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direct elections, to allow a tradition of democracy to be better established. Lord Glenarthur noted that the heat seemed to have gone out of issue in Hong Kong. Dr Marek said that the Labour Party would regard 50% directly elected members of LegCo as a minimum; they accepted that 100% would be unrealistic.
3. At the end of the conversation Dr Marek asked whether HMG could not make some gesture towards Civil Servants drawing pensions from Hong Kong, who were suffering from the devaluation of the dollar. He agreed that no real hardship was involved, but argued that the pensioners felt the Government was letting them down. He wanted to be able to tell correspondents that he had raised the matter with the Minister. Lord Glenarthur said that he could not make any promises or offer encouragement. He pointed out that these same pensioners had done very well when exchange rates had been different.
5 May 1988
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David Reddaway PS/Lord Glenarthur
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