is too stupid to decide who will lead the Country.

It's a disgrace, and any due process of law, vanished when Thaksin left, not that the option of a corrupt autocratic leadership was much better.

Of course, there's no oil, so there will be no interference OR any complaints about human rights when they start shooting the population from the USA or UK, We shouldn't even think about it.

I did not concentrate on the news the other day listening to Pattaya People but I am almost positive they reported that there was a new setup for those people wanting to vote that were NOT in their villages so that they may vote without making the long journey home or not voting at all.

I did not concentrate on the news the other day listening to Pattaya People but I am almost positive they reported that there was a new setup for those people wanting to vote that were NOT in their villages so that they may vote without making the long journey home or not voting at all.



Mmmmm,,

Or why not let those nice politicians use their vote for them, much easier and simpler and saves all that trekking home!..... :laughing3:

[thonglor55]

I did not concentrate on the news the other day listening to Pattaya People but I am almost positive they reported that there was a new setup for those people wanting to vote that were NOT in their villages so that they may vote without making the long journey home or not voting at all.Correct, but while they may live and work in Bangkok or Pattaya they cast their votes for rural electorates. It's that the urban electorates are now supporting Thaksin, after everything that's happened, is remarkable. The fact that murderers like Suchinda (see the 1991 coup and its aftermath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Thailand_since_1973)) get around freely, still honored by the military, travelling to nearby countries and Australia to play golf with their cronies means, I fear, that nothing much will change and one way or another the old gang will continue to rule the roost.

[krobbie]

... before krobbie and others sneer about Thaksin buying votes (all parties do), it's very difficult to buy votes in bulk in the cities; it's the village headman system that can deliver bloc votes to one politician or another.

I had no idea that I sounded snide. I thought I was just stating facts which were and are widely addressed in the Thai media.
Perhaps as my grandfather (and others) was fond of saying, believe nothing you read and only half of what you see.

The thing that gets my goat is that there is a delusion by the government (which ever is in power at any given time) that Thailand is a democracy, well it just is not. All this voting isn't worth a damn. Until such time as corruption is stamped out and is seen to be socially unacceptable, Thailand will continue to lurch and stutter its way along the same path for eternity.

I had no idea that I sounded snide. I thought I was just stating facts which were and are widely addressed in the Thai media.
Perhaps as my grandfather (and others) was fond of saying, believe nothing you read and only half of what you see.

The thing that gets my goat is that there is a delusion by the government (which ever is in power at any given time) that Thailand is a democracy, well it just is not. All this voting isn't worth a damn. Until such time as corruption is stamped out and is seen to be socially unacceptable, Thailand will continue to lurch and stutter its way along the same path for eternity.


Hi,

I got to say that you have got it in one.

Until such time as corruption is stamped out and is seen to be socially unacceptable, Thailand will continue to lurch and stutter its way along the same path for eternity.

Amen to that Krobbie.

[luvthai-2]

My thoughts are that if the Thaskin party does win the military will wait till he is back on thai soil then move in to arrest him and take control of the gov;t. They (top thai military officers) are not meeting with Myanmar leaders just to say hi. They are learning how the gov't is ruled under a military led gov't. This just food for thought.

[thonglor55]

They (top thai military officers) are not meeting with Myanmar leaders just to say hi. They are learning how the gov't is ruled under a military led gov't.If you think that then you know nothing of Thai history since c. 1930 - the military has been the government more often than not.
Until such time as corruption is stamped out and is seen to be socially unacceptable ...Not in our lifetime.

I did not concentrate on the news the other day listening to Pattaya People but I am almost positive they reported that there was a new setup for those people wanting to vote that were NOT in their villages so that they may vote without making the long journey home or not voting at all.

I asked His Lordship last Sunday when and where he was supposed to vote, since he is registered in Pak Tong Chai (Korat).
He said that he has to go 'home'.
On my remark: "But you can vote here in Pattaya!" he said: "Yes, but then you should have registered last month"

[krobbie]

Not in our lifetime.
.. I feel you may be right, more's the pity.

AS I will be in Bangkok during the election it will be an interesting time indeed.