Marxist Theory

Bureaucrats pose the biggest threat to democracy in US

29 Jul 2012

In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed over communism. In this country [United States], capitalism triumphed over democracy.

Fran Lebowitz, author

10:35PM

A penny for their thoughts

27 Feb 2012

At its most basic level, money is the means to buy things, or the payment received in exchange for goods and services. But money is also highly conceptual.

8:31AM

Division of powers set to be given a trial run in the capital

11 Dec 2011

Separation of powers - translated into Chinese as san quan fen li (three divisions of power) - is one of the main features of Western-style democracy and any attempt to transplant it to the...

3:07AM

Officials too slow in tackling water thefts, lawmakers say

2 Dec 2011

Lawmakers blamed red tape, lax monitoring and weak enforcement by the Water Supplies Department for a loss of HK$160 million in water revenues last year.

2:18AM

No room at the top for pen-pushers

18 Sep 2011

What is it about Hong Kong's top tier of bureaucrats, the administrative officers? Are they so arrogant that they think they know better than anyone how to run businesses and organisations of all...

7:47PM

Hearing without listening

15 Jan 2011

One of the almost certain outcomes of the current budget 'consultation' exercise is that the opinions collected will be ignored but that the government will think of new and exciting ways to...

10:43AM

Opinion

Alex Lo

Chen Guangcheng misled by his new right-wing 'friends'

1:26AM

Tom Holland

The yuan hasn't overtaken the HK$ quite yet, Mr Chan

4:40AM

Short-term visionary

Has a year made a difference? Do you think things have changed for the better from a year ago? Last year, at around this time, we were bombarded with Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's...

12:52PM

Two trains of thought

It is time to ask this question: have we outgrown our government? Have the people progressed further and faster than the ability of our leaders to keep pace? I think they have. But here's the...

7:10AM

State officials taking someone for costly and high-speed ride

When questioned about the commercial viability of high-speed railways to less developed and populated regions ... a senior railway official replied that it would generate economic and social...

11:13AM

Reek of hypocrisy at the top

Some of America's biggest companies are shocked and have declared that they are launching investigations into working conditions at Foxconn, the controversial Shenzhen-based factory which turns...

7:23PM

Time to curb 'clubs', but let's also cut red tape

Membership is supposed to be an exclusive affair in this elitist town of ours. But more and more restaurants, bars and karaoke places are operating as clubs - not to select privileged members, but...

11:42AM

It does not compute. Global economics, but not as we know it, Jim

Analysts saw Geithner's visit to China as a last-ditch effort to make some progress on the yuan issue because the Obama administration was coming under mounting pressure from Congress and...

12:27PM