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The
Government which was too preoccupied by the negotiations on the future to grasp all the implications of what the Green Paper put forward for discussion. In the event however the 1984 White Paper concentrated on narrower issue of indirect elections to LegCo. delayed Chinese reaction, when it came, gave us a much clearer conception of the constraints within which the further development of representative government would have to be pursued.
The 1988 White Paper
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The
The second despatch reviews developments from the publication of the Green Paper in May 1987 to the present. We have come through in relatively good shape, as a result of hard bargaining with the Chinese and, ultimately, their helpful reaction in putting clear provisions for direct elections into the draft Basic Law. We have brought the Chinese a significant way since 1984, from reluctant acceptance of the principle of an elected legislature after 1997 to acquiescence in a directly-elected element from 1991 onwards. eventual outcome of the review of representative government was virtually identical to the preferred scenario in a strategy paper written by the Department in January 1987. But Sir D Wilson is right to point out the extreme difficulties in which we would have found ourselves if we had been forced to follow the alternative scenario and confront the Chinese with evidence of overwhelming public demand for direct elections in 1988. There would have been damaging public conflict and serious consequences for confidence in Hong Kong.
5.
As the Governor notes, the public reaction in Hong Kong to the White Paper has been generally positive. Since he completed the despatch the White Paper has been debated in LegCo and Mr Martin Lee's motion calling for direct elections this year was defeated by the convincing margin of 42 votes to 7. But we are well aware of the more critical reaction in Parliament and the British media; and of the need to tackle this with further briefing well before critical attention turns to the Basic Law. The Governor devoted much of his recent visit here to public appearances and contact with the media. A drinks party for interested MPs is being
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