Chongalulu

I think you’re overselling the all doom and gloom situation. Yes,there are economic pressures,but we’ve had economic crises before. The tourist industry in the likes of Spain hasn’t died to the extent of Thailand and of course the European winter is traditionally the time for Thailand to make hay . Of course ,in a depressed market one has to work harder and become more creative to entice customers ,but this is where Thailand has let itself down badly with a combination of arrogance,hubris and sheer incompetence coupled with no vision . The wrong people are in charge.

Apparently it's because the route does not raise enough revenue from high fare passengers in business class (not sure they had/have many first class cabins on their planes). After retiring all their 747s during the pandemic, BA are using more of their bigger planes on more profitable routes. Why isn't Bangkok as profitable to BA? Probably due to lack of high paying business travellers doing trade deals here in the Kingdom. Likely, not many "high quality" tourists too to pay for biz class. BA are set to review restarting the route at end of March 2023. The need for longer term route planning meant Thailand’s chaotic and ever changing entry rules effectively made it too volatile for BA to commit resources to the route when those could be directed towards more stable options. There was already pre pandemic a move to switch away from Bangkok evidenced by BA using Singapore as the hub for Australia routes which speaks to the arrogance of Thailand regarding making itself attractive to commercial airline operatives. That BA closed the door to reopening for the traditional Thai high season starting about now doesn’t bode well for the chances of them restarting in March (low season) . I don’t think it’ll be considered until at least November 2023. Generals are not good economic forecasters nor understand the principles for attracting foreign investment . Outside of tourism the structural investment in education and skills have traditionally fallen woefully short and a country that should have been well placed to take advantage of the West’s switch away from China will ,unlike Vietnam,miss out.

No, Action, Talk, Only. NATO You do understand NATO is a defence treaty… ? "An attack on one member is an attack on all"

Incompetent Truss government will be gone very soon,but the energy crisis pertains to all of Europe. Try getting petrol in France just now..

the 16kml was for a not particularly economical 3 litre truck which would easily be surpassed by a 2.2 litre diesel SUV to compare like with like.

The equivalent petrol Mazda CX-5 is similarly priced and the better diesel about 180k more as you’d expect and over the lifetime of the car will be more than recouped by fuel cost savings. The same saving principle applies to the hybrid even if you do replace the battery after 8-10years (2k US dollars so likely cheaper here and with reducing battery costs even less come that time). It’s generally accepted that the fuel savings of a hybrid will easily more than cover battery replacement cost. Resale value would also be greater for later more economical model versions

Basically a sound car if wanting something bigger than the Yaris/Jazz offerings. Obvious alternative is the Honda HRV hybrid which does look more stylish and is a newer design. I think you’ve been corrected on the economy stats. Both Toyota and Honda are very reliable so I’d simply chose based on your own preference and the deal available. Do avoid black in a hot climate though !

Replacing batteries is something of an unsubstantiated urban myth. Has the long running Prius had those issues? Sure,battery technology will improve- that’s normal- but the current Honda hybrids are way better in efficiency,economy and performance than a decade plus old technology petrol engine that hasn’t been used for several years in more discriminating markets. I don’t know what diesel you had - I suspect an old technology one? but take a current 2.2 litre turbo diesel (say Mazda) and it’ll be producing as much total horse power as your 2.4 petrol engine and more importantly ,WAY more torque for better drivability. Add in the better economy coupled with the unusual situation of diesel being much cheaper in Thailand and there’s a clear advantage.

Well yes,you’d expect a vehicle to be 'streets ahead' of one designed 14 years ago ! You should be using the bar of competing contemporary vehicles as your benchmark. Trucks and the Fortuner type SUVs on which they are based still use an unsophisticated ladder chassis and lack the IRS of a more sophisticated SUV like the Honda CRV which will consequently have much better handling and ride . Did you even know which yours has ?

The CRV is basically a good SUV ruined by the ancient technology engines HONDA dump on the Thai market and which have been discontinued in western markets for several years. I test drove a CRV hybrid 5+ years ago in U.K.and still not available here! That’s a dealbreaker in my book . 13 kilometres liter on a fuel 30% more expensive than diesel make its cost per kilometer considerably more expensive than the 16 kilometres litre I get from my 3 litre diesel . I believe they’ll have to offer the way superior hybrid in next years model

And you know nothing of the law,because effectively you’re suggesting that smaller guys have carte Blanche to attack people that outweigh them - what are you suggesting the permissible weight difference should be , 5,10,20 kilos ?..should there be a weigh in before the victim can decide how to respond? Because the law has to be precise. And there’s legal precedent which eviscerates your argument. Duncan Ferguson,the 6'4" Everton striker hospitalised a smaller burglar he found in his home and who tried to attack him. The burglar tried to bring charges - guess where that went..? Now before you fall into the trap of saying "yeah but the burglar was committing a crime" , what was the smaller attacker doing when he assaulted the other guy ? A crime perhaps? Is it sinking in yet..? ????

Then your claim ,by definition,is unsubstantiated .

You’re confusing outcome with intent. He was punched,kicked so he responded with exactly the same force,a perfectly sound proportional defence in law if being attacked . There was the same chance that the assailant could have inflicted the same fate on the Frenchman and as he initiated the violence then he is held to be the aggressor.

Could be the company you keep…?

Straightforwardly- kicking and punching as responding in kind to what he received,so proportionate. Had he responded with a deadly weapon then that might be construed as disproportionate. That his punch turned out to be more effective and the guy fell over and hit his head cannot be construed in the same category of intent as producing a weapon.

It matters a great deal - self defence. If someone initiates a physical assault on you and you reasonably react to that in kind ,the offence of assault is still by the assailant. That the assailant comes off worse doesn’t undo his guilt .

Yes,thanks for the correction,I’d forgotten she’d moved on. Reminds me of the saying that economic forecasting was only createc to make astronomy look respectable! Kwarteng the quasi economist only underlining that quip!

Just "smoke" and mirrors..oh wait,the latter is associated with another drug,isn’t it ?

The IMF headed by the ' criminal' Christine Lagarde has a less than stellar record on accurate forecasting leading to the acronym being described as "The institute for Moronic forecasting ". The current global volatility suggests this gentleman is correct. Economic forecasting bodies rarely price in the potential for black swan events and simply change the figures only when they occur

Except the stupidity remains; Russia ,from a thailand tourist perspective is pretty much dead for the foreseeable future. Putin has ensured Russia is economically severely damaged for the longer term so there really will not be Russians going on holiday in any numbers to anywhere,particularly relative to the Western nations whose stance by Thailand has been noted. No,they have simply aligned themselves with China,their ultimate masters

Our insurance premiums are paying for idiots like this. Engine and cab fully immersed. I don’t reckon that’s getting repaired ?

They’re not a good idea ,full stop! Why do you need another window when you already have 4 within a few inches?Adds unnecessary complication,expense and weight at the worst point (high up) and another thing to go wrong. Generally something that superficially adds attraction but generally gets little used in practical terms .

He was 84 when commencing the journey… ????

Edvard Munch "The Scream" ????