Gentle giant's Achilles heel

MOST people see those conservative blue suits and white shirts and that formal, manner and think: 'Oh dear! Wants to reintroduce flogging.' But Martin Barrow probably thinks of himself as a gentle giant.

Behind that stern exterior is over two metres of liberal softie trying to get out.

Of course, being a practical, hard-nosed Jardines Johnnie by day, he somehow manages to disguise those bleeding-heart tendencies as a concern for the taxpayer's pocket. Mere humanitarian concerns are addressed with a mischievous twinkle in the eye that lets you know it's nothing personal. It's just good business.

But every now and then there's the occasional slip, the occasional lapse of language that tells you otherwise.

Yes, there it was again yesterday. That unmistakable moment of weakness. Could Martin Barrow's Achilles heel be to feel sorry for illegal immigrants? The phrase slipped out at the end of a long question to the Acting Secretary for Security Jim Morris on the subject of IIs taking up scarce space and resources in Her Majesty's prisons.

Would the Government review its policy of jailing those illegal immigrants 'whose only crime has been working here illegally', instead of sending them back to China? Mr Morris restrained himself. He did not say: 'Well it's still a crime, isn't it?' He did not say: 'No, nor are we about to review the policy of locking up those illegal immigrants whose only crime has been to blow away a few passers-by outside jewellery shops.' He patiently repeated that there was no plan at present to cease prosecuting IIs found working in Hong Kong.

The best and most pragmatic use of resources, he said, was to return IIs across the border without fuss. But for the 10 per cent either found committing crimes or working illegally, 'exploiting Hong Kong', as he put it, 'either for economic or criminal purposes', it was right to press charges.