David Webb on the futility of Hong Kong’s Covid strategy…
If HK lacks the “high degree of autonomy” to do the right thing for its residents and businesses on this occasion, then we must assume that HK will follow mainland strategy in future pandemics … and isolate the city again.
From Kong Tsun-gan – thoughts on the arrest of Cardinal Zen.
Samuel Bickett asks what’s going on with the HK Bar Association…
…all might have been forgiven if Dawes stuck to his word and avoided politics in order to steer the Bar Association through choppy waters. But instead, he is increasingly using the Bar Association as a tool to promote Beijing and Hong Kong Government positions, while ignoring matters like unjustified arrests and judicial misconduct that should be of concern to the city’s barristers.
(If you want arrest-and-judicial overload, HKFP’s output in the last 24 hours covers: Margaret Ng’s seized documents, the Passion Times national flag competition, 6.5 years in prison for Telegram admin, a denial of bail on NatSec grounds in a non-NatSec Law case, and another ‘sedition’ case.)
It’s all the fault of British colonialism. Tankie Martin Jacques tells Hongkongers they must stop being so un-Chinese, complete with blather about the Greater Bay Area and Northern Metropolis…
After 156 years of British colonialism, Hongkongers habitually looked West, not north. Many liked the idea of being Western at a time when the West still enjoyed considerable status and prestige. Hongkongers had a split identity, part Chinese, part Western. That is why many had somewhat mixed feelings about the handover.
(Nothing to do with not wanting to live under a Communist dictatorship. Does Jacques (a Brit) ‘like the idea of being Western’ himself? In fairness, it’s quite possible Global Times embellished his copy to suit the party narrative.)
A BBC video on Sophia Huang Xueqin, journalist behind China’s #MeToo movement who ‘vanished’ in 2021. She and fellow activist Wang Jianbing are expected to face trial for ‘inciting subversion of state power’. (Cue Martin Jacques telling her to stop trying to be so Western.)
Brian Hioe on the ‘Taiwanese’/’Chinese’ confusion following the church shooting in Irvine – basically, what is Waishengren?
CMP reading the tea leaves on Xi Jinping’s absence from page 1 of People’s Daily, and on ‘runology’ – the pondering of emigration.
Martin Jacques is a useful idiot. I guess he’s happy enough “visiting” Tsinghua University, but I’m 99.9% sure he won’t ever be going there permanently.
Whenever you read anything that Martin Jacques writes about Hong Kong you have to remember he suffered a great personal tragedy whilst living here, namely the death of his wife. That event, and other experiences she had whilst they were living here, do not leave him well disposed towards Hong Kong.
Does anyone go out of their way to read Global Times??? Seriously?
Maybe Marty has a case of Yellow Fever. Those northern girls can be so beguiling…
As always, an interesting blog post, but why does Hemlock continue to refer to the white saviour English teacher who doesn’t want to be recognized as white, and whose pretension of being Chinese stopped well short of actually putting his skin in the game by renouncing his U.S. citizenship and naturalizing as Chinese, as Kong Tsun-gan rather than just Brian Kern? Writing stuff critical of the government=fine. Writing stuff critical of the government and pretending to be Chinese under a “pen name” that nobody recognizes as such=lame.
@Tiffin
Bang on good point
Martin Jacques? Who he? Let’s see…Wiki…Wiki…”Martin Jacques …editor of Marxism Today until its closure…”. Ok, thanks Wiki. Bye Martin.
@Tiffin
I definitely understand why a guy named Hemlock doesn’t give a damn what some other guy chooses to call himself.
Remember Jacques had a young son when he was in HK? He is now grown up, graduated from Stanford and writing articles about Long Covid:
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/long-covid-student/
Just discovered that Carrie Island is now known by the cognoscenti as ‘Central Waters’. It evokes a zen-like calm, does it not?
Seriously, I thought it would quietly disappear as the Northern Metropolis gained traction. But never underestimate the development headbangers.
@Tiffin
Easy there! Many writers use pen-names, usually of a different tone to their birth name. Our own esteemed host is neither a large oriental fruit nor a historic poison, but we don’t keep pestering him to lay out his bona fides.
Kong Tsun-gan writes cogently and offers insights and data that others don’t. Or if you don’t like his style, fine. Just don’t lay your subjective dislike on the rest of us (white saviour .. who doesn’t want to be recognized as white’ – who says?)
PS. Your presumptuous cultural appropriation of the form of an afternoon snack has been notified to the relevant culinary authorities.
Speaking of useful idiots, here’s one of the regulars. Now denouncing citizen journalists. Stay classy Pinky.
https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/272133#NED-trains-Hong-Kong-‘citizen-journalists’-for-subversive-activities
Meanwhile, in other news, reported by HKFP:
“The Architectural Services Department (ASD) said the price tag of the LegCo expansion project to add new floors of offices and ancillary facilities for lawmakers and the Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat would increase from around HK$1.17 billion to HK$1.56 billion.”
These rubber-stamping mofos are going to spend HK$1.5 billion on new offices when their discussions and votes are meaningless and their contribution to the betterment of Hong Kong is less than zero.
For brazenness, they are Olympians.
The most ridiculous aspect of the ‘revelations’ on funding is that the sums involved are insignificant. Certainly not enough to rent a pad in Soho and pay the monthly bill at FCC.
After all this is a city where civil servants will not get out of bed for less than $360,000 a month.
A few million HK$ would not even cover the cost of a nano-flat in some forsaken corner of NT.
To put the puny handouts into perspective “In a paper submitted to the Public Works Subcommittee, the Architectural Services Department said the price tag of the project to add new floors of offices and ancillary facilities for lawmakers and the Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat would increase from around HK$1.17 billion to HK$1.56 billion.”
Now that’s some money
“Runology”, now there’s a frightening phenomenon when applied to mainlanders. One can only with Stinky Ping a long an prosperous reign, in the hope that he clips all their passports before the horde descends on the civilised world – this time with the intent to stay and not just buy up luxury tat to take back home to impress their fellows. The Iron Curtain has never been needed as much as now.
@Hermes: They make it sound like quite the achievement that Ravi Jacques was “chosen” (by dad) to become a Schwarzman Scholar at CHINA’S TOP UNIVERSITY (subjectively?). A shame “long Covid” might have stunted this future player from the greatness he was destined for.
I note Ravi Veriah Jacques volunteers he was born in London and lived there throughout his life until leaving to go to university in America.
No mention of Hong Kong.
Yet his father as “next friend” brought an action on Ravi’s behalf arising out of death of mother /wife, said action funded by Legal Aid in Hong Kong.
Daddy, Martin’s, attempt to get legal aid on his own account thwarted (I hope) by owning a house in Hampstead.
A self serving bellend, and no, Revolution, I have no sympathey arising from death of wife in the Ruttonjee. She (and Marti) chose to go out on new year’s eve when she felt unwell.
As for the alleged racial discrimination my now wife is a “woman of colour” froma much lower socio economic bracket than a ethnic Indian lawyer from an international law firm. My wife could not have been better treated in the Ruttonjee, on.two occasions, including one involving acute depression.
So Martin can fouk right off.
Marti is a entitled expectant self absorbed hypocritical bell end.
“ “The Architectural Services Department (ASD) said the price tag of the LegCo expansion project to add new floors of offices and ancillary facilities for lawmakers and the Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat would increase from around HK$1.17 billion to HK$1.56 billion.”
These rubber-stamping mofos are going to spend HK$1.5 billion on new offices when their discussions and votes are meaningless and their contribution to the betterment of Hong Kong is less than zero.
For brazenness, they are Olympians.”
It is like they would to fool themselves into thinking they are more than just rubber stamping stooges.
Also piss off Tiffin.
@Revolution
It seems Mr. Jacques is extremely well disposed toward the authorities in both China and Hong Kong, despite the death of his wife through supposed medical indifference.
He certainly is, Henry. They are punishing the Hong Kong people for him.
Martin is a self confessed Marxist. A Marxist in the year 2022. Tells you everything you need to know about that clown.