XN000022-1985-05-30 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1985

+MIND YOU, I MIGHT HAVE PREPARED MYSELF FOR THIS OCCASION MORE AMBITIOUSLY BUT A FRIEND OF MANY YEARS STANDING, DEREK DAVIES NO LESS, TOLD ME THE OTHER DAY OVER A DOUBLE GIN GIMLET AND WITH SCANT RÉGARD FOR MY BLOOD PRESSURE, THAT MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF MY MANY SPEECHES OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS OR SO HAVE SUFFERED FROM A LACK OF SUB-EDITING BY WHAT HE QUAINTLY DESCRIBED AS A PROFESSIONAL SPEECH WRITER. WELL, I DON'T EMPLOY SUCH AN ANIMAL AND HAVE NO INTENTION OF DOING SO IN THE FUTURE (ASSUMING, RASHLY, THAT THIS IS NOT THE LAST SPEECH I SHALL EVER MAKE).

+1 HAVE NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO SAY OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE IS WHAT I TOLD ALAN HARGREAVES WHEN I WENT FOR THE FREE LUNCH AND THAT IS WHAT I HAVE JUST TOLD YOU. SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME TOO SERIOUSLY. BUT I'M UP HERE AND AM NOT ALLOWED TO SIT DOWN FOR 20 MINUTES AND EVEN THEN MAY NOT GET OUT ALIVE, PARTICULARLY AS MY STARTING POINT IN THIS LETTER FROM LOWER ALBERT ROAD IS CICERO'S IMMORTAL ADVICE TO ALL GOOD JOURNALISTS IN BC 61: IF YOU HAVE NO NEWS, WRITE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES INTO YOUR HEAD (THAT BEING A FAIR TRANSLATION OF QUOD IN BUCCAM VENERIT IN BOOK 1 OF AD ATTICUM). A CONVENIENT ADAPTATION OF THIS ADVICE MEANS THAT I SHALL SAY WHATEVER COMES TO MIND, MAKING NO ATTEMPT TO BE PROFOUND OR INFORMATIVE OR ACCURATE OR FAIR OR REASONABLE OR OBJECTIVE OR OBLIGING OR COURTEOUS, LET ALONE STRUCTURED, WHICH WILL REMIND MOST OF YOU OF YOUR OWN DAILY OR WEEKLY LABOURS, INCLUDING THOSE OF YOU WHO BROADCAST IN RTHK'S LETTER FROM HONG KONG SERIES.

+EVEN SO, THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY OCCUR TO YOU AS, INDEED, IT OCCURRED TO ME, IS THAT IF I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE, DON'T SAY IT AND GIVE UP THE FREE LUNCH, BUT AS DIOGENES PROCLAIMED 300 YEARS BEFORE CICERO WAS BORN: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH. AND AS MANY HAVE BEEN EXERCISING THIS FREEDOM RECENTLY - OFTEN

IT IS WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONSEQUENCES, LET ALONE THE FACTS AT LEAST ARGUABLE THAT IT IS SOMEONE ELSE'S TURN. AS THE ROMAN POET CATO WROTE SOME TIME BETWEEN CICERO AND DIOGENES IN ABOUT 175 BC: HE WILL HEAR WHAT HE DOESN'T LIKE WHO PERSISTS IN SAYING WHAT HE LIKES.

+THE CARDINAL SIN, OF COURSE, THAT JOURNALISTS MUST AVOID IS TO BE LATE WITH THEIR COPY. THEY CAN, THEREFORE, SOMETIMES JUSTIFY GETTING THINGS WRONG. BUT THE TRANSGRESSIONS OF OTHER COMMENTATORS SUCH AS ACADEMICS AND WOULD-BE ACADEMICS ARE INEXCUSABLE FOR, GIVEN THE LEISURELY WAY THEY CAN GO ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS, THEY REALLY HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR NOT DOING THEIR HOMEWORK PROPERLY. (+ACTUALLY, TO WRITE A SPEECH ON CATO'S OBSERVATION IS SOMETHING I WOULD QUITE LIKE TO DO SOMETIME FOR THE FRUSTRATION I HAVE FOUND QUITE TIRESOME IN THE PAST 14-15 YEARS OR SO AS FINANCIAL SECRETARY AND THEN AS CHIEF SECRETARY HAS BEEN THAT WHICH STEMS FROM THE

AS A INTENSE DISLIKE OF MOST COMMENTATORS TO BE ANSWERED BACK. RESULT, THE ADVICE SO OFTEN TENDERED BY MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES, THE POLITICAL ADVISERS' OFFICE AND ELSEWHERE IS, FORGET IT.

/+SOUND ADVICE,