Left and right need to be in step for the political reform fandango

By golly, they make an unlikely couple, but somehow the pan-democratic movement and the administration must be coaxed onto the dance floor together to secure universal suffrage for Hong Kong in 2017.

It's not going to be pretty to watch. But failure is not an option. It is not hyperbole to say that Hong Kong's very future depends on successfully finding a way forward.

Let's set out the problem areas first. For the 2016 Legislative Council election, the administration has ruled out any changes that would require amendment to Annex II of the Basic Law. That means no change in the 50:50 split between geographical and functional constituencies. This naturally comes as a disappointment to those who wanted all functional constituencies scrapped.

But retention of the structure for the next election cycle does not necessarily mean no change at all in two years' time. Moreover, since the consultation document, the report on it, and the chief executive's report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee all repeat the mantra that progress must be "gradual and orderly", in accordance with the Basic Law, arguably a standstill would itself be a breach of the law.

Two obvious changes that could be made under purely local legislation would be to scrap corporate voting in favour of voting by individuals, and to set a minimum threshold for the number of voters in each functional constituency.

Some fine-tuning of the arrangements for the geographical constituencies would also be possible, again without troubling the Standing Committee.