Confidence in the pledges made in 1997 has been undermined

On the face of it, the third interpretation of the Basic Law has been a smashing success at defusing a political crisis, albeit at some cost.

In Beijing, the interpretation was approved by all 154 members of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

In Hong Kong, where their decision had been anticipated for weeks, the pronouncement caused barely a ripple.

Despite its fierce opposition to the move, the pro-democratic camp is resigned to reality: there is nothing more it can do to alter the decision.

Even with the community divided, it knows that any further attempt to fight the decision could be construed as meaningless political manoeuvring with no purpose but to create more publicity and trouble.

After the weeks of wrangling over whether the term of the next chief executive should be two years or five, the community wanted a decision.