Re: "Great British bulldog spirit", (PostBag, March 17).
As a history buff, I enjoyed LA Damani's letter reflecting the combined spirit of Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson in one. The recent happening in Great Britain hardly surprises me -- some call it a mess. Britain innately believes that she is not part of the continent of Europe but proud islanders. I still remember the day of one statesman of having said that her Commonwealth nations could turn into one Common Market -- just imagine importing cheese from New Zealand. The 18th century economist, Adam Smith, would have cried.
However, in the case of Europe, the words of the European council president, Donald Tusk, reflect mutual feeling -- "Those backed Brexit with no plan deserve 'special place in hell'". Europeans being used to written Napoleonic Code just simply do not understand why there is no written constitution in Britain and likewise shocked with Britain's progress on the resolution to the Brexit because they want to get on with the European style of life being based on written rules.
On the contrary, the recent happenings in British parliament would have invited a fist fight in other countries, but historically this never happens in the British parliament.
If the father of democracy, Aristotle, has seen this division of policies being portrayed in Britain now, he would have nodded vigorously in approval.
Just like weddings in India, it looks messy at the beginning but everything will turn out to be all right in the end. The bulldog spirit has never left Britain.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Imaginary morality
Re: "Killing in the name", (PostBag, March 17).
It is astounding that Felix Qui believes only religious people demonise others and kill them for ideological reasons. Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler were extremely ideological people whose views were not based on religious beliefs. And how come atheists never mention great people such as the civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, who said he was greatly influenced by his religious beliefs?
Atheists have said the world would be a better place without religion. But when atheists say morality is just a matter of opinion -- that means it's just an opinion that Gandhi was better than Hitler, and Martin Luther King was better than Charles Manson -- why not kill somebody if you think it would benefit you, and you were confident you wouldn't get caught? After all, morality is a figment of our imagination, and if you can avoid getting arrested there are no consequences for our acts.
Finally, while atheists think they're so intellectual, not one of them can answer my simple question: What is the force behind nature?
Eric Bahrt
Stock up on booze
Froggie in his letter, "Booze ban wrong", (PostBag, March 18) somehow conveys the impression that the moment a tourist steps off the plane, their first visit is to hit the local bar for drinks.
Froggie instead conveys the impression that expats living here wake up in the morning in an alcoholic fug, stagger to the kitchen for a bottle, then spend the rest of their days in bars, pubs, whatever, drinking themselves into oblivion, in front of the "telly" watching endless, mindless football games, because they have nothing better to do.
Get with it Froggie. If you want to drink, go stock up the day before the ban, just like the Thais do. Thais don't complain, only booze-fuelled expats do. Tourists, as a rule, respect the laws of the countries they come to visit.
They are not all here for the bars, booze and beer.
Prohibitionist Mango
Contact: Bangkok Post Building
136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
fax: +02 6164000 Email:
All letter writers must provide full name and address.
All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.
