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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2489
OF 121031Z OCTOBER 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
FROM INFORMATION CO-ORDINATOR
OUR TELNO 2475: GOVERNOR'S LEGCO ADDRESS: PRESS REACTION
SUMMARY
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THE GOVERNOR'S LEGCO ADDRESS HAS BEEN THE MAIN FOCUS OF ATTENTION IN THE ANALYSIS AND COMMENT SECTIONS OF MOST NEWSPAPERS OVER THE WEEKEND. SEVERAL OPINION POLLS HAVE INDICATED HIGH LEVELS OF SUPPORT FOR THE SPEECH IN GENERAL AND FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE IN PARTICULAR. THE LEFT WING PRESS HAS CONTINUED ITS ATTACKS ON THE GOVERNOR'S CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS, ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY RUN COUNTER TO THE SPIRIT OF THE BASIC LAW.
DETAIL
2. SEVERAL OPINION POLLS WERE PUBLISHED OVER THE WEEKEND INDICATING A HIGH LEVEL OF PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNOR AND HIS POLICY ADDRESS. FOR EXAMPLE, A POLL TAKEN FOR RTHK'S CITY FORUM CONCLUDED THAT 63 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SUPPORTED THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE. THE SPEECH AS A WHOLE WAS GIVEN A 65 PERCENT APPROVAL RATING.
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SIMILARLY, A POLL COMMISSIONED FOR MING PAO CONCLUDED THAT ALMOST 70 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SUPPORTED MR. PATTEN'S DECISION TO SPELL OUT HIS PLANS ON CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT BEFORE DISCUSSING THEM WITH CHINA. MORE THAN HALF SAID THAT THEIR CONFIDENCE IN MR. PATTEN'S LEADERSHIP HAD INCREASED FOLLOWING HIS LEGCO ADDRESS. 61 PERCENT SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THE GOVERNOR'S CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS WOULD BE HELPFUL TO BRING THE ''ONE- COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS' CONCEPT TO REALITY.
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SING TAO REPORTED THE RESULTS OF ITS OPINION POLL ON 11 AND 12 OCTOBER. THE RESULTS WERE BROADLY SIMILAR TO EARLIER POLLS, (I.E. 68 PERCENT APPROVAL) BUT THE DETAIL WAS INTERESTING. THE PAPER REPORTED THAT SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNOR WAS STRONGEST AMONGST PROFESSIONALS AND WHITE COLLAR WORKERS, AND A LITTLE
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