…trying to feel Carrie Lam’s emotions.
Veteran patriotic politician Tsang Yok-sing says Beijing will have just one name on the Chief Executive quasi-election ballot, rather than contrive a phony race between the prearranged winner and a designated loser. This obviously keeps things simple – no need for the ‘elites’ to pretend to vote. But I’m slightly surprised that the CCP would make the charade even easier to mock.
If Jasper is right, the most farcical part of the process will be when Beijing tells a few followers to spread word of who it has picked, and all the shoe-shiners and loyalist trash leap swiftly as one to endorse and praise the individual concerned. (Tsang doesn’t speculate on who the chosen one will be – and indeed who cares? It might be Feel-my-emotions Lady, or Psycho-cop Guy, or someone else not called Regina, but it’ll make little difference.)
Hong Kong is full of smart people with insight and ideas. Sadly, none are in government. One – a doctor – offers intelligent-sounding suggestions on how we can start moving forward on Covid…
Creating an illusion of certainty around zero Covid is disingenuous. People will die of Covid and this should be acknowledged and communicated. The challenge is to balance the damage from the disease and the damage from the public health measures.
Obviously Dr David Owens will be in the crosshairs of the NatSecPo shortly for spreading seditious thoughts and ideas questioning the infallibility of the HKCCPSARGOV’s WuFlu strategy.
Just one red bottle
Hanging on the vote
And if one red bottle
Should accidentally fuck-up
There’ll be lots of red faces
In Beijing’s Great Hall
Sorry doesn’t quite scan and fit the tune but my hypothesis is that all the delays and probability of one name is that BJ is planning to appoint a Governor (the party secretary is already in place) and the CENO will be just that – in name only, a figurehead.
I heard this line in a movie once. It fits for explaining the management and governance of Hong Kong. “It’s a fugazi…poof… magic fairy dust…air.”
Taken from the interview with Jasper Tsang:
“He (Jasper) believed that Chief Executive Carrie Lam would play ball if Beijing wanted her to step down.”
You don’t say!
My vote would now go to Broom Head, who according to Hemlock should now be considered both an ‘outsider candidate’ and an ‘underdog’
Come on people, let’s make this happen!
I’ll put my renminbi on Checkley, a scholar and a gentleman.
@Red Dragon
From the BBC’s Mastermind archives:
“Your name?”
“Jasper Tsang.”
“Your specialised subject?”
“The bleeding obvious.”
In the words of the immortal Saint Philip of Ochs, bless his departed soul: “In order to have an election, you have to have a choice”. But I’m betting they will still pretend the new puppet was elected.
“In the words of the immortal Saint Philip of Ochs, bless his departed soul: “In order to have an election, you have to have a choice”. But I’m betting they will still pretend the new puppet was elected.”
This isn’t new either way. Wasn’t Tung running unopposed for his second term?
@Mark Bradley – maybe so, but the new rules make it much harder (in fact almost impossible) for anyone except Beijing’s anointed one to get on the ballot at all, so there is not even a possibility of a sham choice.