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Political Crisis in Thailand

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PhilippeO Since: Oct, 2010
#26: Jan 12th 2014 at 7:08:50 PM

[up] Um, in Thailand its the working class who believe in democracy. Thaksin and his sister win election several times, and pools indicate they will win again. Its the upper class who oppose democracy.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#27: Jan 13th 2014 at 8:58:26 PM

It's actually mostly the middle class that are strongly anti-democratic, along with a power clique in the military and judiciary. The middle classes have the money and security to be able to afford to give a damn about corruption, and they know that the Reds know that their voters don't care about corruption so long as some of it goes their way. Thus, to quote a joke I once had in a chat, "what's the point of democracy if it doesn't always go my way?"

Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#28: Jan 15th 2014 at 7:24:12 PM

[up][up] That's what i mean, though. Radical elements amongst the Reds don't trust that the Yellows won't overthrow the democracy, and so essentially run pre-emptive terror campaigns on a small scale. Such happens with the Chavistas in Venezuela against the MUD-folks (how i wished that party made a better acronym in English, even if they are the center-right, makes me feel like i'm mocking them every time i type it out)

Colonial1.1 Purveyor of Obscurity from The Marvelous River City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Purveyor of Obscurity
#29: Jan 17th 2014 at 8:01:21 AM

Taksin and his group need to be thrown out of politics before democracy can happen properly. Not least because methinks a man whose name sounds like "toxin" (yes, that's how it's pronounced over there) and whose reputation matches it, is not exactly the best choice of candidate. : P

"He could not know it. For it was not all a joke."
PhilippeO Since: Oct, 2010
#30: Jan 17th 2014 at 6:33:28 PM

[up] Thaksin probably not best choice of candidate, but its the people right to decide who is or is not best choice of candidate. if democracy start to be limited by various criteria, it will become fake democracy.

it very easy to add various rules once you start, first ban criminal from running; then you require candidate at least college graduate; then he must be veteran; eventually only general eligible as candidate.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#31: Jan 21st 2014 at 12:34:01 AM

@Colonial: See, that's the trick. You may be right, but you can't have "real democracy" if you throw out a popular, popularly-elected leader by undemocratic means. The Thaksinocracy has the support of the majority, so saying that you want a democracy but that you want to ban Thaksin and co. from running is somewhat hypocritical.

demarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#32: Jan 21st 2014 at 5:03:28 AM

If Thailand could build a social infrastructure that reduced the corruption, then regimes like Thaksin would go away by themselves (or else clean themselves up).

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#33: Jan 21st 2014 at 2:31:03 PM

Oh, of course. So, let's just get the elected officials to build that social infrastructure...

Alternately, let's not ask anyone but our own people, forcibly seize control over the government and promise to build that social infrastructure without popular input...

demarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#34: Jan 22nd 2014 at 8:36:23 AM

It's been done, in other countries...

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Colonial1.1 Purveyor of Obscurity from The Marvelous River City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Purveyor of Obscurity
#35: Jan 22nd 2014 at 9:59:44 AM

Ramidel, others: Perhaps it is, but the bottom line is that he needs to get gone for Thailand itself to go anywhere.

How does he even get so many votes?

...And dammit, I feel like I've turned into Henry Kissinger. ] X

"He could not know it. For it was not all a joke."
demarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#36: Jan 22nd 2014 at 10:55:14 AM

Well, I have a similar opinion regarding Karzai in Afghanistan, but what can you do? It takes time.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#37: Jan 22nd 2014 at 1:08:03 PM

@Colonial: Said it before: Because his constituents don't care about corruption so long as they get theirs.

demarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#38: Jan 22nd 2014 at 4:48:27 PM

Of course they care about corruption. It is almost mathematically impossible for the majority of a population to experience net benefit from corruption. They would make it go away if they weren't afraid that the opposition party wasn't trying to hurt them even worse than their own corrupt leaders.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#39: Jan 22nd 2014 at 6:27:38 PM

@demarquis: "Benefit from" and "not care about" are different things.

What it looks like to me is that the Red is capable of providing effective government services to the rural poor, which the Yellow is not trusted to do. So long as this state of affairs continues, said rural poor are not going to object to some of the money that's being taxed for their benefit ending up in the boss' hands.

Now, this does have an element of "democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on dinner" to it. Part of why the Yellow are complaining is that they're the ones whose income is being redistributed to the Thaksinocrats' pocketbooks.

demarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#40: Jan 22nd 2014 at 6:59:31 PM

Well, if that's the only problem they have with political corruption, I wouldnt think it's a decisive barrier against any further progress. Now, if the elections are somehow rigged, or if most of the tax money were going to plutocrats, that's a different issue. Low level corruption can be managed.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#41: Jan 22nd 2014 at 7:12:06 PM

Yeah, that's the main thing I'm seeing. It doesn't appear that the Red are actually rigging the votes (though they are very good at getting people to the polls), or they wouldn't have the kind of actual support that they do.

Thus, economic populism combined with some rather blatant graft, which is what pisses off the middle class, the monarchists and the Thaksinocracy's rival elite groups (who have a lot of power in a very independent military and judiciary, and Thailand doesn't exactly have a firm belief in the rule of law and constitutional methods).

stripes-the-zebra Since: Aug, 2013
#42: Jan 26th 2014 at 9:36:53 AM

I don't see how anyone can possibly support the protesters and then have the gall to preach about democracy. The protesters have no interest in democracy whatsoever, and are just pissed that politicians have realized that it's the majority poor, not the minority middle that wins elections.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#43: Jan 26th 2014 at 7:21:14 PM

That's why "the people" and "the majority" are flung around by the Yellows. They're being very Personal Dictionary about the whole thing.

Mind you, stripes, an argument can be made that good governance is simply at odds with democracy in Thailand. I haven't seen an actual platform of governance for the Yellows, though, so I personally doubt it; I think this is pure power struggle.

stripes-the-zebra Since: Aug, 2013
#44: Jan 26th 2014 at 9:03:32 PM

"Mind you, stripes, an argument can be made that good governance is simply at odds with democracy in Thailand"

I don't believe that something is right just because the majority wants it, but the opposition platform isn't for 'good governance' (whatever anyone thinks that means), it's for governance that's in their favour and no one else's. If the majority is benefiting from the economic decisions being made, and that majority supports the government making them, then I'm not particularly concerned if those decisions offend some sensibilities.

edited 26th Jan '14 9:05:10 PM by stripes-the-zebra

Pblades Since: Oct, 2009
#46: May 7th 2014 at 7:00:10 AM

Things are coming to a head, it seems. Can't say I'm surprised - the judicial branch have been ruling pretty firmly on the sides of the PDRC and other old powers.

Hopefully it won't end in a blood bath.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#47: May 19th 2014 at 7:19:12 PM

The Thai army has unilaterally declared martial law, though they say it is not a coup in progress.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/19/world/asia/thailand-martial-law/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

edited 19th May '14 9:00:26 PM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#48: May 19th 2014 at 8:32:07 PM

So we're right back to where we were 7 years ago? How can they possibly justify it this time?

The reds are gonna win the elections, and they're going to keep winning if you guys keep pulling this crap.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#49: May 19th 2014 at 9:44:06 PM

...so, how long until the army decides to just count the votes themselves?

FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001

Total posts: 113
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