To me, women! What! We can kill as well as the men when the place is taken!

Sorry, got a bit carried away with the Charles Dickens quotes.

At any rate, you know me as a dissolute dog who has never done any good, and never will.

But all we can say is Vive la Revolution!

Dig out that guillotine and storm the palace, Antony Leung Kam-chung has professed himself a man of the people. Social revolution is just a T-shirt away.

Well what the Dickens else are we to read into the financial secretary's decision to kick off this year's budget speech with a quote that depicts the fiery French revolutionary period?

Egalite? Fraternite?

Some nonchalant speech-writers, perhaps.

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' We won't give too many points for originality. But we do appreciate the fodder.

In Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities, the poor had no influence on public affairs and the rich were mean and greedy.

Persecution of the underprivileged in France eventually led to revolt.

But somehow Mr Leung doesn't strike us as the man to do the leading. Unless he decides to kindly donate his wealth, that is.

No, at best his affinity could be with one of the lead characters who sacrifices himself and faces the guillotine at the end of the novel.

Although judging by Mr Leung's choice of quotes yesterday, he has already lost his head.

There are some things in life you simply cannot go without.

Like entertaining.

Or more importantly, a wad of cash for entertaining.

So big sighs of relief all round that Hong Kong's justice chiefs were spared any significant reduction of their non-accountable entertainment allowances in this year's budget estimates.

Chief Justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang will have a healthy HK$320,100 to play with, while Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-see can party on with HK$192,000.

But the legal chiefs are not immune to reality. Indeed, no.

Last year the chief justice had 3.29 per cent more to wine and dine with, or HK$331,000. Ms Leung had an extra 3.3 per cent, or HK$198,600.

Hard times.

It could have been worse though. Imagine an 11 per cent cut, similar to the one imposed on social security recipients.

Tsk. A life without lobster is just not worth living, really.

For more stories, refer to the South China Morning Post

Glossary

get carried away (phrasal v) to lose self-control

storm (a place) (v ) to rapidly attack and capture a building or other location

nonchalant (adj) casually indifferent and appearing not to care about something

fodder (n ) material for a particular purpose. For example, old movies are fodder for late night television.

Example: To mainland sculptor Liang Shuo, China's move towards urban life is fodder for creative inspiration. (SCMP, January 28, 2003)

to be spared (v, passive) to be excused punishment or harm

tsk (exclamation) used to express disappointment or disapproval

Discussion points

- Do you think Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung used the quotation appropriately in his budget speech?

- Which part of the entire budget are you most concerned with? Why?