Juan Carlos,
To quote Cromwells royalist contemporary Thomas Wentworth:
“He who meddles in the affairs of kings will ne’re put things back he way in which he found them!”
Opinions on the sentiment may vary but Thaksin as Lord Protector? God help us all! Chavalit as Sir Thomas Fairfax? And I really can’t cast Newin!
We all know the pressures bought to bear on the Levellers by Cromwells parliament and I don’t see it being different in this age. Swap a monarch for a dictator. How will the corrupt power elite be sidelined in any “new age” of politics? Who will institute checks and balances where will a non-corrupt judiciary, police and “New Model Army” rise from?
Most interesting comparisons tho.
What we really need now is Richard Harris! Ha Ha
“People will tolerate a *lot* if they have reasonable grounds to believe that they can move up in the world over the space of several generations. . . But anyone who has experience of Thailand knows that this is most assuredly not the case. Born Brown, Stay Down. This *must* change.” – Juan Carlos #28 insinuating there are certain powerful ghosts Thai elites keeping brown Isarn people poor.
Where is your evidence Juan Carlos?
Like I said before, any buffallo in Thailand can rise above his manure, by dint of hard work. And there are lots of Isarn in Bangkok who make that effort . . . and many who succeed by perseverance and self-education.
But there are lots Thai poor, not a monopoly of the Isarn btw, by choice and/or laziness and lack of motivation. That’s the reality of the world.
Income disparity exists everywhere . . . and Thailand is no better or worse than the rest of the world.
Vichai N – I dont understand one thing, by attacking Thaksin/Samak on what they did in the past, how would you solve this deep social division we have here in Thailand??
Btw, my stance on Samak is that, although he was Thaksin sympathizer, but he is far from being innocent from his action in the 1976. Anyhow, ain’t you curious who is behind all those 1973, 1976, and 1992 massacre?? (hint, its not Thaksin)
Juan Carlos – Thanks for the response, of cause I didn’t intend for Thailand to copy the Japanese model, I just giving an extreme example of what could be done for the poor farmer, there are more to be discuss in detail about this.
Andrew Walker lies . . . and that’s the point Chris Beale (#44).
[Vichai – the question I responded to was “Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?” We do not censor or delay on the basis of the line that comments take. Anyone reading the discussion can see that. We have always been open about the fact that we delay and sometimes delete material that is abusive, repetitive or incoherent. We also try to make sure everyone gets a say, rather than letting some voices dominate the discussion. Andrew Walker.]
To use a common piece of slang: It ain’t over until the Fat Lady Sings.
Funnily enough, a favoured Karaoke spot for nostalgic old ladies is the top floor of the Dusit Thani Hotel. But not this week, I suspect.
RalphK: I guess Chavalit is going through the motions to underline the fact that person is question has mislaid mojo along with possibly some higher cognitive functions and simply cannot this time come out and pour oil on troubled waters. In which case, see para 1. Which rather does concentrate the mind.
Tarrin, I agree with most of your points, but is specious to mention Japanese farmers earning more than To-Dai graduates. Japanese farmers earn so much due to post-war gerrymander which has given rural electorates excessive representation in the Diet. As I’m sure you know, Japanese city dwellers have been massively subsidising rural voters’ concrete bottomed rivers, multilane highways, suspension bridges to nowhere, etc. since the 1960s. Not to mention artificially high farm produce prices thanks to agricultural protectionism (+ fair degree of Xenophobia re foreign produce).
Would be interesting to discuss further what really needs to be done to improve the lot of Thai farmers and workers. Realistically, a lot of it has to be the breaking down of social barriers and allowing for more social mobility. People will tolerate a *lot* if they have reasonable grounds to believe that they can move up in the world over the space of several generations. Chinese being a case in point.
But anyone who has experience of Thailand knows that this is most assuredly not the case. Born Brown, Stay Down. This *must* change.
For the rest, had better save my ink as some chance there might be blood today and will have more important things to opine about.
Ralph Kramden (15) – think about it: Thaksin’s “nominees” very publicly request the King to step in and prevent a massacre of the Reds. This headline goes around the country. Suppose the King does nothing, and Abhisit orders the troops in and there is another big killing, most likely much worse than April 10. What does the half of the country that supports the Reds think about the King’s refusal to halt the killing (which is done, ostensibly, to “save the monarchy”)? Obviously, that he supports the slaughter of Reds. What is the headline that will go around the world – and Thailand on Red community radio, internet sites and CDs (no doubt with help from Thaksin’s media team): “King Refuses Request to Prevent Killing of Reds”.
Game Over Thai Monarchy.
Re. Chavalit, anyone who can become Commander of the Armed Forces, end a communist insurgency, set up a political party and become PM in the snake pit of Thai politics I would think at the very least has a superior understanding of political strategy. I agree that when interviewed he rarely seems to make much sense, but it’s not his public speaking skills that are relevant here.
Third, I don’t think the comparison with 1976 works. In 1976 there was no mass politics. There was domestic – and international – support for a crackdown on “the communists”. The monarchy was on the “right” side – ie. it had enough domestic political support for its alliance with the far right. So it didn’t matter if it got its hands dirty. It would not damage the monarchy too greatly.
Today we are in an era of mass politics where domestic developments in Thailand (eg. liberalization of the economy, more ways of circumventing the state-controlled media, growing strength of political liberalism, etc.) are highly unfavourable for the monarchy and the existing political regime. The monarchy also now faces an increasingly hostile international media, which is likely to get worse. No doubt more of the monarchy’s skeletons will be paraded before the world in the coming weeks and months. In contrast with 1976 the King’s support for a reactionary massacre this time could be fatal.
Given the royalists’ attempts to destroy Thaksin: the car-bomb assassination attempts, the character assassination in the media, the coup, the dissolution of two of his political parties, the drafting and passing of a new Constitution rigged in the royalists’ favour, the prison sentence, the freezing and seizure of his assets, and now the killings of his Red Shirt supporters… one would think there is more than enough reason for Thaksin and his supporters to go after the monarchy.
I often affect a flippant tone when commenting on Thai matters in this forum and elsewhere. However, I have to register my disgust regarding this despicable Nation article. Henceforth Nation to be known as ‘Samak Herald’ perhaps?
But we already knew they were the yellowest of yellow press (in at least two senses).
On a broader note, for a long time I felt that the monarchy deserved some slack given that despite the iniquities justified in its name, its special brand of magic helped preserve at least the Thais from the semi-order-of-magnitude greater horrors of communism back in the day.
However, back in the day is just that. Back in the day.
Apropos of nothing, I thought I should quote Oliver Cromwell’s Address to the Long Parliament:
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
JohnH and Qualtrough – We certainly can’t have a discussion if Andrew Walker again takes upon himself to censor/delete my response to JohnH – #26.
Among other things, the perpetrators of that 1976 and 1992 massacres most certainly included a certain Samak Sundaravej, now deceased, a Thaksinite and one of the reddest Red leader ever. And it was not coincidental too that Thaksin Shinawatra , personally profited after 1992 bloodbath . . . was very very cozy with that 1992 coup-leader Gen. Sunthorn Kongsompong . . . who gave Thaksin, (the General immensely enriching himself from that Thaksin-Kongsompong transaction) his license to operate his satellite/telecommunication business.
Thanks for the Nation link, Ralph Kramden. Sophon Ongkara’s rhetoric exemplifies the irony of anti-UDD critics fatuously comparing Thaksin with Hitler. After all, many of Thailand’s conservative status-quo fans, like Sophon, often sound just like Goebbels, Hitler’s communications czar! (Of course there are many other reasons that the comparison is specious, but I don’t have time to list them right now.)
Those questions and issues from Maratjp are highly relevant and to the point. Unless Thais face these in good faith and get well-balanced solutions, there would be little likelihood for Thailand to forge ahead as a strong and prosperous nation, and that would be a shame. So please, everybody, come to your sense and do away with misguided notions.
Vichai N – Ah I’m sorry, actually I’ve posted a response long ago, but it seems like it got censored/deleted out for whatever reason.
You see Vichai, the Red majority is made up of the poor farmer and lower lower-middle class sec of Thailand society. They have elected the government to represent them only to be swept away by the right-wing establishment (agree?). Now what will you do if your right to vote as a citizen being taken away? you will fight to get your right as a citizen back right? this is what called the “class struggle”
Btw, you are certainly right about 45,000 paid a month for high skill/highly educated, but that’s more than a year worth of pay for a farmer Thailand. In Japan, farmers got paid more than To-di graduates. We are not talking about how the pay is so low in Thailand, we are talking about income disparity here.
Aladdin: In 1976 it was clear that the palace was happy enough with the blood-letting. They helped set things in train and did plenty to stir up the hatred. And, they were quickly rehabilitated with the help of the “elite”, in a relatively short time. So I think you might be exaggerating a strategy. I think Chavalit is marginal to what the red shirts are doing and, in recent interviews has seemed hardly of this planet. If a call to the king is the best he can come up with, well, it’s sad. And forlorn. I know, it’s a call out and people will see it for what it is, but that happened in 1976 too.
In every case of kingly intervention, it has been on the side of the military and its rightist buddies. He’s doing the same now.
Marc writes of: “8 April TAN cable TV’s “Political Hot Pot” show featured Sophon Ongkara lambasting the government for doing too little and too late, and condemning red shirt protestors as “just a bunch of thugs” and “working for Thaksin’s agenda to get rid of the monarchy.”
This has to be on a par with the calls for murder in 1976 or perhaps some of the extreme fascist writings during the war in the former Yugoslavia that resulted in atrocities on a pretty grand scale.
How does one condemn this stuff when the writer is like a pitbull who has tasted blood?
Signs have interested me since this whole thing started.
When the Red Shirts first started protesting (back in mid March), I took photos of the signs and wrote ‘Red Shirts in Bangkok: Signs of the Time’. There were some signs with Engligh scattered around, nothing overwhelming. Coup translated as Cope was common.
Amongst other signs in English, the Pink Shirts coming out in support of the present government at Victory Monument have one long sign translated into (I believe): English, German, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew and Arabic. There are photos of a part of it on my post, ‘Bangkok’s Pink Shirts at Victory Monument‘, but it was too long to show the entire thing.
Signs, especially English, have been used all over the world in conflicts where the involved aim to catch the eye of the press.
Arthurson#1 :
“overstates the size of the pink shirt rally and march, and seems to underplay the size of the crowds on the red shirt side and misses the point that there are a large number of red shirts who live and work in Bangkok.”
Yes – it does look like the Yellow Shirts are not able to muster anything like their previous numbers.
And even if they do – so what ? :
they can n ‘t occupy Ratchprasong Intersection again !!
Colonel Jeru#33 :
Thanks for this post – and Shawn Crispin’s excellent analysis.
It may be a Sondhi Lim publication Crispin is working for – but he’s undoubtedly producing the best current analysis.
Even better than The Economist !
Even if Anwar had liberal views, he will be hard pressed to articulate it – fearing attacks from his mostly conservative Muslim base and also conservatives from other races. Such is the irony and hypocrisy of Malaysia.
We do empathise with him though, for the relentless attacks that he is subjected to – simply because he dares to challenge the powers that be – not necessarily because he is a better person.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Juan Carlos,
To quote Cromwells royalist contemporary Thomas Wentworth:
“He who meddles in the affairs of kings will ne’re put things back he way in which he found them!”
Opinions on the sentiment may vary but Thaksin as Lord Protector? God help us all! Chavalit as Sir Thomas Fairfax? And I really can’t cast Newin!
We all know the pressures bought to bear on the Levellers by Cromwells parliament and I don’t see it being different in this age. Swap a monarch for a dictator. How will the corrupt power elite be sidelined in any “new age” of politics? Who will institute checks and balances where will a non-corrupt judiciary, police and “New Model Army” rise from?
Most interesting comparisons tho.
What we really need now is Richard Harris! Ha Ha
Anti-pro-democracy
“People will tolerate a *lot* if they have reasonable grounds to believe that they can move up in the world over the space of several generations. . . But anyone who has experience of Thailand knows that this is most assuredly not the case. Born Brown, Stay Down. This *must* change.” – Juan Carlos #28 insinuating there are certain powerful ghosts Thai elites keeping brown Isarn people poor.
Where is your evidence Juan Carlos?
Like I said before, any buffallo in Thailand can rise above his manure, by dint of hard work. And there are lots of Isarn in Bangkok who make that effort . . . and many who succeed by perseverance and self-education.
But there are lots Thai poor, not a monopoly of the Isarn btw, by choice and/or laziness and lack of motivation. That’s the reality of the world.
Income disparity exists everywhere . . . and Thailand is no better or worse than the rest of the world.
Thailand on the verge
Vichai N – I dont understand one thing, by attacking Thaksin/Samak on what they did in the past, how would you solve this deep social division we have here in Thailand??
Btw, my stance on Samak is that, although he was Thaksin sympathizer, but he is far from being innocent from his action in the 1976. Anyhow, ain’t you curious who is behind all those 1973, 1976, and 1992 massacre?? (hint, its not Thaksin)
Anti-pro-democracy
Juan Carlos – Thanks for the response, of cause I didn’t intend for Thailand to copy the Japanese model, I just giving an extreme example of what could be done for the poor farmer, there are more to be discuss in detail about this.
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Andrew Walker lies . . . and that’s the point Chris Beale (#44).
[Vichai – the question I responded to was “Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?” We do not censor or delay on the basis of the line that comments take. Anyone reading the discussion can see that. We have always been open about the fact that we delay and sometimes delete material that is abusive, repetitive or incoherent. We also try to make sure everyone gets a say, rather than letting some voices dominate the discussion. Andrew Walker.]
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Juan Carlos,
Of all people to quote? Cromwell? The Lord Savior of Catholic Ireland?
Ominous signs
To use a common piece of slang: It ain’t over until the Fat Lady Sings.
Funnily enough, a favoured Karaoke spot for nostalgic old ladies is the top floor of the Dusit Thani Hotel. But not this week, I suspect.
RalphK: I guess Chavalit is going through the motions to underline the fact that person is question has mislaid mojo along with possibly some higher cognitive functions and simply cannot this time come out and pour oil on troubled waters. In which case, see para 1. Which rather does concentrate the mind.
Anti-pro-democracy
Tarrin, I agree with most of your points, but is specious to mention Japanese farmers earning more than To-Dai graduates. Japanese farmers earn so much due to post-war gerrymander which has given rural electorates excessive representation in the Diet. As I’m sure you know, Japanese city dwellers have been massively subsidising rural voters’ concrete bottomed rivers, multilane highways, suspension bridges to nowhere, etc. since the 1960s. Not to mention artificially high farm produce prices thanks to agricultural protectionism (+ fair degree of Xenophobia re foreign produce).
Would be interesting to discuss further what really needs to be done to improve the lot of Thai farmers and workers. Realistically, a lot of it has to be the breaking down of social barriers and allowing for more social mobility. People will tolerate a *lot* if they have reasonable grounds to believe that they can move up in the world over the space of several generations. Chinese being a case in point.
But anyone who has experience of Thailand knows that this is most assuredly not the case. Born Brown, Stay Down. This *must* change.
For the rest, had better save my ink as some chance there might be blood today and will have more important things to opine about.
Ominous signs
Ralph Kramden (15) – think about it: Thaksin’s “nominees” very publicly request the King to step in and prevent a massacre of the Reds. This headline goes around the country. Suppose the King does nothing, and Abhisit orders the troops in and there is another big killing, most likely much worse than April 10. What does the half of the country that supports the Reds think about the King’s refusal to halt the killing (which is done, ostensibly, to “save the monarchy”)? Obviously, that he supports the slaughter of Reds. What is the headline that will go around the world – and Thailand on Red community radio, internet sites and CDs (no doubt with help from Thaksin’s media team): “King Refuses Request to Prevent Killing of Reds”.
Game Over Thai Monarchy.
Re. Chavalit, anyone who can become Commander of the Armed Forces, end a communist insurgency, set up a political party and become PM in the snake pit of Thai politics I would think at the very least has a superior understanding of political strategy. I agree that when interviewed he rarely seems to make much sense, but it’s not his public speaking skills that are relevant here.
Third, I don’t think the comparison with 1976 works. In 1976 there was no mass politics. There was domestic – and international – support for a crackdown on “the communists”. The monarchy was on the “right” side – ie. it had enough domestic political support for its alliance with the far right. So it didn’t matter if it got its hands dirty. It would not damage the monarchy too greatly.
Today we are in an era of mass politics where domestic developments in Thailand (eg. liberalization of the economy, more ways of circumventing the state-controlled media, growing strength of political liberalism, etc.) are highly unfavourable for the monarchy and the existing political regime. The monarchy also now faces an increasingly hostile international media, which is likely to get worse. No doubt more of the monarchy’s skeletons will be paraded before the world in the coming weeks and months. In contrast with 1976 the King’s support for a reactionary massacre this time could be fatal.
Given the royalists’ attempts to destroy Thaksin: the car-bomb assassination attempts, the character assassination in the media, the coup, the dissolution of two of his political parties, the drafting and passing of a new Constitution rigged in the royalists’ favour, the prison sentence, the freezing and seizure of his assets, and now the killings of his Red Shirt supporters… one would think there is more than enough reason for Thaksin and his supporters to go after the monarchy.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
I often affect a flippant tone when commenting on Thai matters in this forum and elsewhere. However, I have to register my disgust regarding this despicable Nation article. Henceforth Nation to be known as ‘Samak Herald’ perhaps?
But we already knew they were the yellowest of yellow press (in at least two senses).
On a broader note, for a long time I felt that the monarchy deserved some slack given that despite the iniquities justified in its name, its special brand of magic helped preserve at least the Thais from the semi-order-of-magnitude greater horrors of communism back in the day.
However, back in the day is just that. Back in the day.
Apropos of nothing, I thought I should quote Oliver Cromwell’s Address to the Long Parliament:
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!
Thailand on the verge
JohnH and Qualtrough – We certainly can’t have a discussion if Andrew Walker again takes upon himself to censor/delete my response to JohnH – #26.
Among other things, the perpetrators of that 1976 and 1992 massacres most certainly included a certain Samak Sundaravej, now deceased, a Thaksinite and one of the reddest Red leader ever. And it was not coincidental too that Thaksin Shinawatra , personally profited after 1992 bloodbath . . . was very very cozy with that 1992 coup-leader Gen. Sunthorn Kongsompong . . . who gave Thaksin, (the General immensely enriching himself from that Thaksin-Kongsompong transaction) his license to operate his satellite/telecommunication business.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Thanks for the Nation link, Ralph Kramden. Sophon Ongkara’s rhetoric exemplifies the irony of anti-UDD critics fatuously comparing Thaksin with Hitler. After all, many of Thailand’s conservative status-quo fans, like Sophon, often sound just like Goebbels, Hitler’s communications czar! (Of course there are many other reasons that the comparison is specious, but I don’t have time to list them right now.)
Thailand on the verge
Those questions and issues from Maratjp are highly relevant and to the point. Unless Thais face these in good faith and get well-balanced solutions, there would be little likelihood for Thailand to forge ahead as a strong and prosperous nation, and that would be a shame. So please, everybody, come to your sense and do away with misguided notions.
Anti-pro-democracy
Vichai N – Ah I’m sorry, actually I’ve posted a response long ago, but it seems like it got censored/deleted out for whatever reason.
You see Vichai, the Red majority is made up of the poor farmer and lower lower-middle class sec of Thailand society. They have elected the government to represent them only to be swept away by the right-wing establishment (agree?). Now what will you do if your right to vote as a citizen being taken away? you will fight to get your right as a citizen back right? this is what called the “class struggle”
Btw, you are certainly right about 45,000 paid a month for high skill/highly educated, but that’s more than a year worth of pay for a farmer Thailand. In Japan, farmers got paid more than To-di graduates. We are not talking about how the pay is so low in Thailand, we are talking about income disparity here.
Ominous signs
Aladdin: In 1976 it was clear that the palace was happy enough with the blood-letting. They helped set things in train and did plenty to stir up the hatred. And, they were quickly rehabilitated with the help of the “elite”, in a relatively short time. So I think you might be exaggerating a strategy. I think Chavalit is marginal to what the red shirts are doing and, in recent interviews has seemed hardly of this planet. If a call to the king is the best he can come up with, well, it’s sad. And forlorn. I know, it’s a call out and people will see it for what it is, but that happened in 1976 too.
In every case of kingly intervention, it has been on the side of the military and its rightist buddies. He’s doing the same now.
Thai style chaos and the right wing backlash
Marc writes of: “8 April TAN cable TV’s “Political Hot Pot” show featured Sophon Ongkara lambasting the government for doing too little and too late, and condemning red shirt protestors as “just a bunch of thugs” and “working for Thaksin’s agenda to get rid of the monarchy.”
NM might be interested in the really horrid piece of work by the same “journalist” today in the Nation: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/04/20/opinion/Another-crackdown-more-bloodshed-expected-30127428.html
This has to be on a par with the calls for murder in 1976 or perhaps some of the extreme fascist writings during the war in the former Yugoslavia that resulted in atrocities on a pretty grand scale.
How does one condemn this stuff when the writer is like a pitbull who has tasted blood?
“Thailand want р╕вр╕╕р╕Ър╕кр╕ар╕▓”: Red signs in English
Signs have interested me since this whole thing started.
When the Red Shirts first started protesting (back in mid March), I took photos of the signs and wrote ‘Red Shirts in Bangkok: Signs of the Time’. There were some signs with Engligh scattered around, nothing overwhelming. Coup translated as Cope was common.
Amongst other signs in English, the Pink Shirts coming out in support of the present government at Victory Monument have one long sign translated into (I believe): English, German, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew and Arabic. There are photos of a part of it on my post, ‘Bangkok’s Pink Shirts at Victory Monument‘, but it was too long to show the entire thing.
Signs, especially English, have been used all over the world in conflicts where the involved aim to catch the eye of the press.
Anti-pro-democracy
Arthurson#1 :
“overstates the size of the pink shirt rally and march, and seems to underplay the size of the crowds on the red shirt side and misses the point that there are a large number of red shirts who live and work in Bangkok.”
Yes – it does look like the Yellow Shirts are not able to muster anything like their previous numbers.
And even if they do – so what ? :
they can n ‘t occupy Ratchprasong Intersection again !!
What next?
Colonel Jeru#33 :
Thanks for this post – and Shawn Crispin’s excellent analysis.
It may be a Sondhi Lim publication Crispin is working for – but he’s undoubtedly producing the best current analysis.
Even better than The Economist !
Malaysia on Trial – Really?
Dear Dr. JKM,
Even if Anwar had liberal views, he will be hard pressed to articulate it – fearing attacks from his mostly conservative Muslim base and also conservatives from other races. Such is the irony and hypocrisy of Malaysia.
We do empathise with him though, for the relentless attacks that he is subjected to – simply because he dares to challenge the powers that be – not necessarily because he is a better person.
Regards
Greg