raising the standard

Some legislators are independent by choice, others because no party would touch them. If Philip 'The Finger' Wong Yu-hong looked cheesed off this week, it may be more than just his surprise ousting by Emily Lau Wai-hing as head of Legco's all-important finance committee.

The rumour mill has it that Wong, a lacklustre Legco figure who became a household name last July when he raised his middle finger to anti-government protesters, was recently snubbed when he showed interest in joining the Breakfast Group, freshly renamed the Alliance. No one will confirm it on record, but I can vouch for its accuracy from inside sources. You may remember this is a group that has had trouble holding onto one of its own, as it had to cross out the name of Daniel Lam Wai-keung by hand from their mission statement last month because the club was no longer his cup of tea. But even the Alliance, it seems, has standards. Apparently, Wong's memorable gesture has made him one of the Legco untouchables.