have caused the local people considerable alarm. They ask
themselves is the UK Government saying "Well, we will do our
best for you in these negotiations, but basically Hong Kong
is Chinese and we want to ensure that if it goes back to
China, there is not a large influx of people into the United
Kingdom". Personally I do not think that is the reason. I
have heard it said that the British Nationality Act is
specially aimed against Hong Kong, I do not think that is
true. I do not think that the U.K. Government, be it
Conservative, Liberal Social-Democratic Alliance, or even
Labour, would let Hong Kong down. That is not their
respective platforms, and I think that this all talk about
hidden motives for the Act could only cause the negotiators
in Peking to have a more difficult task. The law has not
really been substantially changed since 1962 when
restrictions were first imposed on people holding a British
Passport, who were not born in the U.K. Further, the
British Nationality Bill was first drawn up before the
question of 1997 appeared to be important, so I do not think
the U.K. Government will let the people of Hong Kong down.
Besides which it is not in the interest of the great nation
of China, who, with all its billions of people, would not
know what to do with another 6 million people brought up in
this cosmopolitan city where East meets West, nor of the UK
Government, whose interests alone are considerable in this
great city of Hong Kong, nor, of course, the interests of
Hong Kong people, not to have an eventual settlement which
ensures stability.
·
Hong Kong is not just great, because it is at
present a manufacturing centre enjoying all the rights the
Reform Club seeks to preserve in Stage 1. It is also great
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