I've been racking my brain over how much I got from the chief executive's last policy address. In real and immediate dollar terms, I got nothing. So I guess I should feel bitter that I made the effort to read his longest-ever address.
Oddly enough, even though there's nothing in it for me, I still feel pretty good about it - and that's not because I'm looking forward to my HK$2 rides on public transport 30 years down the line.
And it's definitely not because I was busy patting myself on my back for being 'right', either. It doesn't take a lot to see that there would be no lack of political stunts and that critics came out saying exactly what I said they would. Some - and they do not only belong to the Legislative Council - have vested interests in making the government look bad and do badly. Upcoming elections have raised the political stakes.
So, in the political charades department, nothing should really faze us any more. When the bulk of the address is on housing, we hear whining that Tsang did not address other issues. But can we seriously imagine him not talking about housing? We've been going on about it for months, if not years.
Absent from the policy address was the grandstanding that we have become so accustomed to. There were no lofty ideas set to be doomed. No light bulbs; no calling on tycoons to be generous with their cash. The chief executive is right to talk about the challenges he believes this city faces. These are the issues - not one-off sweeteners - that matter in policy addresses.
What I liked about the address - and hope there will be an ongoing conversation about - is what we, as a society, are going to set as our priorities. The subsidised bus rides and other items for the elderly are small gestures, but they send a very clear - and refreshing - message: yes, ageing is going to be a huge problem for Hong Kong, but we're not going to treat the elderly as the problem. That is a huge step in the right direction.
