Following a rather harrowing full hour's worth of footage and accompanying on-the-ground commentary on TV1's 'Sunday' 'current affairs'/human interest/tabloid show 10 days ago...upon the ongoing and ever more ratcheted-up protests and police response in the grand little city-state of Hong Kong, the following are some long-gestated thoughts of mine prior to this in-depth show and scribbled furiously while and after watching it...
Though a backer of the *essential object/s of the ***Hong Kong people, I've grown increasingly concerned - if not positively worried and anxious - about the inevitable and seemingly imminent outcome of this entire sorry saga...
As increasingly aggro, even violent, protestors take it to the authorities there, China is meanwhile edging closer and closer, preparing for imminent invasion to effectively quell said agitation once and for all - or so it would appear to outsiders televiewing their buildup close to the Chinese border.
From my own close and hopefully duly careful 'observations', it appears that the preeminently highly principled protestors are pushing their luck a bit far with the Chinese authorities, and it is only a matter of time till said powers that be 'double down' and crack down, relentlessly punishing all opposition to their iron-clad rule. And - for what it's worth, possibly not all that much, admittedly - it seems to me that the local Beijing-appointed leadership, aka Governor Carrie Lam, has bent over backwards and compromised to the nth degree, beyond the path of duty even, to accommodate the just concerns of Hong Kongers.
Yes, the Beijing-appointed rulers have compromised, capitulated - and majorly, of late - but it's just never enough...nothing will seem to assuage or placate the protestors...many of whom - however small in actual number - seem to have adopted a wrecking ball mentality of 'smash and destroy' and cause mayhem and destruction...
But protest leaders such as the re-imprisoned Jeremy Wong (I believe) would counter, and with good reason I'll concede, that it is all a farce, a monumental exercise in international public relations spin...a colossal attempt to pull the wool over the gaze of the onlooking global community.
Nonetheless, whichever way one cuts it, folk in that once deeply-esteemed 'land' are evidently living on increasingly borrowed time...
To Be Continued...: So what of Hong Kong's colonialist masters, i.e. the Brits...?
Hold onto your seats, folks, my 'verdict' on that much-maligned 'experiment' in 'nationcraft' may well surprise, even astound you, but I reckon it's looking more and more accurate each and every day...
Postscript:
Meanwhile the Devious Dragon is insidiously extending its ever more far-reaching tentacles further and further afield...especially into its own 'backyard', the various territories - ****large and small - of Oceania's idyllic Pacific Islands...
And thus and so BBC's World Radio yesterday morning reported that the Solomon Islands have decided to forego their previous Taiwanese aid in deference and lieu to Mainland China, i.e. the Peoples' Republic thereof...
...and though the news item then referred to a half dozen or so other, generally even tinier, Taiwanese-supported isles - possibly better termed islets - the basic upshot or 'download' thereof was simply this: though these little jurisdictions might well continue for the present to keep relying upon Taiwan's aid, it's probably just a matter of time...until Beijing eventually displaces/replaces them.
*The basic goals of the movement as stated by its **'leaders' are essentially threefold: complete and utter scrapping/revocation/abolition of the deportation to China bill; freedom of conscience and expression; and an independent civil service/judiciary. Really just 'stuff' readily taken for granted throughout the West, of which Hong Kong was indeed a small but significant part till that fateful day in 1997 when Great Britain began the long process of ceding back control to China.
**But yes, it is, as has oft been stated - as in Orwell's classic 1984 - a 'leaderless' movement...
***For surely a 1.7 million-member march in a population of just 7.5 million-odd - 25% plus! - well represents Hong Kong, though of course it no longer retains that long-cherished - and well-deserved - nation-state status.
****By which I certainly do include the venerable nations of Australasia, i.e. Aotearoa-New Zealand and its 'West Island' *****'cousin', the ******land of Oz...
*****Though even that familial monicker is increasingly suspect, as the Aussies continue their nasty and self-serving, even immoral (if not also essentially illegal) anti-kiwi approach in so many areas of their national life...
******Interestingly only yesterday I heard (c/o Mike Hosking's Newstalk ZB Morning Show) about the (Chinese) Government politician Gladys Liu, who has been facing much political heat of late vis-a-vis her own links to Chinese Government organizations both prior to and since becoming an Australian M.P. ...However, and despite the well-sustained (Opposition Labor Party) calls upon her to "Please explain" the apparently well-established reality of her (multi-faceted) connection to Chinese Communist Party Central Headquarters and its *******'international outreach', she retains political office for now.
Though the clear inference of these allegations - as indeed might well be the case concerning those thus far only tentatively proposed vis-a-vis two Chinese-originating New Zealand members of Parliament, i.e. Labour's Raymond Huo and National's Jian Yang - seems to suggest a fairly high likelihood of their truth, yet with Liu having not only come from Hong Kong but apparently having recently spoken out in support of the demonstrators and/or in opposition to the police crackdown thereupon, for the time being she appears to have placated growing political (and public) concern.
Though ********Scomo's attack on her 'attackers' as effectively 'channelling' the old bogeyman of the 'red peril' here is hardly worthy of comment, especially as the Australian Labor Party's longstanding Chinese M.P. Pansy Wong is in the vanguard of this allegedly xenophobic clarion call for accountability.
*******My euphemism for China's covert attempts especially here in God's Own and Oz to insinuate itself into our national, political affairs...via members of Parliament (in NZ anyhow, on both sides of the aisle) whose essential, unchanging, even undying allegiance is allegedly to the People's Republic.
********The acronym and popularly-known nickname for Aussie Prime Minister Scott Morrison, just as 'berda' was Yours Truly's own varsity 'identikit'.
Though a backer of the *essential object/s of the ***Hong Kong people, I've grown increasingly concerned - if not positively worried and anxious - about the inevitable and seemingly imminent outcome of this entire sorry saga...
As increasingly aggro, even violent, protestors take it to the authorities there, China is meanwhile edging closer and closer, preparing for imminent invasion to effectively quell said agitation once and for all - or so it would appear to outsiders televiewing their buildup close to the Chinese border.
From my own close and hopefully duly careful 'observations', it appears that the preeminently highly principled protestors are pushing their luck a bit far with the Chinese authorities, and it is only a matter of time till said powers that be 'double down' and crack down, relentlessly punishing all opposition to their iron-clad rule. And - for what it's worth, possibly not all that much, admittedly - it seems to me that the local Beijing-appointed leadership, aka Governor Carrie Lam, has bent over backwards and compromised to the nth degree, beyond the path of duty even, to accommodate the just concerns of Hong Kongers.
Yes, the Beijing-appointed rulers have compromised, capitulated - and majorly, of late - but it's just never enough...nothing will seem to assuage or placate the protestors...many of whom - however small in actual number - seem to have adopted a wrecking ball mentality of 'smash and destroy' and cause mayhem and destruction...
But protest leaders such as the re-imprisoned Jeremy Wong (I believe) would counter, and with good reason I'll concede, that it is all a farce, a monumental exercise in international public relations spin...a colossal attempt to pull the wool over the gaze of the onlooking global community.
Nonetheless, whichever way one cuts it, folk in that once deeply-esteemed 'land' are evidently living on increasingly borrowed time...
To Be Continued...: So what of Hong Kong's colonialist masters, i.e. the Brits...?
Hold onto your seats, folks, my 'verdict' on that much-maligned 'experiment' in 'nationcraft' may well surprise, even astound you, but I reckon it's looking more and more accurate each and every day...
Postscript:
Meanwhile the Devious Dragon is insidiously extending its ever more far-reaching tentacles further and further afield...especially into its own 'backyard', the various territories - ****large and small - of Oceania's idyllic Pacific Islands...
And thus and so BBC's World Radio yesterday morning reported that the Solomon Islands have decided to forego their previous Taiwanese aid in deference and lieu to Mainland China, i.e. the Peoples' Republic thereof...
...and though the news item then referred to a half dozen or so other, generally even tinier, Taiwanese-supported isles - possibly better termed islets - the basic upshot or 'download' thereof was simply this: though these little jurisdictions might well continue for the present to keep relying upon Taiwan's aid, it's probably just a matter of time...until Beijing eventually displaces/replaces them.
*The basic goals of the movement as stated by its **'leaders' are essentially threefold: complete and utter scrapping/revocation/abolition of the deportation to China bill; freedom of conscience and expression; and an independent civil service/judiciary. Really just 'stuff' readily taken for granted throughout the West, of which Hong Kong was indeed a small but significant part till that fateful day in 1997 when Great Britain began the long process of ceding back control to China.
**But yes, it is, as has oft been stated - as in Orwell's classic 1984 - a 'leaderless' movement...
***For surely a 1.7 million-member march in a population of just 7.5 million-odd - 25% plus! - well represents Hong Kong, though of course it no longer retains that long-cherished - and well-deserved - nation-state status.
****By which I certainly do include the venerable nations of Australasia, i.e. Aotearoa-New Zealand and its 'West Island' *****'cousin', the ******land of Oz...
*****Though even that familial monicker is increasingly suspect, as the Aussies continue their nasty and self-serving, even immoral (if not also essentially illegal) anti-kiwi approach in so many areas of their national life...
******Interestingly only yesterday I heard (c/o Mike Hosking's Newstalk ZB Morning Show) about the (Chinese) Government politician Gladys Liu, who has been facing much political heat of late vis-a-vis her own links to Chinese Government organizations both prior to and since becoming an Australian M.P. ...However, and despite the well-sustained (Opposition Labor Party) calls upon her to "Please explain" the apparently well-established reality of her (multi-faceted) connection to Chinese Communist Party Central Headquarters and its *******'international outreach', she retains political office for now.
Though the clear inference of these allegations - as indeed might well be the case concerning those thus far only tentatively proposed vis-a-vis two Chinese-originating New Zealand members of Parliament, i.e. Labour's Raymond Huo and National's Jian Yang - seems to suggest a fairly high likelihood of their truth, yet with Liu having not only come from Hong Kong but apparently having recently spoken out in support of the demonstrators and/or in opposition to the police crackdown thereupon, for the time being she appears to have placated growing political (and public) concern.
Though ********Scomo's attack on her 'attackers' as effectively 'channelling' the old bogeyman of the 'red peril' here is hardly worthy of comment, especially as the Australian Labor Party's longstanding Chinese M.P. Pansy Wong is in the vanguard of this allegedly xenophobic clarion call for accountability.
*******My euphemism for China's covert attempts especially here in God's Own and Oz to insinuate itself into our national, political affairs...via members of Parliament (in NZ anyhow, on both sides of the aisle) whose essential, unchanging, even undying allegiance is allegedly to the People's Republic.
********The acronym and popularly-known nickname for Aussie Prime Minister Scott Morrison, just as 'berda' was Yours Truly's own varsity 'identikit'.
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