herfiehandbag

I knew Cleverly in another life a long time ago - thought he was a <deleted> then!

Yes, certainly will. Option B, make my way to France, put daughter in a Burka and come over in the back of a fruit and veg lorry!

Bit of an update - the buses which leave "on the hour" take a shorter route through the mountains via Wiang Chiang Rung. Smoother road and a bit quicker than via Phaya Mengrai. I can only imagine how much faster it might have been if the bus had all four cylinders firing consistently, and a functioning clutch rather than an on/off switch. The driver was the absolute master of the art of "double declutching"! Fun day out! The route follows that of the railway they are building - lots of construction activity!

Just boarded the local bus from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai, asked the conductor what time it left in my appalling Thai - big smiles all round and expressions of surprise that a Farang spoke Thai. I couldn't speak for "hi so" reactions since I don't really know any, but the locals enjoy it when I speak Thai. I too am planning to take some lessons when funds allow in the New Year (start to get my pension!) The bus journey - well on the way up this morning it was a gung ho roller coaster ride! Heaven knows how fast the driver could have made the thing go if all 4 cylinders were firing consistently!

Were the women cheaper in Cornwall? I should imagine they were a bit more robust!

Ah, but they are investing 80 billion Baht in a new airport! That should sort things!

This week's Tattery!

Copper looks like he has suddenly started to believe in Santa Claus!

Strange - if one was a habitué of the bar, and used the services it provided, and it was raided and the proprietors arrested, why sit around in a hotel just down the road for a couple of weeks, waiting for the police to come knocking?

"Hatched, matched and despatched"? Christening, wedding and funeral. Otherwise no involvement.

Had to neutralise that pesky chap Pita first...

Computerised systems at entry and departure, facial scans and fingerprinting, TM this and that, Smart cars patrolling linked to computers and facial recognition ( actually that one has gone a bit quiet lately) and still they rely on tip offs from disgruntled bar girls to catch 'em!

I have for some time now had to attend my local hospital to have dressings changed every couple of days. They were charging me B180 a time - I remarked that it was working out, for me,as a bit expensive. They promptly reduced the charge to B50 a time!

You mean it doesn't go to "Nurse Noodle"?

In a strange way, treating Christmas as a secular festival, with the decorations, parties, treats and gifts but not really acknowledging the religious significance is more honest than the Western approach of drinking, pigging out and punch ups on Christmas Eve, culminating in pools of vomit and bawling half remembered carols at Midnight Mass? As the carol had it, "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in you tonight". If you don't believe in it, don't pretend to once a year. For most Thais it is simply a marker for New Year. Discuss!

It seems that their identity is not dependent upon their practice of their religion, rather upon their ethnicity. An ethic hatred going back for thousands of years, and which led to the emergence of Zionism. In all the pogroms and persecutions down the centuries, those who could be described as "secular" have suffered as much as the religious. One only has to look at the meticulous details with which the Nazi regime (as epitomised by Adolf Eichman) classified "mixed Jews", Jews who had converted to Christianity, and their children, and slated them to extermination. For every chap in a long gaberdine coat, a furry hat and ringlets, dozens of otherwise unremarkable men women and children were killed. The same is true of modern day Israel, the bulk of whose population are no more religiously devout or immediately religiously identifiable than are Christians in European countries; perhaps in contrast to those who call for their death or extermination. Israel is the only country in that region which has a democratic government, open political debate,religious freedom, and respects the rights of all it's citizens, majority or minority. That is why I, a non Jew, respect it's right to exist and it's right to defend itself. I happen to be an English Catholic, and I am not interested in their religion l, although it shares some close scriptural links with mine, but I am extremely interested in, and support, their society, because of the qualities I list in the first sentence of this paragraph, qualities which, bizarrely, I would regard as core principles in " a Christian society"; perhaps I could be listed, were Eichman and his soul-less Satanic bureaucracy still compiling their lists, as a Zionist by association!

It's not even a newspaper any more! It only maintained it's "independence" during its early years (1987 to1993) whilst Andreas Whittam Smith was the editor. After him it morphed into a more pompous version of the Guardian!

They weren't really neutral in WW2. They declared for the Axis (more particularly for Japan). That they were utterly ineffective is not the point, if Japan had won, as they thought it would when they went in, they would have been strutting the stage big time!

Noted; I wouldn't dream of attempting to compete when it comes to ridiculous comments - you do rather set the "gold standard"!

I also noticed this morning that the sky appeared to have fallen considerably closer!

The last few years have seen them hitching themselves to the Chinese star without taking China's fundamental economic troubles (weakness) into account. They turned away from longer term political, military and trading allies/partners in favour of China, blinded by what they saw as the chance to ride on the coat tails of the perceived Chinese economic success, international influence and military strength; and in the hope of generous infrastructure deals. Now it appears that China's economic woes are perhaps insurmountable, it's wielding of "international influence" is poisoning relations in the region, and beyond, and there are questions about their actual military strength. No wonder Prime Minister Srettha Thavin appeared uncomfortable on Sunday when the Asean-Japan Summit discussed the South China Sea issue. The tourists haven't come, and the submarine has no engine. Any real movement on infrastructure? An apt metaphor for the results of Thailand's policy! All in all it is a bit of a pickle isn't it?

Fine, there are those who from time to time play that game! I got my fingers burned a few years ago after reacting to one in particular!

I think you have either: missed my point ( which for one who presents himself as well versed in Tha matters is surprising) or you are trying to get me to say something which would be, let us say, unwise.

There was ( still are, but no longer as influential) a number of powerful groupings at the top of Thai society. I don't actually think it was the one many may assume, that power source, though still extant was effectively by then out of play. If I had to put money on it (I won't - it is after all illegal) I would suggest a retired distinguished general and former premier, who retained and wielded extraordinary influence right up until his death. "Regency" ( brandy) is a potent and rather pleasant tipple, much enjoyed by him, albeit never formally acknowledged.

The Thai people elected him, repeatedly. After he was forced out, and "convicted" he went into exile - probably wisely, his enemies then in power would have killed him if he was imprisoned. Then they ( the Thai people )elected his proxies, repeatedly. They too were forced out. His sister Yingluck was " convicted". She went into exile, after being held "incommunicado" for some time. Very probably for the same reason. She was you may remember forced to leave her son in Thailand, the military insisted he remain to do his school cadet force training! Surely you cannot be surprised that the Thai people are not particularly upset that he is effectively free? When the coupmongers who took control of the country and made such a mess of it over the past decade or more got away scot free?