Opinion | If Beijing want to win friends in Hong Kong, they could clean up the air
Forget patriotic lessons, the gents up north could win respect by cutting HK emissions and moving marathon to the city centre
It's been such a contentious spell around here recently that I feel compelled to have a quick word with my good friends up in Beijing. Gents, I know you have a tough job taking care of 1.3 billion people, and while I certainly can't say I approve of everything you do, there are a few things I do approve of. I just need a moment or two to come up with them. In the meantime, I have a proposition for you that should help engender the love and respect you so desperately desire from the people of Hong Kong.
The best news is that it's a sporting proposition and I know how patriotic you guys get over your sport.
But first, whose idea was this forced implementation of a "moral and national" education of mainland history for the people of Hong Kong that conveniently omits a couple of particularly revolting incidents like the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square?
Guys, no matter what your sycophants on the ground here may tell you, you can't force the people of Hong Kong to like you. The genie is out of the bottle and it ain't going back in. We have a relatively free press around here and as such a free mind, so when thousands took to the streets over the past few weeks to protest, it could not have been a shock.
Honestly, why not just roll the tanks through the middle of town because it would probably be less threatening than the mandatory teaching of a "moral and national" education? Naturally the outrage was swift and unified, so your boy here decided to shelve national education for now. But here is what you must know; since the people of Hong Kong are the only ones in China who are allowed to publicly protest, they seem to have adopted this fiduciary right to speak up for their brothers and sisters on the mainland who cannot.
Now what could possibly be more patriotic than that? They have a lot of love for the country, just not for the people who run it. But all that could change in a heartbeat and not just for Hong Kong but also for the world in general, which is growing increasingly nervous over your economic and military might. Why not make a profound and significant difference in a completely unthreatening and benign manner?