Parties' Legco voting records show a blurring of political lines, Post finds
Study finds Liberal Party supporting pan-dems, and Labour Party 'more radical' than radicals
Business-unfriendly policies such as doubling the property stamp duty have pushed the Liberal Party - a traditional ally of the government - closer to its most vocal critics, the pan-democrats.
This is indicated by a South China Morning Post study of Legislative Council voting records over the past year.
The study shows the Liberal Party voted in favour of motions tabled by pan-democrats 40 per cent of the time. By comparison, the leading pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), voted in favour of pan-democrat motions just 17 per cent of the time.
The DAB, which aims to attract middle-class votes, and the other main pro-establishment group, the labour-focused Federation of Trade Unions, appear at loggerheads, each opposing almost half of the other's motions.
The unclear battle lines were highlighted by the vote on the doubling of the property stamp duty to curb speculation, a brainchild of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
This was approved on July 15 with opposition from only six lawmakers - all pro-government.