DEEP IN THE HEART of the enemy camp - or 'among friends' as he chose to put it - Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa showed once again that social occasions are the area where he shines.
At the annual diplomatic evening at the Foreign Correspondents' Club - where those sent abroad to lie for their country (as some old-time wag once described ambassadorial types) meet those who lie in wait for a good story - long-time member Mr Tung was all geniality.
He opened the evening by telling those present that Jim Laurie, the head of news and current affairs at Star TV, had cautioned him not to say anything that would land himself in trouble.
'So, in order to stay out of the headlines, I'm going to give you some good news,' he quipped. There was a lot of laughter at that good-humoured little dig, and although Corridors does not wish to break with tradition, there was a holiday this week, and we should have something worth celebrating.
So, here's the good news: apparently Hong Kong is winning the battle against pollution. Those nasty little floaty things with the unpronouncable name that whirl around poisoning the air are getting fewer. The city now leads Asia in low-sulphur-diesel public transport, and says Mr Tung, it might take a year or two, but we'll get there.
It's a risky business being a Democrat these days. By holding such dangerous views, there's no telling what damage party members could do merely by setting foot across the border.
All the same, legislator Fred Li Wah-ming is determined to arrange a trip to the mainland to pick lychees again in the summer, even though three of his colleagues, including his former legislative assistant Wu Chi-wai, a Wong Tai Sin District Councillor, were recently refused entry.
