TNAG-0578-FCO40-711-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 73

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relations issues that would quickly justify the appointment in the eyes of the public. The appointment would probably be seen by the public to be at the best symbolic and at the worst as something done without regard to local requirements under pressure from H.M.G.

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is no fool, and would see the

difficulties of the situation in which he would be placed

ities of and might refuse appointment.

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If

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There are therefore formidable difficulties and objections. However all things are relative, and his appointment is not a complete impossibility. the Secretary of State feels that pressure on him is sufficiently strong, and if assurances that the appointment would relieve them and not merely lead on to further demands were sufficiently firm, it would certainly have to be considered. I cannot say more at this stage; the objections are obvious, but whether they should prevail or not seems to me for discussion with the Secretary of State in full knowledge of the objections at the Hong Kong end, and of other action taken to protect workers' interests in other ways such as the appointment of Father McGovern, the new appointments to the Labour Advisory Board and the agreed programme of labour legislation.

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There would be far less administrative difficulty here to the appointment of the chairman of one of the professional associations of civil servants such as:

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but by no possible stretch of the imagination could these middle-class professions be described as trades

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