year.
Page 109
A lot has been said about taxation lately.
wants to know is this :-
What the Labour Party
Why should we Hongkongese be taxed and have no say in the way How much longer does the the money collected by these taxes is spent? British Government think the go-ahead people of this Miracle Colony are
going to tolerate taxation without representation?
The British colonies
on
in North America broke away from Britain to form the United States, this very matter. The People of Hong Kong do not wish to break away from Britain, but they cannot be expected indefinitely to accept a situation of all take and no give. Let the British Government go on using Hong Kong a a dumping ground for redundant civil servants from its ex-colonies, let i go on piling up the sterling balances in London by the hundreds of millic while the children of our poor go without education or proper medical care; but also let it give in return some modicum of the human right of self-government. We are not asking for self-determination, although this
To start with, we are right is enshrined in the United Nations charter. not even asking for complete self-government; we are asking merely for sufficient elective seats to be created in the Legislative Council to all the voice of the people to be heard. At present the voice of the people is not being heard. Only the voice of the monied classes is being heard. The British Government would be unwise to imagine that the Hong
Kong Labour Party is satisfied with the answer to its petition. Party is not prepared to close the book when its teacher tells it to.
It will exercise an The Labour Party will not take "No" for an answer. increasingly greater pressure on the colonial administration, over an
increasingly wider field, until it gets what it wants.
is power for the people.
The Labc
And what it want.
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CONFIDENTIAL
File No..... FED. 36/400/01
Mr.
Sir H. Poyton
Mr. Carter 26/3
Mr. Higham
Mr. Wallace
Permt. U.S. of S.
Parly. 1.8. of Sy Minister of State
sent
Secretary of State
DRAFT letter
Your Reference
Date