Although there are only 39 days to go until the Governor's 'accountable' administration expires, some public servants seem to have already given up even appearing to try to be open. A reporter rang the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) office to ask if it was assisting an investigator coming from Honduras.
'No comment,' said Monica Khoo, from a section which claims to be the 'press information office'. The reporter asked why no comment was available. 'No comment' was Ms Khoo's reply. The predictable phrase was repeated at least a half-dozen times. Trying to be helpful, the reporter asked whether the lack of information was due to the usual excuse of 'operational reasons', a convenient reason which allows the ICAC to get away with all sorts of things.
'You can say that if you like.' But was that right? She still wouldn't say. Perhaps Ms Khoo's reluctance to comment was because an officer handling the case was overseas and unavailable to brief her.
Has anybody noticed a rash of wall slogans around the city? There must be something of that nature going on because Xinhua (the New China News Agency) intimated as much when it reported that the new direct train from Shanghai pulled into Hunghom station at Kowloon this week after a 29-hour maiden journey, travelling 2,000 kilometres with stops at a number of intermediate stations.
Xinhua announced that the train was greeted by a brass band and 'an explosion of graffiti'.
Reporters in London waiting to fire questions at Governor Chris Patten after his meeting at Number 10 with Prime Minister Tony Blair were of the opinion that the great man seemed distinctly tetchy when he emerged. His answers to questions were abrupt and not quite what we have come to expect.