TNAG-0503-FCO40-568-Immigration-and-nationality-policy-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 11

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Queen's Speech

29 OCTOBER 1974 which the agriculture industry now finds itself, largely through the escalation in costs, which is the fault of no Govern- ment in Britain but is due to the absence of effective steps being taken to remedy the situation-steps which lie within the control of the British Government.

Therefore, the greatest, glaring defect in a Gracious Speech which will go down as full of glaring defects must be the complacency with which this country's food supplies, the contribution they can make to the balance of payments, and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of our citizens are placed in jeopardy with the complacent, offhand comment that the Government

"will continue their discussions with the farm- ing industry."

6.34 p.m.

Mr. James Sillars (South Ayrshire): In following the speech of the hon. Member for Tiverton (Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop), I shall not comment on everything he said con- cerning the farming industry, but as some- one who represents a constituency with a considerable beef industry as well as a milk industry I concur with what he said about the nature of the crisis we face. That crisis will be solved only by a massive injection of cash well before the winter is out. I hope the Government will understand that that point of view does not emanate only from the Opposition. Everyone who knows something about agriculture is aware of the present state of the livestock sector.

The only comment I shall make on other speeches is that, with one or two of my hon. Friends, I shall particularly wel- come the day when the Labour Govern ment bring forward legislation to abolish the graduated pensions swindle once and for all. That will be a red letter day for the working people of this country-one to which we have looked forward since 1961.

I shall concentrate this evening on two issues-one far-flung from the United Kingdom and one within it. I turn first to the area furthest away-the important colony of Hong Kong, mentioned in the first paragraph of the Gracious Speech. Just before the General Election I was associated with a group known as the Hong Kong Research Project. The group's purpose was to publish a book entitled Hong Kong: A Case To

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Debate on the Address

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Answer". That book was a deliberate, open attack on the misrule of that colony both by successive British Governments and by the non-elected business and finan cial cabal which is the real ruler of Hong Kong.

In

I point out the disturbing fact that while other British colonies have made signi- ficant progress in terms of self-govern- ment, the people in Hong Kong have been completely overlooked---nay, I should say deliberately overlooked. There has been phenomenal economic growth in Hong Kong and much wealth has been gener- ated in that part of the Far East. economic terms, Hong Kong occupies a place second only to Japan. That wealth has gone mainly to the ruling oligarchy in the colony. Part of the wealth has been used here in London to prop up the British pound, but the working people of Hong Kong, who have actually produced the wealth, have had a very raw deal.

Despite its economic success, placing it among the top 20 trading economies in the world, Hong Kong's labour laws ignore important ILO conventions. Its social provision is grossly inadequate when seen against its ability to meet need, and the disparities in wealth distribution are obscene.

In this country today we have a Labour Government who propose to introduce a who have asked a Royal Commission to wealth tax, and a Labour Government examine the justification for the payment of salaries over a £10,000 per annum limit. That is the position in this country-8 democracy with one man one vote and ja much more progressive tax system than that which operates in Hong Kong. If a wealth tax and an examination of top salaries are justified in Britain-as they are justified--the case for them to be applied to Hong Kong is irresistible. I hope to press my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Com- monwealth Affairs on that subject fairly frequently during the Session.

If we have a Labour Government in Britain pursuing an avowedly Socialist manifesto for the people of Britain, and if social progress and à fairer distribution of wealth are needed for the British worker--as they are---that Labour Gov- ernment should not turn aside the argu- ment that such policies are needed as well for the ordinary working people of Hong Kong, for whom this House has ultimate

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