March 1990
COPY
Conservatives
Abroad
UK GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSED 'RIGHT OF ABODE' PACKAGE
At a meeting of United Kingdom Conservatives Abroad (Hong Kong) in January 1990, the UK Government's proposal to give full British citizenship to up to 50,000 heads of household and therefore, with dependents, up to 225,000 Hong Kong Chinese in total was overwhelmingly endorsed. The consensus view was that the proposal represented a fair balance between the UK's possibly conflicting obligations to Hong Kong and its people, and to the United Kingdom electorate. Accordingly Conservatives Abroad in Hong Kong strongly urge the utmost support to the Government's proposals by Conservatives in the UK, both inside and outside Parliament.
A feature of the debate which preceded the vote was a rare lucid exposition by one member of the arguments against the Government's proposals. Its relevance lies in the well-known division of opinion on this issue within the Parliamentary Party, and it is worthwhile setting out in some detail the key points made, which are then followed by the counter-arguments in favour of the Government's proposals, some of which (but not all) were made during the debate. As stated above, the result of the vote was to give substantial support to the Government's proposals (to the extent they have yet been made public), and as such an implicit rejection of the arguments ranged against them, summarised below:
1.
2.
An individual's 'contribution to Hong Kong' was not a particularly appropriate criterion for selection as one of the 50,000. Potential contribution to the UK would be a better criterion.
It should however be appreciated that the contrary view that 'contribution to Hong Kong' should be the key criterion is based upon the intention, and hope, that the proposals should lead to the beneficiaries staying in Hong Kong rather than migrating to the UK. There is also unlikely to be substantial conflict between these criteria, as it is probable that many of the beneficiaries under either criteria would be the same business and professional people.
The proposals are at variance with the previous pledges made by the Party to the UK electorate that there would be no further substantial immigration.
UNITED KINGDOM CONSERVATIVES ABROAD (HONG KONG) Registered Office: 12th Floor, 11 Duddell Street, Hong Kong.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.