Following the election massacre, the pro-Beijing DAB will reportedly keep its ejected District Council members on their previous (taxpayer-funded) stipends. The money is no problem – the party gets big contributions from pro-Beijing businesses, if not the Liaison Office directly.
This looks like the United Front is going to set up parallel District Council-type operations to continue serving their neighbourhood constituents (such as helping senior citizens and new Mainland immigrants with officialdom).
The aim may be to ‘maintain the grassroots support base’, but it would also be to marginalize the pro-democrats who will now occupy most DC seats. If they are serious about it, the Liaison Office would pressure government departments to prioritize contacts with the unofficial DAB community workers and neglect approaches from the newly elected opposition representatives. Childish – but classic United Front. And it would not be unprecedented: pan-dem Legislative Council members have complained for years about unequal treatment from bureaucrats.
Might Beijing officials even order senior government figures to ‘boycott’ pan-dem DC members and simply refuse to have contact with them? It would be perfectly in character, and they must be tempted. It would of course send a clear message to Hong Kong’s silent or non-silent pro-dem majority that no, peaceful means don’t work.
As an indication: although the District Council elections presented the government with (another) perfect opportunity to de-escalate, the tear-gassing resumed this weekend. Among the menaces to society being punished, an elderly ice-cream vendor.
For an insight into the inexplicable police tactics, an ex-cop says it’s because their procedures manuals give them no choice. The manuals say (roughly): if tear-gas and beatings don’t work, try them again (and again, repeatedly, for ever and ever). Only the senior management can change the manuals, and for some reason (stupidity? pressure from Beijing?) they don’t/haven’t/won’t. So, you see, counterproductive measures must continue because they have to.
At the very least, this raises the question of why, if they just implement set procedures without question, the police are paid at levels appropriate for employees who use discretion and brains. (This goes for most of the civil service.)
The highlight of my weekend: Hong Kong people’s revolutionary hero doing the dishes at my birthday party…
Happy birthday wishes to you once more!
An early highlight of this new week: seeing this video of pro-democracy district councillor Kwong Po-yin in action against the police:-
https://twitter.com/Woppa1Woppa/status/1201327753695354880
The thing I very much enjoy related to the ongoing Extradition Bill protests involves confronting the rioter apologists with evidence that shows unequivocally their boys and girls having been right little toss pots, and then reading their retorts. One of the most violent mob events, so far, happened over the weekend and involved a middle-aged bloke being “sucker-planked” – see video link in SCMP article:
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3040106/hong-kong-man-hit-over-head-drain-cover-while-clearing
I’m so looking forward to the defenses some people will concoct for this one. “Peaceful kids fighting for their futures”, “It’s their only hope”, “Carrie Lam’s a cow, and the Police are pigs”, “It’s the Revolution of our Times”, “4ck off to the Mainland you CCP whore”.
The fundamental issue is that Hong Kong will not be getting democracy anytime soon. We don’t deserve. If it were granted we couldn’t handle it. Those who think otherwise are deluded. In reality they need to get with the programme. I say “Don’t be water – be like me. Wisee, wisee.”
Leung Kwok Hung in your house. Hope you had lots of beer and fags in. He looks like Keith Richards after a six-week crack binge these days. As for you…
YTSL, thanks, amazing footage. Nice to see the courage of Ms Kwong but also the elderly security guard. And some of the police officers look half decent also, to be honest.
A reminder to everyone reading Reactor #4’s comment is that he is a sore loser that was proven dead wrong on the district council election results. But this twat won’t shut up and continues his ramblings against the protesters regardless despite being a confirmed idiot with head up ass much like the rest of our government and its supporters.
Also happy birthday Hemmers!
Hilarious! The HK PoPo manuals sound suspiciously like teaching guidelines for Hong Kong schools: try to motivate learners while screaming via one of those horrible little voice amplifier systems. If that doesn’t work, repeat ad nauseam.
“the pro-Beijing DAB will reportedly keep its ejected District Council members on their previous (taxpayer-funded) stipends”
If you were mischievous, you might say John Major did something like that for Chris Patten.
Is “get with the programme” the new way of saying “submit to bullies”? And those who declare they don’t deserve democracy should not presume to speak for thew rest of us.
@Private Beach
Those who declare that Hong Kong doesn’t deserve democracy tend to be internet shouty-louties in the “not-so-silent minority”. That, or they might be illiterate, as democracy is explicitly promised in the Basic Law.
I have participated in and followed the protests – and discussion about them – since early June and not once have I heard or read any protester or supporter of the protests attempt to justify violence against those who disagree with them.
Don’t know who Reactor #4 has been listening to or reading – I suspect he just makes stuff up to be provocative. As someone else previously suggested, best ignore him and hope he goes away but I suspect he will just get worse – it’s the nature of attention seekers.
Reactor #4…
You keep setting up strawman arguments, dopey.
Nobody’s saying violence of that nature is laudable. You’re the only one saying so.
You’ve got your nose up against the brick wall studying minute lines in a much broader play…that you’re purposely choosing not to step back and examine.
Kind of like gubbaments do, really. Same tactic. Same bullshit gutless sophistry.
I just skip over Reactor #4’s bitter comments now.
Happy (belated) birthday Mr Hemlock.
As to the DAB, this ploy had been suspected to happen, and with any luck they will get ground under by a metric shit ton of ungrateful Hong Kong Auntie’s and Uncle’s trying to wheedle as much free crap as they can from the DAB’s coffers. In fact, if I had anything to do with it I would be lining up the elderly with instructions to be as petulant and uncompromising as possible, knowing that the minions have been instructed to bend over backwards to try and build up favour.
And why not a large group of students as well. Maybe demanding that the DAB fight to get the money taken away from the universities reinstated. That would be fun to see.
In HK, there is a classic play being performed as it always has been, throughout history.
The Executive branch of government is pushing to expand its power by telling the Judicial branch (which has already pushed back) and the Legislative branch (which bears a striking resemblance to Italy’s in the 1920s and 30s under Mussolini), that they are subordinate, by the Basic Law (which is HK’s mini-Constitution). On cue and rhyming, various CCP legal experts are chiming in saying only the NP i.e. CCP has the right to interpret HK’s Basic Law.
Do these people pushing the others around never read history?
Thanks for the photo of “revolutionary hero” Long Hair. I voted for him at two elections when I lived in Sai Kung.