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The Rt. Hon. Lord Shawcross G.B.E, Q.C. 60 VICTORIA EMBANKMENT
LONDON EC4Y OJP 071-325 5133
HKD FOR DRAFT REPLY FROM MR GEDALAD PLS. Nick All - 24/1
en Ps/ark Groveto
21 December 1992
The Rt Hon Alastair Goodlad MP Minister of State
Foreign & Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
New Minilor 1 Sterte: Acan
I read your letter in The Times about the Hong Kong situation with interest and naturally replied to it. Equally naturally perhaps The Times, fed up with letters from me, have not published the reply. As a matter of courtesy I am sending you a copy herewith.
You are probably aware that following my speech in the House of Lords I had a very long letter from Lady Chalker and for your information I send you a copy of my, also long, (but one page shorter than hers) reply.
What has shocked me most about the Foreign office attitude is that they are "quite certain" (and I quote) that they are right in law. I should have thought that by now the present government, of which I was a supporter, would realize that it ought not to be quite certain of anything and, after all, this is particularly the case with the law. I am not myself "quite certain" that I am right in my view of the Hong Kong situation but I think I am and have given my view on it exactly as I would have done when I was Attorney General with, as it happens, far greater experience than any of the government's legal advisers at present. Remember Pliny "Solum certum nihil esse certi."
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