An Executive Council member’s revelation that the chief executive turned down their offer to resign en masse on the grounds that the body is ‘peripheral’ raises questions about its function, membership and whether meetings need to be confidential.

Hong Kong has said goodbye to 2019, but not protest anger. Things are unlikely to change in the city, until Hongkongers confront some facts about what the government and the protest movement have become.

While Lam’s government insists in its latest advertising campaign that Hong Kong remains “free and safe”, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the city a miss even though he was in neighbouring Macau.

The combination of protesters content to see everyone go down in flames and a useless government have given us an economy in free fall and a mental health crisis. There’s no better time than the holidays to reach out across the divide, especially to those feeling the strain.

The chief executive has apologised to the political casualties of her extradition bill, but seems incapable of changing her ways. When Beijing evaluates her work during her duty visit, will it tally all the arrogant mistakes she has made?

A big part of Beijing’s problems with Hong Kong is its consistent misreading of public sentiment. Calls for it to be more like trouble-free, compliant Macau only show that China’s leadership remains out of touch.

The DAB was punished at the polls the last time it sided with the government in its attempt to push through an unpopular mainland-related law. Not only did the party make the same mistake this year, it doesn’t seem to be taking responsibility for its error.

Apart from the irony of controversy-prone Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng touting Hong Kong as a dispute resolution centre while the city burns, she has missed important court rulings and their fallout.

What began as a broad and impressive protest movement has become a hate-driven mob. Even our university campuses have been turned into weapons factories and police states – except protesters are running them.

Recent violent attacks on two district councillors are reason enough for Lam to cancel the upcoming elections, especially since it’s clear the government cannot be counted on to guarantee safety on election day. The ball is now in protesters’ court.

Hong Kong’s fervent young protesters have turned to harassment or even assault against those who disagree with them. This is an even more extreme form of the behaviour the former president recently criticised among American progressives.

Lee, like his late father, sees the tensions behind ‘one country, two systems’ Beijing has not addressed. But Hong Kong protesters should also take to heart his warning against the all-or-nothing approach.

Carrie Lam’s insulting policy address was yet another sign of her refusal to be held accountable for her numerous mistakes. Continuing the violence would only give her the reason she needs to suspend, or cancel, district council elections.

The government’s missteps didn’t start with the extradition bill – top officials’ actions have consistently lacked accountability. No one expects the policy address to end her troubles, but Lam’s reliance on pre-recorded messages won’t help her battered image.

The The government’s responses as Hong Kong’s crisis has escalated since June have been insufficient to say the least. Anti-mask legislation is but the latest misstep in managing a row that now permeates all of Hong Kong society.

The ‘economic freedom’ Hong Kong has championed gave us stark inequality, no social mobility and unaffordable housing. The result has been fatalism. The protests were decades in the making and won’t be solved without tackling deep-seated issues.

When pan-democrats lost two seats in 2018, some chalked it up to a changing political environment. The truth is that if the opposition wasn’t so dysfunctional, protesters wouldn’t be taking matters into their own hands in the streets.

Had Carrie Lam listened to the public on June 9, Hong Kong’s summer of discontent could have been avoided. Now, by showing she does value the views of a few elites, she has inflicted more pain on the city, her allies included.

Demonstrators should communicate that this is an internal matter for Hong Kong, consistent with national rejuvenation. Otherwise, Beijing may make good on the implications of its PLA exercises and ‘colour revolution’ talk.

The Hong Kong economy is suffering, perhaps as part of the government’s plan. When people are tallying losses and blaming protesters, and when protesters are antagonising Beijing, everyone forgets it was Lam who got us here.

Just last year, the pan-democrats suffered a big setback in legislative by-elections because they couldn’t work together with the localists. Thanks to the chief executive, the factions are more now united than ever.

Beijing insists on loyalty to Carrie Lam but issues direct messages to the Hong Kong police and pro-Beijing politicians. Add Lam’s public absences, and the demise of ‘one country, two systems’ may be unfolding differently than expected.

The PLA threat is real and looming. The city needs dialogue and leaders unafraid of being shouted down. Let Hong Kong’s chief executives, past, present and future, step forward now and do their duty by the city.

As Hong Kong descends into pandemonium and the Carrie Lam government sits on its hands, how long would it be before Beijing declares a state of emergency in Hong Kong and sends in the PLA?

Beijing seems to be rethinking its system of monitoring Hong Kong and assessing how to deal with the political crisis. If it refuses to let Carrie Lam resign, other Executive Council members must take the fall so that trust can be rebuilt.

The massive upsurge in voter registration since the protests began can only mean bad news for the establishment. Many factors contributed to this point, but the biggest problem is their repeat of the mistakes of 2003.

Both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments need to step back and carefully consider their next moves. Many missteps have contributed to the destructive protests, and another mistake could have even worse consequences

The longer Lam stays in office, the more of a drag she’ll be for Beijing. It would be better for her to go soon, and for the central government to start thinking about how to address the issues behind the mass protests.

With their complete lack of understanding of public sentiment on the controversial extradition bill, the privileged members of the Executive Council have let down Carrie Lam, and possibly done serious damage to ‘one country, two systems’.

In her election manifesto, the chief executive promised a new consultative style of governance that is absent in her initial response to opposition to the extradition bill. Her Executive Council must also share the blame for not stepping up sooner to deter Lam from rushing through the bill.