My Take | Torture and Hong Kong's political reform train wreck

I find myself in rare agreement with Alan Leong Kah-kit, leader of the Civic Party.

Pan-democratic lawmakers walked out of the Legislative Council in protest on Wednesday. Leong said the government's second-round, two-month consultation on political reform was a complete waste of time.

"Why not just table the reform package now so the pan-dems can unequivocally veto it for good?" he said.

As I have written before, the outcome of the second consultation, whatever its content, is sure to be rejected by the pan-democrats. It will only provoke more protest and acrimony. If we are to have a train wreck, let's get it over with rather than doing it in slow motion.

It's clear no one is in a mood to make concessions.

Before Occupy, the Leung Chun-ying administration showed willingness to pressure the establishment camp to give up some seats in the future chief executive nominating committee to make it more democratically representative.

After Occupy, the vested interests behind the camp's old guard have made it clear they wouldn't do such a thing.