while not condoning the taking over of an airport by the PAD, i have to laugh at the f**king Brits on TF pontificating about how f**king terrible it all is and how nothing like that could ever happen in there wonderful country. where law and order is king and the wonderful police and army r on standby 24/7 to uphold the rule of the land ..... just a few reminders !! 1974 - Ulster Worker Strike. Government brought down by "MOB" !!!The fifteen unprecedented, historic days in which a million British citizens, the Protestants of Northern Ireland, staged what amounted to a rebellion against the Crown and won... During those fifteen days, for the first time in over fifty years... a section of the realm became totally ungovernable. A self-elected provisional government of Protestant power workers, well-armed private armies and extreme politicians organized a strike which almost broke up the fabric of civilized life in Ulster. They deprived most of the population for much of the time of food, water, electricity, gas, transport, money and any form of livelihood. — journalist Robert Fisk, in his book The Point of No Return: The Strike Which Broke the British in Ulster1972 - 1974 - Miners Strike(s). Heath brought down.

On the 5th January 1972, the National Executive Committee of the NUM rejected a small pay rise from the National Coal Board, who then 2 days later, withdrew all pay offers from the last 3 months. On the 9th January 1972, miners from all over Britain came out on strike. In South Wales, 135 pits were closed; 50 collieries and 85 private mines.At first the miners picketed at coal power stations, but then it was decided to target all power stations, and also steelworks, ports, coal depots and other major coal users. In South Wales, dockers at Newport and Cardiff supported the miners by refusing to unload coal from ships. On the 21st January, the NUM decided to try to stop the movement of all fuel supplies. Miners from South Wales were involved in the pickets at the Saltley Marsh Coal Depot of the West Midlands Gas Board. 

On the 9th February, a state of emergency was declared and 2 days later, the three day working week was introduced to save electricity. On the 19th February, after much negotiation, an agreement was reached between the National Executive Committee of the NUM and the Government. Picketing was called off, and on the 25th February, the miners accepted the offer in a ballot, returning to work on the 28th February.

In late 1973, the miners once more voted to take industrial action if their pay demands were not meet. They were not, and so on the 9th February 1974, the miners came out on strike. 

The Government refused to compromise on a 7% pay rise, and the situation lead to Edward Heath, the Prime Minister, to declare a state of emergency and introduce a three day working week. The General Election and the Industrial Relations Act meant that picketing and campaigning were low key compared with the 1972 strike. Edward Heath called a General Election for the 28th February believing that the country would be in sympathy with him, but the Conservatives were defeated. The Labour Government and the miners reached a deal shortly afterwards and the strike ended.

1978/1979 - Winter of discontent

1981 - Brixton Riots

1981 - Toxteh Riots

1984 - Miners Strike (again)

1990 - Poll Tax Riots

and that's just of the top of my head while at work !!!!

if they are blocking the airport. does that mean i get to overstay without a penalty , i can call into work and say i'm stuck in a riot and cannot leave for a few extra weeks

I also recall reading that in 1776 only one third of the American colonists were in support of a rebellion against British rule. Not exactly a majority.

And what was one of the first actions taken by those who were disgruntled with the policies of George III?

They invaded Boston Harbor, seized ships and dumped tea and other goods in the ocean.

They took over a port and screwed the already screwed economy!!!

Thugs! Terrorists! Anarchists!!!

hmmm so PAD isn't the first MOB who did that, right O_o?

My questions, what will Somchai does? I mean he said he wouldn't resign cuz he didn't do anything wrong. (Against laws, isn't wrong) What will happened?

Take those ppl out from the airport isn't easy. Use bomb? Gun shot? or invalid tear gas again? Don't get me wrong I just scared of blood splash all around a very beautiful place.

That's all swell except for the unfortunate fact that PAD's agenda isn't democratic and anti-colonial (like the American Revolution) or pro-labor (like any of the UK miner's strikes, it's emphatically anti-Democratic and anti-working class with the specific stated goal of rescinding universal suffrage and disenfranchising most of the electorate.

Their agenda is not the piont, because the current argument is over their tactics.

They believe in their agenda, a significant part of the population agrees with their grievances (if not their solutions), and they are trying to unseat a government. Why everyone thinks they are supposed to play by rules that suit their own personal or economic convenience is beyond me, as almost no movement trying to radically change a system does that.

Furthermore, they are protesting against a government trying to pass a constitution that includes clauses that would weaken the independence of the judiciary, wipe away laws on electoral fraud, and eliminate several watchdog agencies that are supposed to keep a check on government and report on its honesty.

This constitution will not be put of a popular vote, if the ruling party has its way.

That's hardly a democratic agenda either.

>>>it's emphatically anti-Democratic and anti-working class with the specific stated goal of rescinding universal suffrage and disenfranchising most of the electorate.<<<

That's not entirely accurate. Rescinding universal suffrage means some people will not be allowed to vote. The PAD leader who voiced the viewpoint you are referring to said everyone would vote, but only to elect 30% of the members of the house of representatives and the rest would be appointed by another mechanism.

That was obviously a bad idea and won't be accepted, and he withdrew that proposal more than two months ago, and called for an assembly to come up with better ideas.

Most of the people sitting at the airport or at government house right now are working class people.

I don't particularly like some of the PAD leaders or agree with their ideas on how to solve the country's problems, or some of their tactics. But how this whole thing is being portrayed is often simplistic and inaccurate.

They have moved from civil protest to armed insurrection against a democratically elected government. If you want to support that, it's up to you. Seizing control of an airport, shooting people in broad daylight on one of the busiest streets in town, etc. The failure of the government to respond sends a clear message to the world that nobody's in charge here. I don't think any of Ciaran's UK exmaples are really good analogies to the situation here. It would be more like if the IRA seized control of Heathrow and was shooting people in Mayfair and the British government sat on their hands.

Posted by Undercover [ 27 November 2008 | 9:52AM ]

They have moved from civil protest to armed insurrection against a democratically elected government. If you want to support that, it's up to you. Seizing control of an airport, shooting people in broad daylight on one of the busiest streets in town, etc. The failure of the government to respond sends a clear message to the world that nobody's in charge here. I don't think any of Ciaran's UK exmaples are really good analogies to the situation here. It would be more like if the IRA seized control of Heathrow and was shooting people in Mayfair and the British government sat on their hands. <<<

sorry ... it's **** all like an armed insurrection. most of the protest has been peaceful and much of the violence has come from pro-government supporters.

and most of my analogies from the UK involved a hell of a lot more violence than is taking place here. for example during the Ulster Workers Strike, loyalist paramilitarys and their supporters took over virtually the whole of Northern Ireland while a highly trained and superbly armed military and police force did absolutely **** all !!

this hardly qualifies as an armed insurrection.

the people they shot at on the street pelted buses of mostly unarmed PAD members with rocks and iron bars and other objects. rocks can kill you too. police were present and standing behind taxi drivers throwing the rocks and objects. They appear to have been organized by the police.

later that night, an M-79 grenade was fired at PAD guards on the highway leading to the airport. the bloodstains of the three who were wounded are still on the highway.

on the preceding several nights, grenades were thrown into government house where they are camped out, killing and wounding several.

while, personally, i think some of the PAD guards are out of control, and their leaders should be ensuring they are not in possession of firearms, just about every instance of violence has been initiated by government supporters or the government itself.

the PAD was completely unarmed and nonviolent until, on more than one occasion, the police stood by and watched as armed government supporters attacked and injured them.

if the government/police was responsible to do its job and protect those engaged in nonviolent civil protest against it, the PAD would probably never have recruited guards and given them arms.

Yea, you know it very well that PAD is against any investigations on what happens in their ranks. You are true that police has not been protecting PAD's protests. Everything else, nah, some of your commments are so stupid that it invalidates anything else that might be reasonable that you are writing. Yea, I started using names now too, I am tired with this stupid way you are doing your comments most of the times, this same unsubstantiated bs.

For fucks sake. Now I am angry. I know who is supporting PAD. Just ask me.

Yea, I have also interviewed anonymous multiple people on my own. They are very credible. Trust me. I know who is doing this. It is ******* twisted tale of politics, power, money and yellow.

I'm impressed that they are being shot or run over with tanks, or even gassed. Civil disobedience is the peoples role in the democracy of Jefferson era if thats the democracy everyone is speaking about. So when did that change into attack and torture people in Us policy. I hope the Thai situation is resolved with diplomacy. Thats something the world would like to see.

LOL! A FACIST TOO!

WHAT A FAKE!

55555555555555555555555555 ..............

dry ur ******* eyes !!!!

LOL

take it you don't like the english!