TNAG-1356-FCO40-1797-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 168

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3. HAVING NOTED ALL THESE POINTS, MEMBERS ADVISED THAT, IF IT WAS

THE JUDGEMENT OF MINISTERS THAT THE PRUDENT COURSE WAS TO ALLOW

THE CHINESE TO SAY THEIR PIECE IN THE JLG, THE COUNCIL WOULD NOT

STAND IN THE WAY.

4. SOME MEMBERS, HOWEVER, CONTINUED TO HAVE SERIOUS RESERVATIONS

ABOUT ALLOWING THE SUBJECT TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE JLG. THEY

BELIEVED THIS WOULD LEAD THE CHINESE TO CLAIM THAT THEY HAD BEEN

GIVEN A SAY IN OUR PLANS FOR FURTHER CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT,

AND THEY WOULD SEEK TO SUBORDINATE THEM TO THEIR OWN PLANS FOR THE

BASIC LAW. IT WOULD THEN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO HOLD THE LINE THAT

THERE SHOULD BE NO FORMAL DISCUSSION IN THE JLG ON OUR FUTURE PLANS.

MEMBERS CONSIDERED THAT MINISTERS SHOULD BE LEFT IN NO DOUBT OF THE

SERIOUSNESS OF THE IMPACT IN HONG KONG IF IT CAME TO BE BELIEVED

THAT THE JLG HAD BEEN GIVEN A ROLE IN THE 1987 REVIEW. IT WOULD BE

EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE THE PUBLIC THAT THIS WAS NOT THE

CASE, AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S FUTURE CREDIBILITY WOULD BE SERIOUSLY UNDERMINED. IT WAS CRUCIAL THAT WE SHOULD HAVE MOVED

THE SUBJECT AWAY FROM THE JLG BY THE TIME OF THE THIRD MEETING

NEXT MARCH, WHICH WOULD BE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE IN THAT IT WOULD

TAKE PLACE IN HONG KONG.

5. THEY THEREFORE SUGGESTED THAT MINISTERS SHOULD CONSIDER AGAIN

WHETHER IT WOULD NOT BE BETTER TO PUT THE PROPOSITION IN PARA 4

OF YOUR TUR, WHICH THEY WARMLY ENDORSED (1.E. THAT WILSON SHOULD

SUGGEST THAT FOR THE TIME BEING IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE DIALOGUE

TO TAKE PLACE OUTSIDE THE JLG) TO THE CHINESE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED)

BEFORE THE FORTHCOMING JLG MEETING. IF, HOWEVER, MINISTERS JUDGED

THAT THE PROPOSITION HAD TO BE COMBINED WITH ALLOWING THE SUBJECT

TO BE DISCUSSED INITIALLY IN THE JLG, THEY WOULD HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT JUDGEMENT.

6. MEMBERS SUGGESTED THAT, IF THE SUBJECT HAD TO BE RAISED IN THE

JLG, THERE MIGHT BE ADVANTAGE IN WRITING IN A REFERENCE TO IT IN

THE POST-MEETING COMMUNIQUE AS A PRE-EMPTIVE BID TO PREVENT UNHELPFUL CHINESE LEAKS. THERE WILL IN ANY CASE NEED TO BE A

CAREFULLY WORKED OUT PRESS LINE, WHETHER OR NOT THE SUBJECT IS

MENTIONED IN THE COMMUNIQUE, TO PROVIDE A RESPONSE TO THE INEVITABLE PRESS QUESTIONS. GIVEN WHAT HAS ALREADY APPEARED IN THE COMMUNIST

PRESS TO TRY TO RELY ON THE LINE THAT JLG PROCEEDINGS WERE

CONFIDENTIAL WILL LEAD TO INTENSE SPECULATION. I UNDERTOOK TO PUT

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/PROPOSALS