Thread explaining the background and mechanics of political screening of wannabe candidates ahead of disqualification. More here. The government reshuffles civil servants to put compliant ones in place, and the targeted politicians get 24 hours to respond to ‘gotcha’ accusations of thought-crimes. More here about the sheer creepiness of the hunt for evidence.
It’s understandable that people are angry at the blatant cheating and the shredding of civil service impartiality. But that’s at least partly the intention. The CCP – of monopoly-of-power fame – is now in charge. Joshua Wong is kidding himself when he maintains LegCo still has a vestige of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The body is purely ceremonial, whatever happens in the election.
I do not understand why pan-dems want to lend legitimacy to this farce by participating (or trying to participate) in it. What’s the point of playing by such corrupt rules? Boycott. Let the government have a 20% election turnout. Do something else that day to prove their lack of legitimacy. Elect a government in exile, or a functional constituency whose members are imprisoned activists – with a bigger turnout. Maybe hold a city-wide ‘Design a Better Hong Kong Flag’ competition for kids in public parks. Whatever makes the CCP even angrier. (A multitude of opportunities.)
An interesting test of reader loyalty: the SCMP to go behind a paywall. Very ‘bold’. Good news for free-to-view alternatives.
Paying a subscription fee to read Yonden LaTooToo’s column? At least I can read Nury for free in the Standard if I wanted to (I don’t).
“I do not understand why pan-dems want to lend legitimacy to this farce by participating (or trying to participate) in it. What’s the point of playing by such corrupt rules?”
In doing what they’re doing, the pan-dems are showing up the rules to be corrupt(ed). Sadly, there are still people who don’t realize that — and need proof of it. Or who need for this fact to get hammered home over and over again.
As I think we’re agreed, what’s happened in Hong Kong in 2019-2020 has opened more people’s eyes to the true nature of the Hong Kong government and also Beijing’s than previously was the case. Too bad some people (and foreign governments) can be slow on the take. But, since this is so, the canary in the coalmine needs to keep on making noises.
I had to laugh at the SCMP’s “Now more than ever … we endeavour to explain China’s growing influence…”
We get the same shit in the People’s Daily and Global Times without paying a cent. Good luck, SCMP, with making people pay to read propaganda.
The arbitrary disqualification of candidates, amongst other things, brands the Legco elections as fundamentally illegitimate. Neither participation nor boycott can change that fact.
However, pro-dem participation in the Legco elections offers the potential to reveal the lengths to which the CCP is prepared to go to achieve its corrupt objectives, especially if a DC election-type outcome is in the offing. I’m prepared to believe that the NSL has not been greeted with universal glee by the blue forces.
So I will be voting.
As for the SCMP, I won’t be giving those creeps a penny of my money. I’ll continue to support HKFP and Apple Daily despite the fact that the latter is practically unintelligible in English most of the time!
If they manage to get all disqualified before, during and after the elections, it will be much more efficient (higher impact, longer lasting) than a boycott.
The only sad thing is that there is not more judicial actions to put judges in an embarrassing position, lack of funding maybe?
But hey…paying for SCCPMP will be like having your own personal shopper to give you heads up for paid “seminars” on Belt N Road advantages/opportunities and watching the waxworks clink glasses and praise each other for various milestones.
China…where real patriots hold overseas passports…
https://twitter.com/lukedepulford/status/1286919879480750081
I wouldn’t pay for the SCMP if you paid me. If you know what I mean.
Masks compulsory outside now. Full retard. A 76yo and a 92yo died. Holy hell. IT WASN’T THEIR TIME!!!! Cases surging…spiking…soaring. 99.9999% of these HK lemmings totally compliant anyway. But the law is a jealous, petty whore and wants complete control over all thoughts and minds. Just like all the other hysterical whore governments out there treating sentient human being like animals.
Meanwhile the Big Lychee prattles on about muh evil CCP.
@Full Retard – Is the heat and the 6pm stop tap getting to you fella?
Further bliss: Bernard Chan and Dodwell also to be paywalled.
The government’s absurd Covid-19 policy of keeping the border open and the restaurants closed gives the Lady Oberfuhrer’s erstwhile supporters yet another reason to vote against the government in September or, at the very least, stay home.
Oh ho! An attempt at monetising CCP propaganda, you say? That’s going to go well…
Full Retard = Reactor # 4
@FR: So it’s okay for old people to die in isolation, and in great pain and fear, just so you don’t have to wear a mask? Because freedom? You must be an American.
So what questions are the diligent returning officers asking the pro candidates?
Surely something on the lines of ‘If the CE rushes through a policy that is a cause of concern to many in the community will you :
(a) rubber stamp it regardless or
(b) fulfill one of the main functions of a Legislative Councillor and ‘raise questions on the work of the government”
“Masks compulsory outside now. Full retard. A 76yo and a 92yo died. Holy hell. IT WASN’T THEIR TIME!!!! Cases surging…spiking…soaring. 99.9999% of these HK lemmings totally compliant anyway. But the law is a jealous, petty whore and wants complete control over all thoughts and minds. Just like all the other hysterical whore governments out there treating sentient human being like animals.
Meanwhile the Big Lychee prattles on about muh evil CCP.”
Full retard is exactly what you’re doing. And HKers are lemmings why pray tell? Because they’re wearing masks which is backed by scientific evidence that it does help stop the spread of covid? I would rather do this than be like certain selfish morons in the west who refuse to wear masks because “muh freedumb”. How thick are you to not understand that covid brings all heath care systems to their knees if not properly managed? The HK government could have been more proactive and done more but instead they are being typical useless overpaid muppets.
I agree with you that making mask wearing mandatory by law is pointless since almost everyone is already compliant, but they aren’t lemmings for doing that. It’s called not being a selfish piece of shit and taking public health seriously.
“Meanwhile the Big Lychee prattles on about muh evil CCP.”
Did you forget it was the CCP that unleashed this virus on us in the first place either through malice or incompetence? Eventually the virus will be mitigated where as the CCP will continue to live on and will continue to rob us of our freedoms. HK already has had its freedom significantly reduced by the CCP with the extralegal NSL and that is a true loss of freedom unlike being forced to wear a mask due to a temporary public health regulation.
” So it’s okay for old people to die in isolation, and in great pain and fear, just so you don’t have to wear a mask? Because freedom? You must be an American.”
Exactly. What a complete selfish unempathetic idiot.
1. The pan-dems boycotting the elections would do the government’s dirty work for it. They are playing chicken with the government. They are planning to all declare opposition to the NSL so that the government will have to disqualify all or none of them, none of this picking a few off to scare the others into compliance. That will do far more to delegitemise the system than preemptively taking their ball and going home.
And don’t bother arguing with a self-proclaimed retard. There are many more productive uses of your time. Scrubbing the Coliseum with a toothbrush, for example. Patenting a chocolate teapot. Petitioning Carrie Lam.
@Donny Almond – I guessed that. few Hemlock readers are that stupid.