GIVEN that Hong Kong has flourished without democracy, Governor Chris Patten's argument that ''Hong Kong's economic success is inseparable from the rule of law, and the law was intimately linked to fair and open elections'' is pretentious. A new agenda is required and it should be headed 'entente cordiale'. A smooth handover is more important than anything else. The 1984 Joint Declaration has been overtaken by events and should be abandoned. What is needed is a House of Experts collectively capable of running Hong Kong like it is run now. Sino-British talks should simply be about filling the professional vacancies that will arise in 1997. Hong Kong is developing fast and needs more space. Like the ''iron curtain'', the border fence is destined to fall. That should be taken into account. M. A. MURRAY-PEARCE London
