Likening it to Brazilian star Ronaldinho's 'happy football', radio talk-show idol Wong Yuk-man said last week that the League of Social Democrats aspired to introduce 'happy politics'.
Wong, a founding member of the new coalition, urged people not to be so serious about it: critics had suggested that the new group would compete for members with like-minded pro-democracy parties. Wong was speaking as he and about 30 co-founders kicked off with a party in Mongkok last Monday.
Core members include legislators 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung and Albert Chan Wai-yip, district councillors, veteran street activists, unionists, academics, barristers and representatives of youth, social work, women's and gay groups.
They have been widely seen as the radical wing of the pan-democratic camp, championing the interests of the poor and the working class. Members said they did not rule out the possibility of contesting district council and Legislative Council elections.
Wong, the league's spokesman, has lamented the absence of groups to represent grass-roots interests. 'We are unequivocally the opposition camp,' he said.
The new body looks likely to fire up Hong Kong politics. Wong is confident that it will win about 15 to 20 per cent of the vote in elections.
Given all the familiar faces from the pro-democratic radical wing, the new coalition may be dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick. Lacking financial and organisational strength, it seems unlikely to become a fully fledged political party in the near future.