13-001-1993 21:12
G.1.5.
+ 852 001 1040
I
AT THE HONG KONG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IN WHICH I PROPOSED A NUMBER OF STEPS, I THINK NEARLY ALL OF WHICH THE GOVERNOR SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK. AND I DON'T SAY HE TOOK THEM BECAUSE I PROPOSED THEM, HE HAD CLEARLY MADE UP HIS MIND ALREADY. BUT I WAS DELIGHTED TO SEE THE STEPS HE DID TAKE; THEY SEEMED TO ME TO BE THE STEPS THAT OUGHT TO BE TAKEN. THINK THAT YOU WILL FIND THAT THERE WILL BE À BROAD CROSS-PARTY CONSENSUS: ACROSS ALL THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES. NATURALLY, BUT THE LABOUR PARTY WHOSE VIEWS TERRIBLY ; CLEAR ABOUT HONG KONG. BUT I ANTICIPATE POLITICAL PARTIES WILL, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, CONSENSUS WITH THE VIEWS THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS SO
THE CONSERVATIVES, HAVE NOT EVER BEEN
THREE. THAT ALL
A BROAD EXPRESS
FAR PUT.
DEPART
FROM
AND CERTAINLY NOTHING THAT I HAVE SEEN HERE LEADS ME TO THE POSITION THAT I HAVE TAKEN BEFORE, THAT THE BROAD THRUST OF THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN RIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTED. THAT IS NOT OF COURSE TO SAY THAT EVERY ACTION THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OVER THE LAST YEAR IN PUTTING THOSE PROPOSALS FORWARD ARE NECESSARILY ONES THAT WE WOULD NECESSARILY SUPPORT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. THERE IS A CASE TO BE PUT THAT SAYS THEY THAT SOME OF THOSE STEPS HAVE BEEN LESS THAN HELPFUL IN THE WAY HAVE BEEN HANDLED BUT THE BROAD PROPOSALS THAT ARE PUT ARE ONES WE SUPPORT.
THAT
AS Α
I THINK I WOULD BE ALSO EXPRESSING MY VIEW AND THAT OF MY PARTY, JUDGMENT, ÍF I WERE TO SAY THAT THE PROSPECTS FOR, THE TALKS, VIEWED AT THE TWO FROM THE PRESENT POSITION, DO NOT SEEM TO BE VERY GOOD.
SEE HOW POSITIONS: REMAIN VERY FAR APART AND AT THIS MOMENT I CAN'T
IT IS THEY CAN EASILY BE BRIDGED. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THEY CAN. ALWAYS BAD FOR BRITAIN, I WOULD ARGUE BAD FOR CHINA BUT CERTAINLY BAD FOR HONG KONG, WHEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ARGUE AND DISAGREE, AND IF THERE WAS A WAY TO REACH AGREEMENT THEN I WOULD BE DELIGHTED, AS I AM
IT EVERYBODY ELSE WOULD. BUT I DO NOT ANTICIPATE THAT WILL HAPPEN.
PROBABLY PUT HIS IS MY JUDGMENT THEREFORE THAT THE GOVERNOR WILL
I THINK HE PROPOSALS : TO LEGCO. IN WHAT FORM REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
PROPOSED THEM. WOULD BE RIGHT TO PUT HIS PROPOSALS AS HE ORIGINALLY
IN WHATEVER LEGCO WILL NO DOUBT AMEND THOSE AND THEY WILL GO AHEAD SUBSEQUENT FORM FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS.
SURE
IT IS CLEAR TO ME IT IS MY VIEW THAT - WELL, LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK. THAT YOU CAN MAKE TWO ACCURATE STATEMENTS ABOUT OPINION IN HONG KONG. ON THE ONE HAND THERE APPEARS TO BE, JUDGED BY OPINION POLLS - AND I THINK WE SHOULD ALL RECOGNISE THERE IS ALWAYS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN `OPINION POLLS AND HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY VOTE IN REALITY; WE KNOW THAT FROM THE LAST ELECTION - BUT JUDGED BY OPINION POLLS AND ANY OTHER MEASURES THAT WE HAVE, IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A BROAD CONSENSUS OF PROPOSITION ONE. SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS IN HONG KONG,
!
THAT
BUT PROPOSITION TWO IS A SLIGHTLY CONTRARY PROPOSITION, WHICH IS THERE IS ALSO OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSAL THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE A ROW, WITH CHINA.
WIDELY NOW, THESE ARE TWO OPPOSING PROPOSITIONS WHICH ARE IN MY VIEW, HELD IN HONG KONG. IN THE END, IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE
· CHINESE GOVERNMENT, THE BEIJING GOVERNMENT, CANNOT AGREED ABOUT HOW TO BRIDGE THAT GAP, THE HOT-POTATO WILL BE THROWN TO THE HONG KONG PEOPLE AND IT IS MY JUDGMENT I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN THE VIEW THAT IN 1995
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