Election Notebook

With the Legislative Council election campaign in full swing, the South China Morning Post resumes its Election Notebook, with our reporters providing insights into, and anecdotes about, city politics every Thursday between now and polling day

DAB makes light of copyright

The pro-government Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong may have been coy when asked about their views on the copyright amendment ordinance, which could have criminalised parodies had it made it through the filibuster-slowed final session of the last legislature. However, it seems they are not averse to a little parody - or even self-parody - themselves. In the centre spread of a DAB pamphlet for next month's Legco polls, party chairman Tam Yiu-chung role-plays Captain America, lawmaker Ip Kwok-him is depicted as a baby, and newcomer Ann Chiang Lai-wan dresses up as a nurse in a skirt. Actions speak louder than words, so we look forward to seeing the DAB's stance if the bill is tabled again in the new legislature. Tanna Chong

Summer beachfront campaigns

A trip to an outlying island is a popular pastime in the summer, and that's just what Legco candidates have been doing of late. But their objective has not been the customary barbecue or seafood dinner. They've been helping to clear hundreds of thousands of plastic pellets from beaches where they were dumped during Severe Typhoon Vicente. The Civic Party went to Cheung Chau, the Democratic Party cruised to Po Toi and the Neo-Democrats visited Mui Wo, on Lantau. And being politicians facing polls in a couple of weeks, they were swift to turn the mess into an election issue. While they were doing their bit and having their say, former Civic Party leader Audrey Eu Yuet-mee wrote an open letter protesting Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's decision to take a holiday instead of staying home to lead the clean-up. Fish farmers were not forgotten: the DAB's Steven Ho Chun-yin, who's running in the agriculture and fisheries functional constituency, visited fish farms to check on the effects. His sole rival, Economic Synergies' Chan Mei-tak, made similar visits. It seems the pellet plague has not only raised public awareness about protecting beaches, but it may also have added a little to our scientific knowledge. Tony Cheung

Peck's flap and manifesto bore