in the past?
5.
It
I am convinced a sensible settlement is negotiable.
should be based on British interests, on the natural expectations
of the people of the Colony to a secure and prosperous future,
But and on the fact of Chinese power and proximity. Tough
talk, like "concern", is not enough by itself, and has never
helped anyone. This is not a seminar; it is the real
thing. I am no longer privy to the advice the Foreign
Office is giving Ministers on this or other matters, or
to how far Ministers are inclined to listen. What
I do know from experience (and not only in Britain)
is that when the diplomats are set up as the fall guys,
someone, somewhere is probably dodging the issue. In the
FCO, as in the DHSS, the Ministers take the decisions, followed
by No 10, then the Cabinet. No one blames the officials
-and hope that
of the DHSS for the harsh necessity of controls on health
service expenditure.
I imagine the government's policy on
Hong Kong is equally realistic.
Not only an economy, but a distinct culture is at stake.
Having once studied T'ang poetry with a Chinese professor
in an aromatic tenement in Wanchai, with the noise of the
Ma jong games from the night club across the road drifting
through open windows, I am keenly aware of this aspect of