It's crunch time as white paper waved like red flag to bull
Regaining trust will be worth the effort and lead city and China towards a better future
Today is the start of a pop vote for a civil referendum, organised by the Occupy Central movement and the Alliance for True Democracy, on the controversial subject of civic nomination for the election of Hong Kong's chief executive in 2017.
Ten days ago, China's State Council issued an unprecedented white paper on the implementation of the "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong. While focusing on the Basic Law, the white paper sends a clear message that China has comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong.
Early on in the paper there is a requirement for government officials responsible for running Hong Kong, including those in the judiciary, to be patriotic. Those who know Oscar Wilde's saying "patriotism is the virtue of the vicious" have, no doubt, had a private giggle over this.
The white paper is waving like a flaming red flag before the proverbial Hong Kong bull.
In protest, luminaries in the pan-democratic camp are calling for its withdrawal. The Bar Association has also stated its worries over compromising judicial independence.
So it's crunch time. A standoff is inevitable. December will see the 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984.
This Sino-British pact includes a triple mantra of "one country, two systems" with "Hong Kong people running Hong Kong" and enjoying "a high degree of autonomy". The brilliance of this triple mantra is that it cuts through the flimflam of the systemic differences between communist China and capitalist Hong Kong to make it possible for a reunion under Chinese sovereignty.