Well, its the weekend....
For a change I'm sitting at my pc back in old blighty!.... A few issues, bills, family illness and stress related matters to deal with, so am I happy here? Well no I'm not.... sorry to all those who have the rose tinted glasses about home, its an absolute mess back here, and by the time this is posted on the site, I should be back at home.... yes home in Bangkok with someone who cares and a job where people who actually understand me as well as care.

For those of you who have not ventured back to the place of your roots, can I just say don't bother, you are far better off where you are. The Grand Old Lady (UK) is in a real sorry state. The country that many of us left years ago is something of the distant past. You and I live in an emerging nation, not one that is in freefall, sorry if that hurts a few feelings, but trust me, the UK is no place to think about as a safe, easy, cosy place to live.

I'm lucky..... hold on let me rephrase that.... I thought I was... I came back here for several reasons, the main one being an 80 year old mother and two daughters, the rest is just absolute stupidity. Let's be honest Thailand has its issues and we have all been stung or caught by one or both, however its is at least there in your face obvious and you know whats going on.

What I really hate about the UK of the 21st century, is that yes you are shafted, from time to time ( that's life yes? like it or not) lets just say here we understand the rules of maybe paying a little extra as a farang from time to time, but its open and there to discuss! In the UK your are shafted from every direction and below I will list a few:
Telephone.... line rental make a call or not - you pay
Council tax.... you pay if you are there or not.
Water..... your pay if your are there or not
Insurance..... good one... sub sections, Life, car, health, accident, property, travel, goods or personal items I could go on.
Telephone sales, postal scams, and the whole view by every so call business, we are not walking ATM's but credit card, cash, and asset items to be raided at every chance.

How about our lovely cars?...... Ah, sore point. the British motorist has been raped for money for years. So if we start with petrol £1.26 a ltr, car tax, mot, insurance, servicing when you need it, yess we know the honour of the local british garage... Ok now I hear you all laughing. I think I'm better off in Thailand by close to £8k, but that's just by not driving at all.

I'm depressed by the lowering of standards.... social ones that is. I can walk in my local district in Bangkok and enjoy a night out, maybe the odd taxi or motorbike could come alarmingly close, or the pack of dogs sniffing out something, but I can sit in a bar, restaurant or a place to eat without having to face the low life of town or city situations where some drunken underclass wants to beat my brains out because I looked at them or even asked that that showing of their privates in public is not quite a good ideal when contemplating a supper, and that's just the women.

We all have our views on Thai police, but you know the score. The UK ones are not to be trusted. Sure they don't want money off you, but they do enjoy the position they have of being somewhere inbetween the underclass, outclass, outlaws and real world.... When I'm being shafted ( I'm old school) I like to know that i'm being turned over with politeness and a smile...

The UK has a national debt of over £25k per person ( man, woman, child, and those yet born), Sure Thailand has its issues, but in general the social graces here are streets ahead, they treat their senior people much better than the UK, the family unit is closer, there is actually community where people respect, understand and look after each other.

No I do not have rose tinted glasses...... but I have seen both sides... I can earn so much more in the UK, but its not just about money.... quality of life is far more important. I don't doubt it can be tough here in Thailand and we are facing the same issues that immigrants face in UK and Europe, but trust me, its better to be part of the future, molding its people, and building a life, than it is to be in a nation that has deep social, economic, trust and truth issues, which is on freefall, because its still supporting the banks which have ravaged society for everything they can get.

In truth I weep for my homeland, its riddled like a cancer... the same sort which took my father 3 years ago and the health service paid lip service to him and did very little to make his last months comfortable. I've seen such idleness and wastefulness, and damn right corrupt bleeding of society, and some say Thailand has issues. I'm more than happy to live my life here..... for all its issues, there is a sense of understanding, acceptance, and social respect that died long ago in many western nations.

Ian