More censorship on the way. Enjoy what’s left while it lasts.
More good commentary on the Peng Shuai affair, from World Politics Review.
And Asia Sentinel offers a conspiracy theory – that Peng’s accusations were part of a pre-emptive Xi-ist attack on the Shanghai Gang (in the form of Zhang Gaoli) days before the Sixth Plenum and its ‘historic resolution’, at which the Jiang Zemin faction threatened to depose (or something) the Emperor-for-Life. The explosion of the issue on the international media stage was thus an unintended hiccup (‘obfuscates the original allegation’ as the Guardian puts it). Interesting idea, with parts that add up, but unlikely to impress fans of Occam’s razor.
Reading for the weekend…
From Al Jazeera: how Hong Kong’s NatSec Regime leaves low-paid workers worse off; Hong Kong’s decline as a media hub; and ‘Why I left Hong Kong’ by a journalist.
HKFP op-ed on the vagueness of the NatSec Law. And a link to a Stand News story on the government starting to assign Beijing-friendly lawyers to defend people accused of political crimes. Insert ‘Mainland-style’ as required. In case you didn’t read it the first time – another plug for Jerome Cohen’s piece on the Hong Kong criminal justice system’s transformation to a tool of oppression. This piece contains the lot.
After Foodpanda, a nice story – Black Sheep restaurant chain pays US$650,000 to send staff to see families worldwide and do quarantine on return.
A review of Anita – the Anita Mui biopic.
Academics Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung in a (very) long essay asking whether Xi Jinping has made China’s political system more sustainable.
Leftist but fairly economically literate (and non-tankie) Jacobin on property and the future of China’s ‘state capitalist’ economy.
Former lawmaker Charles Mok on Beijing’s plan to establish its own definition of human rights. The Hong Kong and Macau quasi-elections, he says, are trials for fake universal suffrage in the Mainland.
Fucking twat can’t even “supervise or manage” Hong Kong. What a hateful bottom dweller.
Black Sheep doing good by its staff is the stuff of great PR. I still can’t shake off the memory some of the restaurant group’s previous antics though — and it being “blue”.
On a happier note: wow, I never expected to see one of my blog posts getting linked to on the Big Lychee! 🙂
Margaret Thatcher once stated, “To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects.”
Black Sheep are the scuzziest of restaurant groups in Hong Kong, which is obviously saying something. I’ve heard countless horror stories about what goes on there from former employees and I know many journalists who want to write “the Black Sheep story” but are too scared of the groups’ thugs to do so.
I want to say this was a calculated PR move – we spend $650,000 but we’ll get X amount of column inches and Y amount of TV coverage (not to mention with F&B suffering massive staff shortages now perhaps HR costs factored into this too) – but maybe, just maybe those pricks did something good for a change.
High end restaurants like those in the Black Sheep group are raking in beaucoup bucks these days thanks to HK’s insanely long quarantine. Rich people can’t travel, so must amuse themselves with expensive “culinary experiences.” It’s in the interest of Black Sheep group that quarantine continue for as long as possible —yet their largely international staff is probably itching to jump ship as the rest of the world opens up. Giving them a free trip home is therefore a thoroughly self-interested solution with a side dish of good PR.
When absurdity has become part of daily life, resistance is what everyone can do in every hour and every minute. Do not belittle your power. Because every bit of resistance is affecting the general society and influencing people around you . . .
– Chow Hang Tung
Someone sprayed some numbers on a wall:
7.21. 8.31.
I pass and read them, and recall
Each shameful date.
Others passing, too, I suppose,
Pause a moment and commemorate.
This may be our ‘resistance’, but – who knows?
Hardly anyone at all.
It seems so private and so small.
For once, a serious word to all of you “blogger bros’ in arms”.
For the avoidance of any doubt, I am fully with you, and my stomach is churning, and my mouth is frothing like yours!
But have we realized that all of a sudden it is us with the mouth froth??
And that this is exactly what the commies want to achieve?
The more outrageous, wretched, and blatant the lies and the BS, and the more our stomachs churn, the better?
Until we all give in and accept that “They do what they want to do anyway” and “There is nothing we can do about it”?
My advice therefore: Cool it gentlemen!
Let’s put on our thinking caps and come up with some ideas how to demonstrate to the commies and their lackeys that they will NEVER manage to stop our demonstrating opposition, disagreement, and profound disrespect.
I am struggling myself, but I think along something like setting up a website, or organization, for example a “Hongkong Alliance for the Comprehensive Study of Four Core Western Decadences and Fascism”. This organization would regularly publish letters, articles, or start discussions analyzing events which happened in the dreaded West while under Adolf / Benito /Franciso Franco/Antonio Salazar etc etc rule, and which would show great parallels to events happening right here under our eyes in Hong Kong.
Or start a stamp-collection club collecting exclusively stamps issued by fascists and discuss the events/epoch happening when those stamps were issued. Always not naming any parallels directly but make sure the analogy to current events in Hong Kong could not be missed.
Something the commies would make them an international laughing stock if they go against it. Remember, authoritarians crave for recognition and respect!
Get the idea?
And lastly, and by the way: I urge all of you that once you have found which candidates represent you in the “Legco of the New Era” you must go and vote for them on 19th December. My search is on . . . .
P.S. Black Sheep pays 650’00 Hongkie$ for a headline and ‘review’ in CNN Travel? Peanuts!
Anybody know if the new “Health Code App” is mandatory for ALL Hong Kongers (even if they do not intend to travel), or is it only those looking to cross into Triumpant Motherland?
@Knownot
Excellent poem — almost too moving for such a sadronic discussion section like this!
I’m with you @Kwun Tong Bypass.
@Hamantha – I concur, excellent poem from @Knownot.
@Knownot— excellent and moving poem which we desperately need amongst the sardonic discussion.
This is our resistance, in any way we can, even the private and small.
This from the Al Jazeera article:
“Eventually I think Hong Kong could become as restrictive a media environment as mainland China. To me, the big question is whether that takes a few years or a few decades,” she said, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
I think there’s a typo there; it should read “To me, the big question is whether that takes a few months or a couple of years.”
The pen is mightier than the sword. Don’t give up that easy. Use that pen wide and far. The more they try to suppress that pen the more they show their fear. Use that pen to expose trash like Grenville Cross and “Englishman” Mike Rowse. Use that pen to inform the world what is really happening. One day we may no longer be able to read Big Lychee. In that case, you and I become our own little Big Lychees. They can’t persecute us all, they can’t kill us all.
@Joe Blow: Let’s not forget super patriot Nicky Loup.
@Joe Blow
And Henry Litton, a big tick
@CN: mercenary is more like it. Or, if you’re feeling nasty, a whore.
@Knownot: Another one of your best. Thanks. It does make me feel very, very sad, though.
Breaking news:
Grand old Raymond Siu
He had 10,000 cops
He marched them up
At the start of the poll
And marched them down at the end.
And when they were there
They cost the taxpayer a fortune.
That is 65 flatfoots per candidate and could well outnumber the voter turnout.
BTW, why are the police spending money on specially printed facemasks – see the photo of GORS at the head of this RTHK story https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1621689-20211127.htm?spTabChangeable=0