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MDHIAN 8266
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WHICH MEET THE THREE CRITERIA IN PARAGRAPH ONE. IN PRESENTING THEM TO THE CHINESE, WE WOULD HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT THEY MEET THESE CRITERIA AND MAKE TWO ADDITIONAL POINTS:
4.
THESE CONSTITUENCIES COVER BOTH PROFESSIONAL AND ECONOMIC SECTORS. THE CHINESE PROPOSALS DID NOT COVER ANY PROFESSIONS. OUR PROPOSALS ARE THUS MORE IN LINE WITH THE FIRST CRITERION
IN PARAGRAPH 1 ABOVE.
WE HAVE BUILT WHEREVER POSSIBLE ON SECTORS PROPOSED BY THE CHINESE. CONSTITUENCIES 1 (WHOLESALE, RETAIL, IMPORT AND EXPORT), 3 (TEXTILE AND CLOTHING), AND 7 (AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES) ARE DIRECTLY BASED ON CHINESE SUGGESTIONS. CONSTITUENCIES 2 (RESIDENT ORGANISATIONS, WHICH INCLUDE KAI FONG ASSOCIATIONS), 4 (SPORTS, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT) AND 10 CUTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH INCLUDES MARITIME ORGANISATIONS) BUILD ON CHINESE SUGGESTIONS. WE HAVE ALSO TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE CHINESE PROPOSAL THAT LABOUR SHOULD BE BETTER REPRESENTED. WE HAVE NOT PROPOSED A NEW LABOUR CONSTITUENCY PER SE, BUT WE HAVE GIVEN MORE REPRESENTATION TO LABOUR ORGANISATIONS THROUGHOUT OUR PROPOSALS. THE ONLY TWO OF
THE NINE CHINESE SECTORS WHICH WE HAVE NOT INCORPORATED ARE THE CHINESE ENTERPRISES ASSOCIATION AND INSURANCE, FOR THE REASONS WE HAVE GIVEN IN ROUNDS 6 AND ?.
I HAD ORIGINALLY HOPED THAT WE COULD HAVE HAD A LARGER MENU OF NEW CONSTITUENCIES, MAINLY TO AVOID THE RISK OF EXCO FOCUSING ON PARTICULAR ONES AND CRITICISING THEM. BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO COME UP WITH MORE THAN 12 WHICH ARE BOTH SIZEABLE AND DEFENSIBLE. IN PUTTING THEM TO EXCO, WHICH WE HOPE TO DO ON 27 JULY, I WOULD THEREFORE EMPHASISE THAT THERE IS NO NEED TO SET OUR THINKING IN CONCRETE ON THE PRECISE DETAILS OF ALL THESE
CONSTITUENCIES AT THIS STAGE BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH NEGOTIATION
AHEAD.
5.
THESE 12 NEW CONSTITUENCIES COULD PRODUCE A MAXIMUM OF SOME 860,000 VOTERS. THE EXISTING FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, WITH THE WIDENED FRANCHISE PROPOSED IN MY OCTOBER 1992 SPEECH, PRODUCE 185,000 VOTERS. IF ALL OUR PROPOSALS WERE AGREED THERE WOULD THUS BE A GRAND TOTAL OF 1,045,000 VOTERS. IF WE AIM FOR A FINAL MINIMUM OF 750,000 VOTERS (AND I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT WANT TO GO BELOW THIS) OUR NEW PROPOSALS CONTAIN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF NEGOTIATING FAT. BUT I MUST STRESS THAT ONCE I HAVE MET THE ONLY CHINESE OBJECTION RAISED
AGAINST MY ORIGINAL PROPOSALS I.E. THAT THEY WERE NOT BASED ON
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