MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1992
GOVERNOR ADDRESSES FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF A SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB TODAY
(MONDAY):
STEVE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED FOR THAT OBITUARY NOTICE I AM MUCH OBLIGED.
I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR TOO LONG TODAY BECAUSE I WANT TO GIVE YOU AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, THOUGH IT'S NOT MANDATORY. BUT PERHAPS I COULD SET THE SCENE JUST FOR A FEW MOMENTS AND BEGIN BY A PIECE OF INSIGHT WHICH MAY HAVE ESCAPED SOME OF YOU, BY ACCIDENT.
-
-
-
I THINK I'M RIGHT IN SAYING THAT YOUR LAST SUBSTANTIAL I PUT THE POINT IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD YOUR LAST SUBSTANTIAL VISITOR TO THE CLUB FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM WAS SIR EDWARD HEATH. HE HAD,
OF COURSE, JUST COME FROM PEKING WHERE HE HAD VERY SUCCESSFULLY HELPED TO PAVE THE WAY FOR MY OWN VISIT. I'M TOLD THAT DURING THE COURSE OF ONE OF HIS MEETINGS WITH A SENIOR CHINESE LEADER NOT A SENIOR CHINESE LEADER THAT I WAS ABLE TO MEET HE TOLD HIM THAT I'D BE PERFECTLY OK TO DEAL WITH, INDEED EXTREMELY GOOD то DEAL WITH, SINCE I'D BEEN TO BALLIOL. SO IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO KNOW INSIDE STORY ABOUT SOME OF THE LITTLE DIFFICULTIES, DIFFICULTIES, THAT WE'VE HAD RECENTLY, IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOVERNMENT IN PEKING IS DOMINATED BY TRINITY COLLEGE MEN.
—
MY
THE REAL PASSING THAT THE
COLLEGE,
I HAVEN'T YET BEEN DENOUNCED BECAUSE OF WHICH AS YOU KNOW, WAS ONCE DESCRIBED AS, "C'EST MAGNIFIQUE MAIS CE N'EST PAS LA GARRE" BUT I HAVE BEEN CALLED MOST OTHER THINGS IN
1
THE LAST FEW WEEKS, NOT LEAST IN MY FAVOURITE BASTION HERE OF A FREE PRESS, WHICH EVEN BROUGHT OUT THE OTHER DAY, AN ENTIRE SUPPLEMENT, BY PUBLIC DEMAND, OF ITS MAIN CRITICISMS OF ME. I'VE BEEN DESCRIBED AS,
I'VE BEEN
"A SLY LAWYER" WHICH IS SURELY A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS.
+ CALLED "A PIRATE", "A COLONIAL OPPRESSOR", "A CUNNING POLITICAL TRICKSTER", "A FALSE SAVIOUR", AND "GOD OF DEMOCRACY". I JUST WANT YOU TO IMAGINE WHAT SORT OF LANGUAGE THEY'D HAVE USED IF NORMAN TEBBIT HAD BECOME GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
ALL THIS HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT A CHAP, WIDELY REGARDED IN BRITISH POLITICS, AS ABOUT AS CONFRONTATIONAL AS A MUG OF HOT MILK. THE WORST THAT YOUR OWN GREAT ORGAN, 'THE GUARDIAN', HAS SAID ABOUT ME IS THAT I TEND TO THE DEMOTIC; AND I AM, I GUESS, THE MAN WHO GAVE TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE THE WORDS, "DOUBLE-RUNNY" AND "GOBSMACKED". BUT I'M USUALLY DESCRIBED AS,
* IRRETRIEVABLY WET", WHICH MAKES SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID ABOUT ME IN HONG KONG RECENTLY, SOMEWHAT SURPRISING.
I FIND
/SO HOW