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to developing a better apparatus for assessing public
opinion and for explaining Government policies to it.
believe they are well aware of this.
I
9. It is widely agreed that confrontational policies such
as those on party lines at Westminster will not be right,
given the Chinese dimension, for discussion and settlement
Nevertheless there must be
especially on
of problems in Hong Kong.
public discussion of political subjects if Government is to
be sensitive to public concerns.
One conclusion might be
that the Hong Kong
Kong Government in future should make much
more use of
consultation documents such as Green Papers,
constitutional matters. The 1984 Green Paper
on LEGCO elections etc was a useful precedent for this. It
will be much easier for government to establish a "firm"
policy once the issues have been thoroughly discussed at a
stage where the Government is not irrevocably committed to
a particular policy. Such discussion will also affect the
Chinese dimension: on the one hand it will give the Chinese
the opportunity to make their views known, while on the
other, once public views in Hong Kong have been thoroughly
aired, it will make it
more difficult for the Chinese to
clearly have widespread local
oppose
policies which
support.
10.
One point which
the
Secretary of State might put to
there is any use ful additional
the Governor is whether
talent or expertise which could be provided from the UK in
this rather new situation.
In this general context Mr Luce
suggested that we might consider seconding a Parliamentary
Clerk to Hong Kong to help in consideration of procedural
problems in LEGCO. There may be a case for this, but I do
not think it would help much in dealing with the sort of
problems which occurred over the LEGCO (Powers an d
Privileges) Bill. The proposals which were made for LEGCO
were all ones which were in accord with the system at
Westminster. The problem over the Bill was more a question
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