Novel concept!
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series of hostile editorials with no difficulty at all. Similarly when Conservative backbenchers wanted to be briefed on Hong Kong, they turned to Mr Keswick and the Hong Kong Association for guidance on the position to take. In practice, however, Mr Keswick did not see any prospect of hostility from either quarter. Now that Mr Patten was Governor, he and his colleagues would be "British Government stooges", provided always that they continued to feel that Mr Patten was a vigorous defender of British interests.
5. Mr Keswick also gave me the benefit of his views on the future of ExCo. He said he was clear in his mind that the solution was to remove all politicians from ExCo and turn it back into a purely advisory body. It should be strengthened by the addition of respected apolitical figures such as Q W Lee and Andrew Li together with two or three businessmen. Meeting in this format, ExCo need take no more than one hour a week: there was no need for it to be inundated with paper. I made neutral noises in
response.
he asked to restine
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CO Hum
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