1. c. Md Paul
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e. Mr. Moyfish the
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CONFIDENTIAL
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From:
D Holt
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
23 JAN1990
DESK OFFICER INDEX
RA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
Parliamentary Relations Unit
Date:
6 December 1989
CC:
Private Secretary
PS/Mr Waldegrave
PS/Lord Brabazon PS/Mr Maude PS/PUS
Mr McLaren Miss Spencer Mr Lidington Mr Fraser
FED SEAD
Mr Paul, Hong Kong Dept
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO HONG KONG REPORT
1.
Earlier this week, FAC Clerk, Mr Robert Wilson, gave me his own first reaction to our response. He had not yet consulted his Committee. He did not use the word "interim": nor did I.
2. Mr Wilson thought his members' reaction was likely to be "So what?". The Government appeared to be holding its cards so close to its chest as to suggest that it had no cards.
3. Mr Wilson thought, in particular:
(i) On Boat People, our response was no more than an
acknowledgement. That was all right if we were still thinking what to do. If not, and it later emerged that we could have said more, then his Committee could well become hostile.
(ii) Much of the language in our response was the worst kind
of Whitehallese. The final paragraph (17) was
4.
wonderfully lame.
Mr Wilson concluded that his considered view was that the FAC would show hostility, frustration, disappointment, to what they would see as an uninformative response. His members would surely want to know something of our plans: if not publicly, could they not be told privately? He could not see them taking kindly to our "Everything is OK really" line.
5.
For example, could we not say more about the Basic Law? The Committee would want to know what we had in mind for more safeguards. And, as much as anything, his Members were
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