Hong Kong: China's Last Words?
- Thread starter Concrete Meadow
- Start date
Holy fucking cow and bejeezus!!!
I was just rereading this thread and noticed that I posted this, (below,) on the 8th July 2004.
It was in response to a post by vim, as follows (he was commenting about me posting on this thread shortly after I had, nearly, flounced on another thread started by hipipol, my angst, perhaps, due to missing hipipol's irony - I was obviously extremely vunerable at the time).
*shivers and turns cold*
In August 2004, less than a month later, I was lucky to survive a serious, VERY serious, suicide attempt - by sheer fluke; luck. By rights, I should not be here today.
And my response...........
Interestingly, whenever I post, I almost always have a smilie of some kind or other before my final "Woof", unless I am being particularly sombre. I was obviously being particularly sombre in that post - there was no smilie.
Life still hurts today, but I'm very, VERY glad I'm still here.
Thank you everyone on Urban for sharing this journey with me. It is a blessing. You are all a blessing to me.
Bless you.
Blessings.
Etc.
Woof
I was just rereading this thread and noticed that I posted this, (below,) on the 8th July 2004.
It was in response to a post by vim, as follows (he was commenting about me posting on this thread shortly after I had, nearly, flounced on another thread started by hipipol, my angst, perhaps, due to missing hipipol's irony - I was obviously extremely vunerable at the time).
*shivers and turns cold*
In August 2004, less than a month later, I was lucky to survive a serious, VERY serious, suicide attempt - by sheer fluke; luck. By rights, I should not be here today.
vimto said:"I thought you had given up on U75 Jessie
Second thoughts perhaps
Woof"
And my response...........
Jessiedog said:
Interestingly, whenever I post, I almost always have a smilie of some kind or other before my final "Woof", unless I am being particularly sombre. I was obviously being particularly sombre in that post - there was no smilie.
Life still hurts today, but I'm very, VERY glad I'm still here.
Thank you everyone on Urban for sharing this journey with me. It is a blessing. You are all a blessing to me.
Bless you.
Blessings.
Etc.
Woof
Concrete Meadow
ars longa vita brevis
4 June 1989 Beijing - 4 June 2006 Hong Kong
We will never forget.
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg....jpg?x=380&y=241&sig=FNW4BoEc5WdWwqj.oJI3sg--
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20060604/i/r3984912235.jpg
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20060604/i/r3030169531.jpg
Thousands of protesters take part in a candlelight vigil to
mark the 17th anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy
movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, June 4 2006
Thank you Hong Kong -- and Jessie
in particular.
As the infamous Bus Uncle said, "unresolved. Unresolved."
.
We will never forget.
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg....jpg?x=380&y=241&sig=FNW4BoEc5WdWwqj.oJI3sg--
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20060604/i/r3984912235.jpg
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20060604/i/r3030169531.jpg
Thousands of protesters take part in a candlelight vigil to
mark the 17th anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy
movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, June 4 2006
Thank you Hong Kong -- and Jessie
in particular.As the infamous Bus Uncle said, "unresolved. Unresolved."
.
Right then.
It's that time of year again.
1st of July.
I'm off to the democracy march.
*puts boots on*
Ah bugger! It's just started pissing down a tropical rainstorm.
Oh well......
"You coming then, Anson?"
Anson Chan Fang On-sang. The conscience of Hong Kong.
Woof
It's that time of year again.
1st of July.
I'm off to the democracy march.
*puts boots on*
Ah bugger! It's just started pissing down a tropical rainstorm.
Oh well......
"You coming then, Anson?"
Anson Chan Fang On-sang. The conscience of Hong Kong.
Woof
Concrete Meadow
ars longa vita brevis
To Anson with the twelve million dollar smile
Marching with you all in spirit and in my Argentina no. 19 Lionel Messi shirt.
Marching with you all in spirit and in my Argentina no. 19 Lionel Messi shirt.
Concrete Meadow
ars longa vita brevis
45 minutes to the end of another year;
a year of Bus Uncle and Ching Cheong, and
of poisoned fish, medals at the Asian Games and
the elimination of my
chiildhood icon ...
Counting down and a long goodbye to 2006 ... 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 ...
to Jessiedog and all readers of this thread:
Blessings for a healthy and happy 2007
a year of Bus Uncle and Ching Cheong, and
of poisoned fish, medals at the Asian Games and
the elimination of my
chiildhood icon ...
Counting down and a long goodbye to 2006 ... 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 ...
to Jessiedog and all readers of this thread:
Blessings for a healthy and happy 2007
Jonti
what the dormouse said
The language spoken in Glasgow is Scots, the language in which Rabbie Burns mostly wrote. You can read some Scots here. Enjoy!Thomas77 said:
Scots is not a form of English, although the languages are closely related. You can think of them as sister languages, much like the relationship betwen the various Turkic languages; for example, as spoken in Turkey, and as spoken in Azerbaijan.
The democracy march on 18th March was small - about 6,000 souls.
Nevertheless, we walked proudly.
with 2007/2008 ruled out by a NPCSC interpretation of the Basic Law, 2012 is now the earliest date for any kind of democratic reform.
Those with the power are trying to push things back past 2017 and even beyond 2022.
Let's see.
Woof
Nevertheless, we walked proudly.
with 2007/2008 ruled out by a NPCSC interpretation of the Basic Law, 2012 is now the earliest date for any kind of democratic reform.
Those with the power are trying to push things back past 2017 and even beyond 2022.
Let's see.
Woof
Concrete Meadow
ars longa vita brevis
Well.
As usual it was a solemn and sombre event.
About 40,000 - 45,000 candles were raised.
The temperature was over 30C during the evening - it was tooooooo hot.
But at least we weren't battered by a tropical rainstorm this year.
Some of the "Mothers of Tiananmen" (a group of about 300 mothers who lost their children at Tiananmen,) were on video giving a speech and the names of all those who are known to have been killed were read out - from the youngest to the oldest (so many were in their teens and 20's).
Here's looking forward to the democracy march on the 1st of July.
Ten years it's been since the handover and all we see each year is democracy slipping further and further away into the distant future - the communist party in Hong Kong (the DABPHK) are now suggesting we won't be "ready" until at least 2022 or 2027.
Fuck 'em!
Woof
As usual it was a solemn and sombre event.
About 40,000 - 45,000 candles were raised.
The temperature was over 30C during the evening - it was tooooooo hot.
But at least we weren't battered by a tropical rainstorm this year.
Some of the "Mothers of Tiananmen" (a group of about 300 mothers who lost their children at Tiananmen,) were on video giving a speech and the names of all those who are known to have been killed were read out - from the youngest to the oldest (so many were in their teens and 20's).
Here's looking forward to the democracy march on the 1st of July.
Ten years it's been since the handover and all we see each year is democracy slipping further and further away into the distant future - the communist party in Hong Kong (the DABPHK) are now suggesting we won't be "ready" until at least 2022 or 2027.
Fuck 'em!
Woof
Tomorrow?phildwyer said:
S'an interesting question.
The irony is that, for the Chief Executive, an open and free election by universal suffrage, that anyone could stand in, would likely return the incumbent (Donald Tsang Yam-kuen,) who was Beijing's annointed candidate in the first place.
A career civil-service bod, with 38 years under his belt, Tsang rose to the position of Financial Secretary under Chris Patten in the last few years of British rule. Initially not trusted by the Chinese (for obvious reasons,) he is an able administrator and was eventually promoted to Chief Secretary of the Administration under Tung Chee Hwa's (the first Chief Executive) leadership, after incumbent Anson Chan Fang On-san (The conscience of Hong Kong,) was uncerimoniously "retired early" due to her general support for an early move towards democratic reform in HK.
(EDIT: I forgot to mention that Tsang was annointed Sir Donald in the mid 1990's for his "services-to-the-realm". A fact now convenienly ignored by both him and Beijing and pretty much everyone else, for sake of expedience.)
After the mass protests in 2003, Tung was dumped by Beijing in 2005 and Tsang was given a 2 year chance (the remainder of Tung's term,) to prove himself - as he apparently has done, since he was re-installed in March this year for 5 years.
With the economy now rocking-on again, wages rising and the feel-good factor buzzing across the (Special Administrative) Region like it hasn't since 1996/7, successive opinion polls show Tsang would likely garner 55% to 60% of any vote.
Despite this, many feel that he is too close to Beijing and it's only really the lack of an alternative, experienced politician/administrator (that would better represent HK peoples' interests and aspirations,) to vote for, that would stop them abandoning Tsang in droves.
With respect to the Legislative Council (LegCo), were all 60 seats returned by fairly-deliniated geographical constituences, I reckon the pan-democrats would garner about 40 - 45 seats, the pan-commies about 10 - 15 and the Pro-Beijing, large-corporates brigade maybe a couple or three - with independents taking a few if there were any remaining.
That would create a good balance, IMO, placing a strong check on the Executive through a strong democratic-camp influence in LegCo.
Indeed.
Thank you.
Though, whereas I did fall into asking you to "fuck off", once, when you had regressed into a particularly horrid diatribe towards another poster, your own nasty and slanderous invective towards me was neither warranted, nor accurate.
So there.
Woof
Hmmm. Is there no worker's movement ın Hong Kong then? I belıeve there used to be a very radıcal one under the Brıts?
Not to drag out the past, but I'd always lıked you and thought we'd got along, so my admıttedly OTT reactıon to your unprovoked attack was prompted by the stıng of betrayal. But water, brıdge, all that...
Not to drag out the past, but I'd always lıked you and thought we'd got along, so my admıttedly OTT reactıon to your unprovoked attack was prompted by the stıng of betrayal. But water, brıdge, all that...
There was not.Deareg said:
The Brits fucked over the HK peeps as far as democracy is concerned.
As late as 1987/88, both Westminster and the HK administration were arrogant enough to think that there would be no real demand for democracy in HK, despite he ongoing negotiations with Beijing regarding the handover.
Beijing was insisting on no further democratic development before the handover, but the UK was concerned that this would make it look bad. The HK govt. managed to convince Beijing to let them survey the HK population regarding democracy - assuring the Central govt. that the results would show that there was no need to progress with democratic reform.
The results of the 1988 survey showed clearly that there was a srtong demand for greater democracy in HK and that universal suffrage was what the peeps wanted. The HK and UK governments were in a real fix - caught between the proverbial rock and hard place.
So they did what any good government (ha ha) would do. They gerimandered the survey results (yes, they fiddled the results, they out and out lied about them,) to show that there was not a strong desire for democracy in the community.
Beijing was happy, the UK took a great sigh of relief and the HK peeps, as ever, got completely fucked over.
Britain's proposed "honourable withdrawal from HK", was implemented with about the same level of integrity as NuLabours "ethical foreign policy".
Woof
There is no strong workers movement in Hong Kong. No minimum wage. No maximum working hours. No collective bargaining. We still have elderly men and women cleaning toilets 12 hours a day six days a week with 7 days annual holiday, who earn a monthly salary of under GBP 200:00.phildwyer said:
The only "workers movement" in HK while under British administration, was encapsulated in the 1967 riots. Triggered by a doubling of the fare of the Star Ferry (the only route across from HK - Kowloon and back,) from five cents to 10c and ostensibly championing the rights of the poor, the reality of the situation (months of demonstrations, riots and home made bombs which killed over 50 people,) was that it was a spillage of the Cultural Revolution from the mainland over into HK.
At that time, the territory was rife with rumours that the CCP was about to try and take over the territory by allowing the Red Guards and others to flood into the territory, causing chaos.
Some in HK did support the commies and their methods, but most were solidly behind the British administration as it struggled to maintain order (and even control) of the territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1967_riots
Woof
Deareg
Well-Known Member
Jessiedog said:There was not.
The Brits fucked over the HK peeps as far as democracy is concerned.
As late as 1987/88, both Westminster and the HK administration were arrogant enough to think that there would be no real demand for democracy in HK, despite he ongoing negotiations with Beijing regarding the handover.
Beijing was insisting on no further democratic development before the handover, but the UK was concerned that this would make it look bad. The HK govt. managed to convince Beijing to let them survey the HK population regarding democracy - assuring the Central govt. that the results would show that there was no need to progress with democratic reform.
The results of the 1988 survey showed clearly that there was a srtong demand for greater democracy in HK and that universal suffrage was what the peeps wanted. The HK and UK governments were in a real fix - caught between the proverbial rock and hard place.
So they did what any good government (ha ha) would do. They gerimandered the survey results (yes, they fiddled the results, they out and out lied about them,) to show that there was not a strong desire for democracy in the community.
Beijing was happy, the UK took a great sigh of relief and the HK peeps, as ever, got completely fucked over.
Britain's proposed "honourable withdrawal from HK", was implemented with about the same level of integrity as NuLabours "ethical foreign policy".
Woof
you lot have been fucked from all sides, hope things work out for you
Right then!
*puts marching boots on*
Ten years since the handover and still no democracy?
I'm hitting the streets today with my "Democracy Now" banner.
The march starts at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay at 2:30pm, finshes at the goverment offices in Central at 6:30pm.
"We want democracy!"
*Does bootlaces up really tight*
Back later peeps.
Woof
Woof
*puts marching boots on*
Ten years since the handover and still no democracy?
I'm hitting the streets today with my "Democracy Now" banner.
The march starts at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay at 2:30pm, finshes at the goverment offices in Central at 6:30pm.
"We want democracy!"
*Does bootlaces up really tight*
Back later peeps.
Woof
Woof
Rock Bottom
Second Wind
Jessiedog said:
Sorry I coudn't make it over myself. I will be interested to hear about the numbers and opposition. All I have been exposed to so far is the rather overdone nationalistic extravagance for the 10 year anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Hu Jintao has been very high profile during the celebrations and the opening of the new bridge to Shenzhen.
Concrete Meadow
ars longa vita brevis
3 December 2007
and to Anson Chan 
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