Owing to a severe attack of lethargy, Thursday this week is brought to you by a selection of read-worthy links…
An angry rant following the HK Police’s ridiculous Mothers’ Day antics from a member of HKU philosophy faculty.
A new union for PR folk blasts the Hong Kong government’s image-salvaging efforts.
Planning activists (who by now really should know better) express dismay that Hong Kong transport officials manage to totally mangle and mutilate the no-brainer concept of harbour water-taxis, somehow turning what could be a convenient service for residents into some putrid tourist thing, surprise surprise.
SCMP’s history columnist looks back at a time when patriots were authentic like the estimable Dotty Liu (who if I recall drove around in a fetching green Jaguar). (More on her here.)
HK Free Press addresses the world’s critical shortage of keyrings.
Hong Kong movies at next this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Minxin Pei on how the virus is killing the China-US relationship…
For the first time, ordinary Americans going about their lives in their own country fear for their economic and physical survival, because of political repression in a distant land.
Simon Leys in a flashback to 1990: ‘The Art of Interpreting Nonexistent Inscriptions Written in Invisible Ink on a Blank Page’.
Taiwan looks at long-overdue de-Sinification: of institutions’ nomenclature, and of the ‘unification’ clause in the national Mainland relations law.
Is Hemlock suffering from the old man’s blues?
Is this the beginning of the end?
Will Batman arrive just in time to save the Boy Wonder of HK blogs?
Stay tuned for next week’s episode….
Dotty: why are those pro-China people always so god damn ugly?
A little late with this but, considering previous speculation by commentators on this blog, it might help to explain some curious U-turns of certain public figures:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3082243/shills-sycophants-and-blackmail-making-hong
without mentioning any names, of course.
I remember Dotty Liu. She was an ardent Chinese nationalist and, in consequence, despite having been the beneficiary of all the advantages enjoyed by the well-connected under British rule, an equally ardent anti-colonialist.
Fair enough.
What made her different, however, and what made her admirable, was that she didn’t mince her words and she didn’t kowtow. Her distaste (entirely justified) for the likes of Sir S.Y. Chung sprang entirely from her refusal to believe that a life-long poodle of the British colonial regime could, as if by magic, discover his true Chinese roots immediately upon the exchange of sovereignty. Those of us on the other side of the fence, as it were, were equally astonished to find that Sir D. Akers-Jones, and others if his ilk, despite hailng from the likes of Chipping Sodbury and Moreton-in-Marsh, pulled off a similar volte face with such apparent aplomb.
Dotty’s patriotism was, however, so vital to her that l think she would have supported any regime in power in China simply because it was there. For this reason, she had no compunction about throwing in her lot with the CCP even though, by any yardstick, she was about as un-communist as they come. Nevertheless, and almost uniquely, she did dare to tell the reds that which they did not wish to hear, which, coming from anyone else, would have attracted (then as it does now) a one-way ticket to the gulag.
When all is said and done, Dotty Liu was nothing if not straight. She had the guts and stature to tell it as it is (or, at least, was) so that when you compare her to the spineless nonentities who infest the current administration in Hong Kong, she shines forth as an exemplar of probity.
Quite frankly, and commie fellow traveller that she was, l’d sooner have Dotty Liu as CE of Hong Kong right now than the entirely unprincipled, uninteresting, unintelligent little cypher of a jumped up typist, Carrie Lam.
HillnotPeak: even supposing you were right about Miss Liu’s appearance – which you obviously are not – why do you think it matters?
Her character was much more important and, as Hemlock and the authors of both articles indicate, she was well-regarded by many people in HK for being honest and forthrightly unafraid to express her occasional disagreement to those in her own camp, traits sadly lacking on all sides in HK now.
My biggest problem is a lack of lethargy. I really do need to go and see a doctor/witch doctor and see if they can fix the problem.
…shills…sycophants…etc.
So where do you fit in, Simon?
I see the link to the “angry rant” about police already leads to “this Tweet is unavailable”. Trying not to be paranoid about this but an explanation would be nice…
@ Red Dragon
…the entirely unprincipled, uninteresting, unintelligent little cypher of a jumped up failed social worker… more accurate given her academic career?
@tim hamlett
I’m not in the least bit surprised. Although HKU’s gaggle of rioter-mobster teachers spend much time and energy bollocking-on about being super principled, they all in fact give a higher priority to receiving their monthly salary cheques, and avoiding doing “porridge”. The phrase “pathetic revolutionaries” springs to mind.
@HillnotPeak: I get the greater point of what you’re saying. I think.
Based purely on appearances, the modern, post ‘97 frothy mouthed, sucking-up-to-the-CCP crowd (purely to preserve their positions in society and wealth) superficially only have faces their mothers could love but when you combine that with the bottom of the barrel content of their character, you get an utterly despicable lot.
I’d guess if Dotty were still around today she wouldn’t be allowed into the clubhouse – TOO much cred – but she definitely gets credit for at least being true to herself. And I’d much rather sit across a table from her than “heavyweight” Maria Tam or Lufsig.
Hemlock, hope you’re feeling okay! BTW, those Hong Kong movies screened at Rotterdam earlier this year (so I don’t think they’ll be screening again there next year!)
@tim hamlett
It’s safe to ignore Reactor # 4. It’s just an obnoxious troll.
Ocean Park was profitable until this happened 6 years ago: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1538995/allan-zeman-reveals-anger-being-forced-out-ocean-park-chairman
Then there is this:
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/219066/Ocean-Park-animals'-fate-up-in-the-air
Perhaps the animals could be sold to PRC restaurants to repay the HK taxpayers’ subsidies of Ocean Park.