I declare the weekend open with a quick glimpse into the nebulous ‘Greater Bay Area’. The South China Morning Post defines the visionary vagueness as “the central government’s plan to link Hong Kong, Macau, and nine mainland cities in the Pearl River Delta into an integrated innovation and technology hub”.
Maybe this was already common knowledge, and we missed it amid all the mind-numbing sloganizing, the ranting about ‘opportunities’, and the nagging fact that it’s a delta not a bay. But maybe this is the first time someone has authoritatively distilled the idea into something of substance. (Or, possibly, it’s the SCMP’s own brave attempt at a pithy summary of the concept, thus really no more than a guess.)
Assuming it’s a real thing – what’s going to happen? For example, will the Mainland cities (Zhuhai, Foshan, GZ, Dongguan, SZ, etc) be wrapped up into a new Municipality, like Chongqing was, with the same status as a Province? It would be nice to know.
According to the article, the Transport Ministry in Beijing is deciding which of the region’s three main aviation centres (GZ, SZ and HK) will “play the role as hub airport”. (My vote would be for SZ – it’s the most central in terms of population distribution and transport links, plus it might help keep riffraff, MICE, etc out of HK.)
The SCMP story concerns a report by some experts, or at least academics. They fret that Hong Kong is losing its edge and the other cities are overtaking us in logistics, innovation and e-platforms or something. This brings us back to the major question of Hong Kong’s future – will it continue as the place that is free to do what the Mainland cannot/will not do, or will it be ‘integrated’ and competing in a centrally-planned-sort-of-way with the others? You can have either one, but not both.
Still, it seems that we will be designated the marine insurance hub – so there’s always that. And if that’s not exciting enough, Belt and Road’ is going to rebuild Syria.
SCMP new editorial line is “Hong Kong needs Alipay to spur innovation”
We can become a hub of hubs if we try.
When the Beatles broke up, almost every new act -no matter how lame- was called ‘the new Beatles’. It never happened of course.
Now that Hong Kong is quickly descending into a state of irrelevance we see the same desperate search for redemption. Too late I’m afraid.
For the weekend
Political correctness. I learnt the term —
This I remember clearly — in 1990
In San Francisco. It was being used
In the weekly papers. and already —
Here’s the thing — already it was used
Ironically. Militant feminists
Were saying that the truest feminists
Had sex with other females only; males
Had no place in their lives or beds or bodies.
They were influential, pure, and righteous;
They were zealots; politically correct.
What now? The community of gays
And lesbians, inter-sex, trans-genders, queers,
Poofters, fairies, nancy-boys, and dykes —
I’m sorry, I withdraw the last few words,
I repeat, I’m sorry I offended —
The members of this powerless minority
Assert a dogma, newly orthodox:
The proper way to speak of sex and gender
And self-identity; and who is male
Or female, both or neither; the list divided,
Subdivided, non-judgementally,
Inclusively, obsessively, correctly.
And another thing — there always is!
Suddenly, public men are being hit.
She says this man was inappropriate
In 1987. For thirty years
She was too upset to speak of it.
Seeking justice now, courageously,
Though tearfully, she tells the New York Times.
Every day another man is down:
Like people in a city under siege
Targeted by snipers — Got him! — Got him!
Modern puritans, gay activists,
Women speaking out — I’ve had enough!
No more ‘understand that times have changed’;
No more ‘open mind’ and ‘to be fair’;
No more ‘on the other hand, however’;
No more ifs and buts. They drive me nuts.
Sorry, Knownot. I always look forward to your poetic wisdom, but today’s is, as the Brits around here say, an own goal. (Apologies if “Brits” offends.)
Nope, spot on fella. I’m past the ‘bite my lip and stay silent stage’ – PC is utter cack and I really don’t care which overly sensitive, thin skinned wimps I ‘insult’ next.
You go, Oik. After all, your individual feelings are the most important thing here.