XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 32

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE HAVING TO CONSIDER A PART-TIME JOB. I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MORE TIRESOME THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO FACE WHEN YOU'RE A STUDENT OR YOUNG, IS YOUR PARENTS OR OLDER PEOPLE TELLING YOU WHAT LIFE USED TO BE LIKE FOR THEM BUT YOU'RE LISTENING TO SOMEBODY WHO HAD TO DO A NUMBER OF PART-TIME JOBS HIMSELF. I WAS ONE THE BEST POSTMEN IN NORTH-WEST LONDON; I WAS A PRETTY INADEQUATE BRICKLAYER ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE; I DID MANY PART-TIME JOBS TO HELP GET ME THROUGH UNIVERSITY BECAUSE I HAD A SMALL SCHOLARSHIP BUT ONE WHICH DIDN'T COVER THE WHOLE OF MY UNIVERSITY COSTS. SO TAKING

AN

OCCASIONAL PART-TIME JOBS IN ORDER TO HELP PAY FOR THE BILLS ISN'T UNUSUAL FEATURE OF THE TERTIARY SECTOR. IF YOU THINK IT IS, READ ANY AMERICAN LITERATURE ABOUT GROWING UP OR GO AND TALK TO ANYBODY WHO IS AT AN AMERICAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.

QUESTION:

LAST QUESTION. MR GOVERNOR, I HAVE READ YOUR POLICY ADDRESS AND YET I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ON THE NEW AIRPORT AND THE NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL AND SO I ASK THIS QUESTION, OK, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE AIRPORT, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE CONTAINER TERMINAL, AND YET A QUARTER OF THE ADDRESS IS ON MENDING RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT ONCE THE RELATIONSHIP IS MENDED THEN ALL MATTERS WILL BE RESOLVED? AND YET THERE IS NO POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM THE CHINESE SIDE TO WHAT YOU HAVE PROPOSED. SO MY QUESTION IS, THE NEW AIRPORT AND THE CONTAINER TERMINAL, WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT ARE IN THE WAY THAT STOPPED YOU FROM ARRIVING AT A CONCLUSION? I WANT THE TRUE REASON, NOT WAFFLING AND WANDERING.

GOVERNOR:

I'M SURPRISED THAT YOU SAY THERE IS NO MENTION OF EITHER THE AIRPORT OR THE CONTAINER TERMINAL IN MY POLICY SPEECH BECAUSE I AM, EVEN AS I SPEAK TO YOU, STARING AT JUST SUCH A MENTION ON THE TURN, FOR EXAMPLE, OF PAGES 29 AND 30. BUT IF YOU WANT EVEN MORE COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCES ΤΟ THE AIRPORT AND THE CONTAINER TERMINAL THEN I DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE POLICY COMMITMENTS. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE POLICY COMMITMENTS.

WE DECIDED, THIS YEAR, THAT THE GOVERNOR, NOT LEAST AS AN ACT OF CHARITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SHOULDN'T SAY EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON HIMSELF AND SHOULD MAKE A SHORTER SPEECH AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ALL THE POLICY SECRETARIES SETTING OUT THEIR OWN MISSION STATEMENTS AS BUSINESS MANAGERS WOULD CALL THEM, SETTING OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN ALL THEIR OWN DEPARTMENTS, AND THEY WILL BE DOING THAT AT A SERIES OF PRESS CONFERENCES ABOUT THIS HUGE DOCUMENT, 184 PAGES LONG, OVER THE NEXT TEN DAYS AND THERE IS A GREAT DEAL IN THAT DOCUMENT ABOUT THE AIRPORT AND THE CONTAINER TERMINAL.

THE

WAS

PRC

OF

THE

WHY HAVEN'T WE REACHED A FINAL AGREEMENT ABOUT AIRPORT OR THE CONTAINER TERMINAL? IT IS A QUESTION WHICH, IF I BEING MORE PROVOCATIVE, I MIGHT SAY THAT YOU SHOULD ASK OF OFFICIALS BECAUSE I THINK IT MUST PUZZLE EVERYONE THAT AFTER YEARS DISCUSSION WE STILL HAVEN'T, FOR EXAMPLE, REACHED AN AGREEMENT ON AIRPORT. I CAN'T THINK OF ANY OTHER EXAMPLE IN HUMAN HISTORY OF TWO GREAT COUNTRIES SPENDING SO MUCH TIME TALKING ABOUT AN AIRPORT. AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, AIRPORTS ARE THINGS THAT PRIME MINISTERS AND FOREIGN SECRETARIES SHOULD FLY IN AND OUT OF, THEY ARE NOT THINGS THEY SHOULD SPEND ALL THEIR TIME TALKING ABOUT. I THINK THAT WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO AN AGREEMENT NOW ON THE AIRPORT. I THINK WHAT SEPARATES THE TWO SIDES IS VERY SLIM. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE CAN REACH AN AGREEMENT EXTREMELY SOON BUT EVEN WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT WE ARE BUILDING THAT AIRPORT EXTREMELY FAST.

/I DON'T