CONFIDENTIAL,
GRS 450
IMMEDIATE
CYPHER CAT/A
FM HONG KONG 220741Z
CONFIDENTIAL
22 JAN1976
NKK 300 SY
/ / 1
A
TO IMMEDIATE F C O TELEGRAM NO 59 OF 22 JANUARY.
PLEASE PASS TO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
FABIAN SOCIETY PAMPHLET.
CONFIDENTIAL ASSESSMENT.
THIS ASSESSMENT SHOULD WE SUGGEST BE DISTRIBUTED ONLY TO
MINISTERS, INTERESTED BUT NOT HOSTILE MPS AND SELECTED JOURNALISTS ON A NON-ATTRIBUTABLE BASIS.
2. QUOTE
THE PAMPHLET IS WRITTEN BY MR JOE ENGLAND, WHO WAS AT HONG KONG UNIVERSITY FROM 1967 71 AS A LECTURER AND LATER AS
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EXTRA-MURAL STUDIES. HE IS PRESENTLY DOING POST GRADUATE WORK ON TRADE UNIONISM AT WARWICK UNIVERSITY.
WHILST IN HONG KONG, HE TOOK A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN LABOUR MATTERS, SPEAKING FREQUENTLY AT MEETINGS AND SEMINARS AND WRITING MANY LETTERS TO THE LOCAL PRESS. HE WAS THE CO-AUTHOR OF THE BOOK CHINESE LABOUR UNDER BRITISH RULE'' IN 1975.
3. ONE DEFICIENCY IN THE PAMPHLET IS THAT IT TAKES INSUFFIC ENT ACCOUNT OF MANY OF THE CHANGES WHICH HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS. FURTHERMORE, MR. ENGLAND HAS WRONGLY ASSUMED THAT H.K.'S PROBLEMS ARE BEST SOLVED BY APPLYING PRINCIPLES WELL SUITED TO BRITISH CONDITIONS. HE MAKES NO ATTEMPT TO ANALYSE THE DIFFERENCES IN CULTURE, ASPIRATIONS, ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT, AND LIFE STYLE WHICH EXIST BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN PEOPLES.
4. THE PAMPHLET UNDERESTIMATES THE PROBLEMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF
HONG KONG SINCE THE WAR. ITS ASSESSMENT IS NOT SHARED IN HONG KONG, EXCEPT PERHAPS BY A MINORITY OF EXPATRIATES WHO FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THE REALITIES OF HONG KONG'S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
SITUATION.
15.
CONFIDENTIAL
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