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Dispatches from the State Ministry of Truth

Started by Jacob, September 22, 2014, 10:05:27 AM

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Admiral Yi

Hong Kong is in many ways China's conduit to the international financial community.  Losing that would hurt them somewhat.

Tonitrus

I kinda think that idea is kind of obsolete at this point.  Loss of the special status wont affect finance.  Plenty of places do finance just fine without freedom, :P

Monoriu

Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 02, 2014, 09:55:05 PM
Hong Kong is in many ways China's conduit to the international financial community.  Losing that would hurt them somewhat.

Our importance is declining.  They are building up Shanghai to replace us anyway.  We were useful to them in the 80s and 90s.  Now?  Who needs a middleman, especially if he is annoying. 

CountDeMoney


Monoriu

Quote from: Tonitrus on October 02, 2014, 09:52:51 PM
While I support and sympathize with the protesters, Mono is kinda right.  The two realistic outcomes of all this is either:

- No change
- The one nation/two systems idea goes to the wall, and China dumps ther special status.


There really is no down side for China to go with option 2 (outside some economic turmoil in HK and elsewhere), and no one in the international community will do anything about it except express some mild regret.


HK will never be the same after this.  The showdown is kinda necessary for the population to realise that the idea of democracy is truly dead.  The rioters will have to leave sooner or later, and there is no question that they won't get what they want.  The real question is what next.  The relationship between the government and the people will be changed forever.  The pan-democrat legislators will block everything the government proposes.  "Unless you give us part of the pie, we won't let you have yours either."  There will be widespread disobedience.  Refusal to pay taxes, etc.  Lots of people will leave for other places.   

derspiess

Do they still drink a lot of cognac in HK?
"If you can play a guitar and harmonica at the same time, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young, you're a genius. But make that extra bit of effort and strap some cymbals to your knees, suddenly people want to get the hell away from you."  --Rich Hall

Monoriu

Quote from: derspiess on October 02, 2014, 10:11:52 PM
Do they still drink a lot of cognac in HK?

No clue.  What do you mean?

Admiral Yi

Quote from: Tonitrus on October 02, 2014, 09:57:27 PM
I kinda think that idea is kind of obsolete at this point.  Loss of the special status wont affect finance.  Plenty of places do finance just fine without freedom, :P

Not many do without rule of law.

Razgovory

#563
Quote from: CountDeMoney on October 02, 2014, 10:05:57 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on October 02, 2014, 09:59:17 PM
Now?  Who needs a middleman, especially if he is annoying.

Yeah, kind of an odd thing for a Bureaucrat.
I've given it serious thought. I must scorn the ways of my family, and seek a Japanese woman to yield me my progeny. He shall live in the lands of the east, and be well tutored in his sacred trust to weave the best traditions of Japan and the Sacred South together, until such time as he (or, indeed his house, which will periodically require infusion of both Southern and Japanese bloodlines of note) can deliver to the South it's independence, either in this world or in space.  -Lettow April of 2011

Raz is right. -MadImmortalMan March of 2017

Monoriu

Robert Chow, ex-talk show host who collected over a million signatures (out of a population of 7 million) that oppose the Occupy Central movement, has said that he will organise ordinary folk to remove the rioters from public roads.  I don't have high hopes but let's see how this plays out.  In any case, individual cases of shopowners and anti-riot citizens who try to remove the road blocks on their own are on the rise.  They desperately need better organisation. 

Monoriu

100 people have smashed into the rioters' camp in Mongkok and are tearing down the tents.  The rioters' reaction?  Call the police  :lol:

Monoriu



Police separating the angry residents and the rioters in Mong Kok.  If the police can't clear the rioters, I don't understand why they won't let us do it ourselves. 

Tamas

Rioters  :lol: Some pics of real rioters, for comparison, Mono:








Monoriu

Quote from: Tamas on October 03, 2014, 04:20:53 AM
Rioters  :lol: Some pics of real rioters, for comparison, Mono:



Actually, the term that I use in my head is "scumbag".  Would you prefer that instead?  :lol:

The mainland PR machine has started calling them "criminals".  I think this signals that Beijing is determined not to provide any political exit for them.  You don't call the counterpart on the other side of the negotiation table criminals. 

Tamas

Quote from: Monoriu on October 03, 2014, 04:33:23 AM
Quote from: Tamas on October 03, 2014, 04:20:53 AM
Rioters  :lol: Some pics of real rioters, for comparison, Mono:



Actually, the term that I use in my head is "scumbag".  Would you prefer that instead?  :lol:

The mainland PR machine has started calling them "criminals".  I think this signals that Beijing is determined not to provide any political exit for them.  You don't call the counterpart on the other side of the negotiation table criminals.

It's the likes of you Mono who have destroyed my homeland. I guess the difference is that Hong Kong never had a realistic chance of escaping being under Politburo boots, so I should be lenient on you.