GENERAL Sir John Foley is no longer on the Executive Council. You knew that, didn't you? After all, he stepped down in 1992.
But then people thought John Swaine was President of the Legislative Council too.
Legco maverick Chim Pui-chung is not used to basking in his colleagues' admiration. Giggles or fury are more common reactions. He's good on football, shady financial deals and shiny Rolls-Royces; less so on murky constitutional history.
But even his opponents were nodding approval after his verbal gobsmacking of Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Nicholas Ng over John Swaine's botched presidential appointment.
How often was this going to happen, Mr Chim asked? This was not the first problem with the Royal Instructions. There'd been just as bad a mess when the Governor said the Commander British Forces was no longer an ex officio member of Exco but the Royal Instructions said he still was.
True. It turns out there was a little problem with conflicting orders in the final months of 1992. All the fault of the general's civilian superiors of course.
It was sorted out by the Privy Council almost - though not quite - as soon as it was noticed. One assumes that if some post-1997 Chief Executive decides the People's Liberation Army commander should come back on to the Executive Council, he'll be just as quick to get the National People's Congress to amend the Basic Law to permit it.
