Lights, camera, action: the election blockbuster is here

COMMENTARY

Lights, camera, action: the election blockbuster is here

Published: 21/05/2011 at 02:23 AM
Newspaper section: News

The stage is set, the cast is ready and this year's blockbuster is geared up to take the collective audience's breath away _ it's election 2011!

Fright sight: A mask vendor dons the image of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, at a rally in Bangkok’s shopping district of Ratchaprasong, where the red shirts on Thursday marked the first anniversary of the 19 May 2010 crackdown.

Forgive the sarcasm, but it certainly does seem as if the theatre that is this year's personality popularity contest is more superficial than ever.

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About the author

: Writer: Arglit Boonyai; Position: Multimedia Editor

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elviajero
Post : 361
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Discussion 10 : 22/05/2011 at 12:47 PM10
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Policies are irrelevant to most voters in most elections and especially this one. Elections are popularity contests and incumbent governments usually lose power because of failed policy, not because of the populist policies offered by the electioneering parties.

This election is TS v the rest. Anyone that believes any TS supporter is going to vote anything other than PTP is naive at the least. The only policy they are interested in is bringing TS back. The rest of the country will vote for the remaining parties and policy might come in to play for a few, but they will put the vote aginst TS as the first decision followed by which party to vote for.

Asian Hand (d6). I agree with alot of what you say. But " PT - will win by a landslide".... no way! They should win the most seats but I don't believe they will get a majority of seats and it certainly won't be a landslide. I only see another Dem coalition. I don't believe the PTP have enough support from the smaller parties to be able to form a coalition unless their shortfall in seats is very small.
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rpt777
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Discussion 9 : 21/05/2011 at 06:53 PM9
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The results of the election will be decided by which side the military wants to take control of the corruption...and we can all guess who that is. Thaksin has already shown that he does not share well with the military.
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bkkyo
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Discussion 8 : 21/05/2011 at 03:39 PM8
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dear Khun Arglit, most of the times I like your work but for this one I hope your editor reads it as well. I think you are barking up the wrong tree. It is not the task of critiacl journalists to do interviews with pre-progammed questions; but not one time in both the interviewer asked second -hard questions. I know BP has to make a living and appreciates being able to do both intervies but what you actually do is aid polititicians you seem to loathe by granting them free space in your publication.
Also the AV interview was poorly done with an interviewer whose questions had to be dubbed to understand them, so I would not have expected that guy to ask any questions others than he read from his script

do not really expect this to go through to the forum
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djangopegs
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Discussion 7 : 21/05/2011 at 02:04 PM7
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My Thai landlady once told me that because 80 percent of the Thai electorateare completely stupid, they would always vote for money and glamour. Policies never come into it.
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Asian Hand
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Discussion 6 : 21/05/2011 at 10:20 AM6
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Your article talks like a true Bangkokian (the other nationality in Thailand). You assume the electorate are intelligent and scrutinize the candidates. Thailand lacks the education system to raise the knowledge of its people do to just that. They could care less about answers to questions - its all about celebrity, senseless double speak, deafening music, loud preposterous speeches. Simply put on a good show and that party will win. Can Yingluck coyote dance - that will get more votes. PT has all this in place. They know how to whip up a frenzy. What is even equally amusing is how the BP interviews Thaksin as if he is running for office? Political immaturity prevails. PT - will win by a landslide.
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johninbkk
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Discussion 5 : 21/05/2011 at 10:20 AM5
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"How exactly are you planning on making things better? What policies do you speak of? I have no idea what you or your parties stand for!"
Each of the major parties list their policies on their websites' policy page. It's worth a look, and probably even worth a translation for those who can't read Thai.
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meme
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Discussion 4 : 21/05/2011 at 09:31 AM4
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D1: Democrats got no.10 so they will get ten times more votes than Puea Thaksin Party.
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sharp
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Discussion 3 : 21/05/2011 at 09:13 AM3
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Yeah and look at the photo Bin Laden in the background ummm something in that for sure ...

So they will make their decision based on gut instinct, naaa the 500b in the pocket wins over
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browser
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Discussion 2 : 21/05/2011 at 08:40 AM2
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Funny article, but I supsect that this election is not a waste of time, and I suggest that everyone goes out and votes. The point of the article is sound - politicians are politicians - but they are the world over. This article could be applied rather liberally to a lot of places ! But beneath the humour and beneath and silliness of it, this is an uncommonly serious election. It is serious for much the same reasons that the author of this article so eloquently states - people no longer buy what their politicians are telling them. So they will make their decision based on gut instinct ( which is what most people do at the ballot box anyway ). Let's hope they get it right.
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ivyking
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Discussion 1 : 21/05/2011 at 06:03 AM1
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PT got the #1 number. That is all that count. They might win because of that.
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Lights, camera, action: the election blockbuster is here | Bangkok Post: opinion