WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1983
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Q1 +MINISTER, WITH RESPECT, YOU DODGED THE QUESTION OF WHETHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED A WISH FOR A BRITISH CONTINUATION OF A BRITISH PRESENCE HERE AND I CAN UNDERSTAND PERHAPS WHY, BUT IT HAS BEEN STATED THAT HONG KONG PUBLIC OPINION IS IMPORTANT. NOW, HOW DO YOU EXPECT THAT PUBLIC OPINION TO BE EXPRESSED, AND DO YOU THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED WHAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WANT FOR THE OUTSIDE WORLD TO SEE?
MR LUCE: +WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPEAT THE QUESTION OR SHALL I REPEAT THE QUESTION? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY IT LOUDLY?
Q: +WHETHER IT IS IMPORTANT THAT HONG KONG PUBLIC OPINTON SHOULD BE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED FOR ALL TO SEE AND NOT JUST FOR THE DELEGATES TO THE TALKS.
A: +FIRSTLY, LET ME SAY, REITERATE SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL KLOW, THAT THIS IS A FREE SOCIETY AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE SHOULD HAVE THE UTMOST FREEDOM TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS AND SO MY ANSWER, FIRST OF ALL, IS YES. BUT PERHAPS I COULD THEN GO ON TO SAY SOMETHING THAT HAS IMPRESSED ME EVEN MORE THIS TIME THAN IT DID LAST TIME, FIVE YEARS AGO, WHEN I CAME, AND THAT IS THE MACHINERY THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ENABLE OPINIONS, IF YOU LIKE THE TWO-WAY FLOW OF VIEWS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT, TO EXIST, RANGING FROM THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, UMELCO, TO SOME OTHER INTERESTING NEW DEVELOPMENTS WHICH I HAVE NOT FULLY ACKNOWLEDGED BEFORE THE DISTRICT LEVEL AND THE URBAN COUNCIL LEVEL AND SOME OF THE ORGANISATIONS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHERE RIGHT DOWN TO VILLAGE AS WELL AS TO CITY LEVEL INCLUDING AT THAT LEVEL AN ELECTIVE PROCESS, ONE ELEMENT OF AN ELECTIVE PROCESS - 1 JUST WANT TO SAY HOW EFFECTIVE I FEEL THE MACHINERY SEEMS TO BE WHICH GIVES ME ADDED CONFIDENCE THAT WE CAN GET A CONTINUOUS INDICATION OF THE VIEWS AND THE OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WHICH ARE SO IMPORTANT.
Q: +MINISTER, IT'S BEEN ANNOUNCED THAT SIR PERCY CRADOCK WILL BE TAKING UP AT THE YEAR END A NEW JOB CONCERNING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TALKS, SHOULD IT BE INFERRED FROM THAT THAT THE TALKS ARE EXPECTED BY BRITAIN TO GO ON FOR A LONG TIME PERHAPS FOR A YEAR OR MORE?
A: +NONE OF US CAN SAY WITH ANY CERTAINTY ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN POLITICAL LIFE I'VE DISCOVERED. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO PROCEED AS FAST AS WE CAN BUT IT WOULD BE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE OBVIOUSLY TO SET DEADLINES AND, THEREFORE, WE MUST BE PREPARED FOR THIS TO TAKE TIME, AS I SAID EARLIER ON. THEREFORE THIS LEADS ME TO THE SPECIFIC NATURE OF YOUR QUESTION ABOUT SIR PERCY CRADOCK. FROM THE PRIME MINISTER DOWN TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND MYSELF, WE'RE ALL VERY PLEASED THAT FOR A MAN WHO SERVED WITH SUCH DISTINCTION AS OUR AMBASSADOR IN CHINA FOR QUITE A CONSIDERABLE TIME NOW, I THINK SINCE 1978, AND WHO HAS BEEN LEADING THE 1 AM VERY NEGOTIATIONS IN PEXING OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, PLEASED, AS IS THE PRIME MINISTER, BY THE FACT THAT HE HAS AGREED WHICH WILL MEAN THAT AS ADVISER TO UNDERTAKE THIS TASK IN LONDON
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AT NO. 10 AND AS DEPUTY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE DEALING WITH HONG KONG. HE WILL BE PLAYING A VERY LEADING ROLE AS ADVISER TO BRITISH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS ON HONG KONG. AND NOT ONLY DO I THINK THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF FAITH RIGHT UP IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN HIS GREAT ABILITY, BUT I HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL REALISE THAT THIS INJECTS AN ELEMENT OF CONTINUITY WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO THE DISCUSSIONS AND TALKS THAT WE'RE HAVING BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA.
/0; +MR DUCE,