Good morning,

The government is now admitting that the economy will shrink by 3% this year – Olarn Chaipravart, formerly of this parish and a minister/advisor and various other things, has noted that each 1% drop in GDP will increase unemployment by around 400,000. I have observed before that official unemployment figures do not really reflect reality for various reasons. In any case, it is unemployment which will be the real problem as a result of the global economic crisis and the banking sector is not terribly important here.

And how is the government responding to this crisis and, indeed, mass demonstrations against its total lack of legitimacy? There will be less news broadcast on television and a lot of that news will be fabricated feel-good nonsense have more of an emphasis on the positive side. Readers with an attention span exceeding five minutes will remember that when previous governments changed broadcasting schedules, this was taken as evidence of suppression of free speech, interfering with the media and so forth which is still parroted by people who should know better. Obviously this is different because people concerned are sincere and have good intentions. Eh? Oh.

Bomb blasts in Narathiwat have wounded 11 people. The violence seems to be never-ending with the military in control.

I have two new articles published at Socyberty (have been busy with the progress of PhD students recently so have not had much chance to write this kind of thing). There is The Washington Consensus and Chin Peng. I hope to put up a few new articles and book reviews this week and next, if time permits.

Back tomorrow.

Don’t suppose you don’t know no one who don’t want to buy no dog?