3 ms·

The wikipedia page does not point to being a ceremonial role. It says "most of the civil functions of this office went to the chief executive of Hong Kong" and

The wikipedia page does not point to being a ceremonial role. It says "most of the civil functions of this office went to the chief executive of Hong Kong" and "no serious attempt was made to introduce representative government, until the final years of British rule." [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Hong_Kong

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
Hong Kong wasn’t a democracy before 1997. But it also wasn’t under the Crown per se after WWII [1]. It was a British colony, ruled partly by increasingly-elected councils and executives, including the Governor, appointed by London (not the monarch, except in name) with consultation with the locals. The last time the Hong Kongese rioted against the British was in 1967 [2]. There isn’t a comparison between British Hong Kong circa 1990 and the present iron grip Beijing holds over it; freedom of speech, for instance, prevailed as did the rule of law. There is much less comparison one can make between free Hong Kong after 1997 and the mess Xi has turned it into today. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Hong_Kong https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Hong_Kong [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots
- ethbr1 2y ago
  > The last time the Hong Kongese rioted against the British was in 1967 From TFA, also 1981, 1982, and 1984. (Admittedly, these were generally economics-driven) >> After the [1967] riots, the British Hong Kong government publicly reflected on its failure to address certain social grievances and carried out major social reforms. However, another series of riots would occur in 1981. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Hong_Kong_riots https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Hong_Kong_riots
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    Open to being corrected, but those were riots in Hong Kong, not riots against British rule.
    - ethbr1 2y ago
      I think it's fair to say the 80s riots were 'riots against the economic policies of the current administration, which was British.' Given that the 1967 riots were explicitly CCP-supported, they've a clearer line to regime change as a goal. And given the CCP was somewhat busy in the late 70s and early 80s rendering Mao's excesses anathema [0], it's unlikely they saw formenting revolution in Hong Kong as a priority. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform#1979%E2%80%931984 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform#1979...

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

Hong Kong wasn’t a democracy before 1997. But it also wasn’t under the Crown per se after WWII [1]. It was a British colony, ruled partly by increasingly-elected councils and executives, including the Governor, appointed by London (not the monarch, except in name) with consultation with the locals. The last time the Hong Kongese rioted against the British was in 1967 [2]. There isn’t a comparison between British Hong Kong circa 1990 and the present iron grip Beijing holds over it; freedom of speech, for instance, prevailed as did the rule of law. There is much less comparison one can make between free Hong Kong after 1997 and the mess Xi has turned it into today. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Hong_Kong https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Hong_Kong [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots

ethbr1 2y ago
> The last time the Hong Kongese rioted against the British was in 1967 From TFA, also 1981, 1982, and 1984. (Admittedly, these were generally economics-driven) >> After the [1967] riots, the British Hong Kong government publicly reflected on its failure to address certain social grievances and carried out major social reforms. However, another series of riots would occur in 1981. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Hong_Kong_riots https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Hong_Kong_riots
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  Open to being corrected, but those were riots in Hong Kong, not riots against British rule.
  - ethbr1 2y ago
    I think it's fair to say the 80s riots were 'riots against the economic policies of the current administration, which was British.' Given that the 1967 riots were explicitly CCP-supported, they've a clearer line to regime change as a goal. And given the CCP was somewhat busy in the late 70s and early 80s rendering Mao's excesses anathema [0], it's unlikely they saw formenting revolution in Hong Kong as a priority. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform#1979%E2%80%931984 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform#1979...