Hong Kong II - Ragnarök

[Shrillland]

Beijing is moving to overhaul HK's electoral laws to effectively ban pro-democracy candidates from future LEGCO elections

[Glorious Hong Kong]

(Yes, I know it's Al Jazeera but please bear with me.)

Hong Kong eyes significant overhaul of public broadcaster RTHK

RTHK's director has just been ousted months ahead of schedule. The Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs replaces him. I'm currently pondering whether to uninstall RTHK on my phone and tablet for security reasons. I might have to boycott the entire service if it devolves into just another mouthpiece of the CCP. It would pain me to do so because I grew up with it. Why don't they just ban RTHK, Apple Daily, and Hong Kong Free Press and get this shit over with instead of continuing with this sickening charade?

---

Hong Kong tightens leash on mobile phone use, registration

I was afraid to bring my laptop to HK just to visit. Now I'm afraid to even bring my phone. I can't take any more of this. Public consultation my flying fuck.

---

I see Tuthina has CTE'd. I hope she's alright. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but she was an active participant in the 2019 protests.

They've opened restaurants to 10pm as long as you register your name, address etc., ideally, for them, on an app called LeaveHomeSafe but you have the option of writing in details. So most people are writing in details rather than use the app or simply buy a cheap second phone with PAYG SIM for nothing other than going to restaurants.

So of course they want to register PAYG, it's honestly just a game, the government makes some move, everyone finds a way to avoid it and then they come up with some reason for doing something that is clearly a lie.

Next up, people shunning the China vaccine, and we'll see what punishment will be laid down at those who do, I imagine many gifts will be bestowed on those who take the vaccine.. and everyone else's movements are highly restricted.

Frankly the government has welcomed this pandemic, it's allowed for control.

There's a reason people call the Wuhan coronavirus the CCP virus. While there is no evidence of a dark QAnon-tier conspiracy, the CCP has benefited from the pandemic while everyone else has suffered, and instead of apologizing and making amends, they double down with the repression and international trolling. This is why I support crippling economic sanctions and post-coronavirus reparations to bring the Chinese economy to its knees and its leaders begging for mercy from an angry populace that doesn't support them anymore. CCP delenda est.

[Bombadil]

Last year they cancelled the elections, ostensibly due to the pandemic so they said. Clearly it was moved so they could arrest near all of the opposition and then change the rules to the point that there is no opposition allowed anymore.

Since that time, the Beijing and Hong Kong governments have introduced numerous new impediments to opposition candidates winning, or even running in the elections. Last week, they announced rules requiring all politicians and candidates pledge an oath of loyalty to the rule of the Chinese Communist party and swear not to act against the government, or face disqualification.

Officials said the new laws would ensure that only “patriots” could govern Hong Kong, with one spelling out that patriotism meant loyalty to the Communist party.

Though just in case..

Nearly every main voice of dissent in Hong Kong is now in jail or exile, after Hong Kong police charged 47 pro-democracy campaigners and politicians with conspiracy to commit subversion. All face life in prison if convicted.

The group comprises most of the 55 people arrested last month, over primary polls held last year, in a dawn raid that marked the single biggest operation conducted under the controversial and draconian national security law.

Link

[Galloism]

Last year they cancelled the elections, ostensibly due to the pandemic so they said. Clearly it was moved so they could arrest near all of the opposition and then change the rules to the point that there is no opposition allowed anymore.

Since that time, the Beijing and Hong Kong governments have introduced numerous new impediments to opposition candidates winning, or even running in the elections. Last week, they announced rules requiring all politicians and candidates pledge an oath of loyalty to the rule of the Chinese Communist party and swear not to act against the government, or face disqualification.

Officials said the new laws would ensure that only “patriots” could govern Hong Kong, with one spelling out that patriotism meant loyalty to the Communist party.

Though just in case..

Nearly every main voice of dissent in Hong Kong is now in jail or exile, after Hong Kong police charged 47 pro-democracy campaigners and politicians with conspiracy to commit subversion. All face life in prison if convicted.

The group comprises most of the 55 people arrested last month, over primary polls held last year, in a dawn raid that marked the single biggest operation conducted under the controversial and draconian national security law.

Link

If you haven’t left for greener pastures friend, you should do so post haste.

The grip is tightening.

[Ethel mermania]

Last year they cancelled the elections, ostensibly due to the pandemic so they said. Clearly it was moved so they could arrest near all of the opposition and then change the rules to the point that there is no opposition allowed anymore.

Since that time, the Beijing and Hong Kong governments have introduced numerous new impediments to opposition candidates winning, or even running in the elections. Last week, they announced rules requiring all politicians and candidates pledge an oath of loyalty to the rule of the Chinese Communist party and swear not to act against the government, or face disqualification.

Officials said the new laws would ensure that only “patriots” could govern Hong Kong, with one spelling out that patriotism meant loyalty to the Communist party.

Though just in case..

Nearly every main voice of dissent in Hong Kong is now in jail or exile, after Hong Kong police charged 47 pro-democracy campaigners and politicians with conspiracy to commit subversion. All face life in prison if convicted.

The group comprises most of the 55 people arrested last month, over primary polls held last year, in a dawn raid that marked the single biggest operation conducted under the controversial and draconian national security law.

Link

If you haven’t left for greener pastures friend, you should do so post haste.

The grip is tightening.

Please ol tom, have a plan b ready. We may have our disagreements, but I much prefer you a free person.

[Bombadil]

Last year they cancelled the elections, ostensibly due to the pandemic so they said. Clearly it was moved so they could arrest near all of the opposition and then change the rules to the point that there is no opposition allowed anymore.

Since that time, the Beijing and Hong Kong governments have introduced numerous new impediments to opposition candidates winning, or even running in the elections. Last week, they announced rules requiring all politicians and candidates pledge an oath of loyalty to the rule of the Chinese Communist party and swear not to act against the government, or face disqualification.

Officials said the new laws would ensure that only “patriots” could govern Hong Kong, with one spelling out that patriotism meant loyalty to the Communist party.

Though just in case..

Nearly every main voice of dissent in Hong Kong is now in jail or exile, after Hong Kong police charged 47 pro-democracy campaigners and politicians with conspiracy to commit subversion. All face life in prison if convicted.

The group comprises most of the 55 people arrested last month, over primary polls held last year, in a dawn raid that marked the single biggest operation conducted under the controversial and draconian national security law.

Link

If you haven’t left for greener pastures friend, you should do so post haste.

The grip is tightening.

The question on people's lips is.. 'where?'.

Even putting aside the pandemic it's a question, I'm lucky in that I can move with my job but it's still a huge decision to uproot my life and start over again.

It's odd that the Chinese government cares about BNO passports, you'd think they'd be more than happy for every Cantonese speaker to leave so they can make HK just another China city as soon as possible.

Anyway, it's certainly a question on most people's minds.. to go or not to go.

[Galloism]

If you haven’t left for greener pastures friend, you should do so post haste.

The grip is tightening.

The question on people's lips is.. 'where?'.

Even putting aside the pandemic it's a question, I'm lucky in that I can move with my job but it's still a huge decision to uproot my life and start over again.

It's odd that the Chinese government cares about BNO passports, you'd think they'd be more than happy for every Cantonese speaker to leave so they can make HK just another China city as soon as possible.

Anyway, it's certainly a question on most people's minds.. to go or not to go.

You can come hang with me and DeSantis. Shit ain’t perfect, but we do have nice beaches, lots of sun, and civil rights.

[Ethel mermania]

If you haven’t left for greener pastures friend, you should do so post haste.

The grip is tightening.

The question on people's lips is.. 'where?'.

Even putting aside the pandemic it's a question, I'm lucky in that I can move with my job but it's still a huge decision to uproot my life and start over again.

It's odd that the Chinese government cares about BNO passports, you'd think they'd be more than happy for every Cantonese speaker to leave so they can make HK just another China city as soon as possible.

Anyway, it's certainly a question on most people's minds.. to go or not to go.

Your in a better position to judge where than we are. Where is your family, friends, social life, best food, Nicest beaches? Where does your passport make it easier to settle?

[Bombadil]

The question on people's lips is.. 'where?'.

Even putting aside the pandemic it's a question, I'm lucky in that I can move with my job but it's still a huge decision to uproot my life and start over again.

It's odd that the Chinese government cares about BNO passports, you'd think they'd be more than happy for every Cantonese speaker to leave so they can make HK just another China city as soon as possible.

Anyway, it's certainly a question on most people's minds.. to go or not to go.

Your in a better position to judge where than we are. Where is your family, friends, social life, best food, Nicest beaches? Where does your passport make it easier to settle?

Alas the answer to your questions is: Hong Kong.

Perhaps I'll move to Myanmar, I hear it's a newly emerging democracy.. *checks*

Bugger.

[The New California Republic]

China announced at its biggest political meeting that it will overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure "patriots" are in charge, a sign that the government will no longer tolerate dissent in the city.

Local media reported that the 70-member LegCo would see an increase in seats, and these additional members would be chosen by the electoral committee. This would effectively dilute the proportion of LegCo members who are directly elected by the public.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56264117

[Picairn]

China announced at its biggest political meeting that it will overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure "patriots" are in charge, a sign that the government will no longer tolerate dissent in the city.

Local media reported that the 70-member LegCo would see an increase in seats, and these additional members would be chosen by the electoral committee. This would effectively dilute the proportion of LegCo members who are directly elected by the public.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56264117

I expect full annexation of Hong Kong by the end of this year.

[Kowani]

China will give itself power to veto any candidate for Hong Kong’s legislature

[The Reformed American Republic]

China will give itself power to veto any candidate for Hong Kong’s legislature

Something tells me that every opposition candidate will be vetoed.

[Glorious Hong Kong]

China announced at its biggest political meeting that it will overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure "patriots" are in charge, a sign that the government will no longer tolerate dissent in the city.

Local media reported that the 70-member LegCo would see an increase in seats, and these additional members would be chosen by the electoral committee. This would effectively dilute the proportion of LegCo members who are directly elected by the public.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56264117

I expect full annexation of Hong Kong by the end of this year.

*clenches fists in rage*

Full annexation means our immigration autonomy will be completely abolished and HK passports will cease to be valid. The day that happens, English and Cantonese will be rapidly supplanted as the local vernacular and official languages of Hong Kong in favor of heavily-accented Beijing Mandarin, which will be spoken very loudly and inconsiderately by native speakers in public places, completely disrupting the vibe and ruining whatever mood people are in at the moment.

Mainland Chinese can simply come flooding into our city by the millions with their foreign license plates and with the driver's seat, steering wheel, and bus doors all on the wrong side, not to mention driving on the wrong side of the road and driving selfishly and recklessly, causing countless road accidents in the process. We can expect selfish drivers to rudely honk pedestrians who cross the road even though the traffic lights indicate that it's the pedestrians' turn to cross. This happened to me and my parents in Shenzhen once. Wait your turn, asshole.

We can expect little girls to be run over twice by motorists while eighteen pedestrians pass them by without stopping to help them because the CCP's "education" system has raised its citizens to be absolutely selfish and immoral that many of them don't even know any better. We can expect those little girls to die because Chinese society has been broken by communism. This has happened before in China proper and it will happen in Hong Kong.

Spitting on the street, even among young people, will also become the norm as it already is and always has been in supposedly "civilized" Shanghai the last time I was there (just before Xi Jinping took office). We can expect more people to force their way onto a bus or train carriage instead of politely giving way for passengers to alight first. Again, I personally experienced this while I was in Shanghai, and locals in Hong Kong have called out Mainland tourists for it.

We can expect rich Mainland Chinese to snap up the most expensive apartments in Hong Kong while ordinary locals languish on the lower levels with no hope of legal redress, no way to vent their frustration, and absolutely no escape, turning the city into another dystopian version of Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa. (Trust me. As a Jedi Consular, I've been to both of these places and they're pretty fucked up.) Capitalism in the name of socialism/communism is a hundred times worse than capitalism for its own sake.

We can expect more longstanding local businesses to shutter their doors to be replaced by jewelry stores, luxury watch stores, and other expensive chains catering to uber-rich Mainland tourists who consider Hong Kong their personal playground while the locals are increasingly sidelined and economically disenfranchised. But hey, China has "lifted millions of its citizens out of poverty", a phrase it only ever uses in its English-language mouthpieces for some reason. China totally respects human rights, amirite?

We can expect higher incidences of Mainland parents (not all of them, but an absolutely despicable minority) allowing their kids to urinate and defecate on the subway as has been documented time and time again in the local news (or what's left of it) and on social media, prompting public outrage every time.

We can expect even more Mainland tourists and long-term residents (again, not all of them, but a not-insignificant subset of them) to play the persecuted "I'm a victim of xenophobia, poor me" woke SJW snowflake card, accuse indigenous, Cantonese-speaking natives of being "unpatriotic", and claim that "Hong Kong would be nothing without us. You should be thanking us." whenever they are called out by locals over their disgusting and inconsiderate behavior. Then, when these Mainland tourists threaten to leave and never return, the locals invariably cheer.

Thank them? Fucking thank them? NEVER.

Aside from their speech patterns, it is also possible to distinguish Mainlanders from Hong Kongers by the way they dress and by the men's typical buzzcut hairstyle. A few of them even attempt to pass themselves off as Hong Kongers, but their Mainland accent gives them away in a heartbeat.

I'm not saying all of these things to "troll" Mainland Chinese and I'm acutely aware that many of them aren't as I described and some of them don't even support the CCP in the first place. But the locals have had complaints about Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong for years and years, yet those complaints have fallen on deaf ears every single time as the puppet government seeks to assimilate the local population into a foreign Chinese culture instead of assimilating the Mainlanders into Hong Kong society, deporting them, or closing the city's borders to all Mainland immigration. I'm simply relaying those sentiments. A family member in Hong Kong can tell me all about them in painstaking detail.

Americans, Europeans, Indonesians, Filipinos, Indians, Australians, Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, and other expats and immigrants have all made Hong Kong into the vibrant, cosmopolitan city that it is today. We are like the Gibraltar of the Orient.

Mass, uncontrolled, Mainland Chinese immigration would completely undo all of that just as mass, uncontrolled, Spanish immigration to Gibraltar would completely erase Gibraltar's very identity and existence as a cosmopolitan city-state, or mass, Arab/Muslim immigration to Israel would completely erase Israel's existence as a liberal, democratic, Jewish nation-state, or mass Muslim immigration to Malaysia would fundamentally undermine Malaysia's claim to be a multi-racial, multi-confessional, multi-lingual federation.

All of these territories would be reduced to just another Chinese city, just another Spanish city, or just another Arab/Muslim theocracy. This is about sovereignty, independence, and the right to self-determination.

I'm not against immigration in general. I'm against the wrong kind of immigration and I'm hugely critical of all these woke, "anti-racist" "progressives" advocating for an open-borders immigration policy given the negative experience locals have had with Mainland Chinese immigration to HK as well as Muslim immigration to Malaysia.

Hong Kong, like Israel, was originally a land without a people for a people without a land. A sparsely populated and neglected wasteland of an outdated and irrelevant empire whose time had passed.

The Hong Kong localist movement, which eventually evolved into the Hong Kong Independence movement, was founded partly in response to such concerns about the presence of increasing numbers of Mainland Chinese as well as the CCP's tightening grip on the city, and it is a movement whose goals I strongly support. Yes, I'm guilty of subversion, secession, and foreign collusion. Come and arrest me if you can. You're going to get a bit wet though. The ASEAN Sea can be pretty deep.

The moment HK officially ceases to be an "SAR", the city will henceforth be referred to as Xianggang in English, and like the term China virus, the term Hong Kong will be considered racist, colonialist trolling because the CCP says so, which is ironic, because the name Xianggang would be imposed by a racist, imperialist, foreign power. If NS mods ever end up banning players for referring to HK as Hong Kong, that will be yet another diplomatic coup for the CCP as our right to political protest is further curtailed even abroad.

Abolition of immigration restrictions would mean that the incidence of university professors getting physically assaulted by Mainland students for daring to give their lectures in English in "their" country would increase exponentially and the incidence of Chinese people attempting to publicly shame me and others for not being fluent in Mandarin (this will also apply to native Cantonese speakers) or being unable to read or write Chinese would also increase exponentially because failing to proclaim my love of the "Motherland", read and write Chinese and speak fluent Mandarin, and worship the Dear Leader makes me a "self-hating" Chinese and a lesser human being apparently.

These "patriotic" Chinese will say and do all of these things to us and more while self-proclaimed communists and woke "progressives" in the West who pretend to speak for "people of color" either look the other way or even join in with the labeling and name-calling of anyone they disagree with as a "self-hating" Chinese, a racist, and a fascist because "America lynches negroes", which is exactly what they subjected me to late last year and which I am loathe to forgive or forget so easily. They seek to paint us all as "far-right" and delegitimize our struggle at every turn. I will not be dictated to by Chinese "compatriots" or woke, out-of-touch, American, self-proclaimed communists and "progressives" who are convinced they know what's best for us.

I'm proud to call myself a native English speaker and a liberal, Western, and Anglophone cultural supremacist who considers myself above these Chinese who call themselves "patriots" while ironically expressing a willingness to turn their guns on their fellow Chinese. So what if I don't understand Chinese? So what if I don't worship the CCP? So fucking what? What are you "patriots" going to do to me down here in Malaysia? Arrest me? HA! Two of your Malaysian accomplices have already been arrested by our government and are due for extradition to the United States on hacking charges. It seems PM Muhyiddin Yassin is not entirely useless after all. Good luck trying to turn us all.

These "patriots" expect overseas Chinese like me to betray our own countries and serve as agents of the Greater Chinese Co-Prosperity Sphere.

I will NEVER serve the Chinese Communist Party in any capacity. Sarawak First. Malaysia First. Hong Kong First. Taiwan First. America First. Japan First. India First. Australia First. CCP delenda est.

China will give itself power to veto any candidate for Hong Kong’s legislature

Something tells me that every opposition candidate will be vetoed.

They've been planning this for DECADES. The CCP virus* conveniently gave them just the opening that they needed to finish us off at exactly the "right" time. Were it not for the CCP virus, those communist/fascist enablers would've been thrown out of LegCo on their behinds last September.

*Mandatory disclaimer: I'm not alluding to any conspiracy theory.

Only "patriots" can run Hong Kong? More like foreign infiltrators like that filthy slimebag cheerleader Victor Gao, who is most definitely NOT a Hong Konger as he claims to be. If the BBC, Al Jazeera, and other networks insist on having him on their shows repeatedly, they should have another guest on to contradict him, or ruthlessly put him in the hot seat HardTalk-style. Or better yet, since China doesn't respect freedom of speech, he should be completely censored in return. Freedom of speech is a two-way street. You don't get to run your mouth while telling other people to STFU.

Pretty much the only thing that's preventing me from completely severing all ties to HK is the fact that HK is home to most of my favorite local dishes. If those dishes go, I will have no reason to visit ever again.

[Kowani]

China aims to strengthen “constitution enforcement” in Hong Kong at Two Sessions legislative conference

[The New California Republic]

China aims to strengthen “constitution enforcement” in Hong Kong at Two Sessions legislative conference

It reminds me of the shit that the SED pulled in East Germany, where the constitution gave the SED the right to have a leading role in the country regardless of how people voted in the Volkskammer elections. There are also parallels with how they stuffed the Volkskammer with their own candidates from the SED and associated groups, to ensure that they would have the majority share: same thing is now being done in Hong Kong.

[Tinhampton]

The Heritage Foundation has decided to indefinitely stop tracking Hong Kong (and Macau) from their annual Index of Economic Freedom - but not Taiwan, interestingly enough. Quoted verbatim from Page 3:

"No doubt both Hong Kong and Macau, as Special Administrative Regions, enjoy economic policies that in many respects offer their citizens more economic freedom than is available to the average citizen of China, but developments in recent years have demonstrated unambiguously that those policies are ultimately controlled from Beijing."

Hong Kong finished second in the 2020 Index, first in the 2019 Index, and has never scored less than 88/100.

[Bombadil]

The Heritage Foundation has decided to indefinitely stop tracking Hong Kong (and Macau) from their annual Index of Economic Freedom - but not Taiwan, interestingly enough. Quoted verbatim from Page 3:

"No doubt both Hong Kong and Macau, as Special Administrative Regions, enjoy economic policies that in many respects offer their citizens more economic freedom than is available to the average citizen of China, but developments in recent years have demonstrated unambiguously that those policies are ultimately controlled from Beijing."

Hong Kong finished second in the 2020 Index, first in the 2019 Index, and has never scored less than 88/100.

To be honest I'm not overly bothered by this, in a way it's simply acceptance of the truth that HK is no longer autonomous in any way, we get that.

It's all going to remain an issue and I feel the heating up of this part of the world will continue..

China could invade Taiwan within the next six years as Beijing accelerates its moves to supplant American military power in Asia, a top US commander has warned.

Democratic and self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by China, whose leaders view the island as part of their territory and which they have vowed to one day take back.

“I worry that they’re [China] accelerating their ambitions to supplant the United States and our leadership role in the rules-based international order... by 2050,” said Washington’s top military officer in Asia-Pacific, Admiral Philip Davidson, on Tuesday.

“Taiwan is clearly one of their ambitions before that. And I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years,” he told a US Senate armed services committee hearing.

Link

The US is clearly in the mindset of a clear and present threat. There's the suspicion China is behind the issues in Thailand and Myanmar as well given they create a strong buffer for China. There seems a degree of coordination in response..

Prof Rory Medcalf, head of the national security college at the Australian National University, said the first Quad leaders’ meeting was “a historic step” that signalled “a new level of political determination to balance together against Chinese power”.

“It normalises security cooperation among the four countries and will encourage their bureaucracies to accelerate a practical program, despite obvious national differences,” Medcalf told Guardian Australia.

He said the leaders’ summit was also “proof that the Quad will outlive Donald Trump, and indeed could thrive better without his confrontational style”.

“For Australia, the Quad summit is an important sign that we do not stand alone in resisting Chinese pressure,” Medcalf said.

Link

HK can merely watch now and hope for the best.

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Good to see the Biden administration continuing the tough stance inherited by the Trump administration. Ex-SOS Mike Pompeo has gone on record to praise current SOS Blinken's words and actions. If he approves, I approve.

[Kowani]

China’s legislature passes law to control Hong Kong elections

China’s national legislature has approved a resolution to drastically overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure only “patriots” can rule the city, in a sweeping move critics fear will further quash opposition voices.
The National People’s Congress (NPC) passed the resolution on Thursday afternoon by a near-unanimous vote, paving the way for the biggest shake-up to the city’s electoral system since its return to China in 1997.
Delegates voted 2,895 in favour of the proposal, which will authorise its standing committee to finalise the details of the electoral reform process. They applauded for the longest period after the Hong Kong electoral proposal was passed. Under the new electoral system, members of the NPC and the Chinese People‘s Political Consultative Conference – the country’s top political advisory body – will be part of the Election Committee selecting the city’s leader next year.

The Election Committee will be expanded to add these 300 Beijing loyalists, who will become a fifth sector of the expanded 1,500 member body. The other four groupings – business, professional, social and political, will continue to have 300 members each. The Legislative Council will also be expanded to 90 seats from 70, and will be elected through the committee, functional constituencies and through direct elections. A vetting committee will be established to review potential candidates for the committee and Legco, effectively barring opposition candidates not deemed sufficiently “patriotic”.

To implement the decision, the NPC Standing Committee will also amend Annex I and Annex II of Hong Kong‘s basic law, the city’s mini-constitution. At the same time, 117 seats on the Election Committee elected by the city’s district councillors – dominated by the opposition after the 2019 polls – are expected to be scrapped, further diluting the opposition’s influence.

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Beijing's sweeping electoral "reforms" have now been officially enacted.

What are the changes, and what do they mean for Hong Kong?

State news outlet Xinhua has reported a list of reforms which, among other things, impact the way Hong Kong's parliamentary Legislative Council is formed, effectively making it easier to bar politicians deemed critical of Beijing.

The number of directly elected LegCo members falls from 35 to 20, while LegCo's size is increased from 70 to 90 seats - thus diluting the influence of democratically elected politicians.

All prospective LegCo candidates will now have to go through two rounds of vetting before they can run, by the powerful pro-Beijing Election Committee as well as by a new screening committee. Carrie Lam said that will include background checks by the police and national security department.

The changes come months after several opposition lawmakers were disqualified, which led to the entire opposition in LegCo resigning.

If a future veto keeps critics out of LegCo, such public embarrassments would be much less likely.

The legal amendments will take effect on Wednesday, and Hong Kong will change its local laws to reflect them in coming weeks. Several local elections are coming up in 2021.

At this point, there really is no point at all in voting or running for office. Hong Kong's electoral system has morphed completely into an Iranian-style charade. Everyone should just boycott the vote, engage in civil disobedience and TAKE TO THE STREETS once again. The Hong Kong government has lost ALL of its remaining legitimacy and should be outright overthrown in an insurrection.

Why bother with these fake "elections" when they might as well formally abolish Hong Kong's SAR status, its borders, its legal autonomy, its passport, driving on the left, speaking Cantonese, etc.

Why even bother with this charade at all? I always thought Singapore was bad, but Singapore is being run waaaay better than Hong Kong and at least there is a growing chance to actually topple the ruling PAP in a general election especially after LKY's death in 2015 and LHL's pending retirement a few years from now.

[Violent Mike]

Beijing's sweeping electoral "reforms" have now been officially enacted.

What are the changes, and what do they mean for Hong Kong?

State news outlet Xinhua has reported a list of reforms which, among other things, impact the way Hong Kong's parliamentary Legislative Council is formed, effectively making it easier to bar politicians deemed critical of Beijing.

The number of directly elected LegCo members falls from 35 to 20, while LegCo's size is increased from 70 to 90 seats - thus diluting the influence of democratically elected politicians.

All prospective LegCo candidates will now have to go through two rounds of vetting before they can run, by the powerful pro-Beijing Election Committee as well as by a new screening committee. Carrie Lam said that will include background checks by the police and national security department.

The changes come months after several opposition lawmakers were disqualified, which led to the entire opposition in LegCo resigning.

If a future veto keeps critics out of LegCo, such public embarrassments would be much less likely.

The legal amendments will take effect on Wednesday, and Hong Kong will change its local laws to reflect them in coming weeks. Several local elections are coming up in 2021.

At this point, there really is no point at all in voting or running for office. Hong Kong's electoral system has morphed completely into an Iranian-style charade. Everyone should just boycott the vote, engage in civil disobedience and TAKE TO THE STREETS once again. The Hong Kong government has lost ALL of its remaining legitimacy and should be outright overthrown in an insurrection.

Why bother with these fake "elections" when they might as well formally abolish Hong Kong's SAR status, its borders, its legal autonomy, its passport, driving on the left, speaking Cantonese, etc.

Why even bother with this charade at all? I always thought Singapore was bad, but Singapore is being run waaaay better than Hong Kong and at least there is a growing chance to actually topple the ruling PAP in a general election especially after LKY's death in 2015 and LHL's pending retirement a few years from now.

Are you open to uncivil disobedience?

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Beijing's sweeping electoral "reforms" have now been officially enacted.

At this point, there really is no point at all in voting or running for office. Hong Kong's electoral system has morphed completely into an Iranian-style charade. Everyone should just boycott the vote, engage in civil disobedience and TAKE TO THE STREETS once again. The Hong Kong government has lost ALL of its remaining legitimacy and should be outright overthrown in an insurrection.

Why bother with these fake "elections" when they might as well formally abolish Hong Kong's SAR status, its borders, its legal autonomy, its passport, driving on the left, speaking Cantonese, etc.

Why even bother with this charade at all? I always thought Singapore was bad, but Singapore is being run waaaay better than Hong Kong and at least there is a growing chance to actually topple the ruling PAP in a general election especially after LKY's death in 2015 and LHL's pending retirement a few years from now.

Are you open to uncivil disobedience?

I'm not in favor of an armed uprising against the CCP, but if it happens, I'll be rooting for the revolutionaries. HK people should be armed to the teeth with both conventional weapons including tanks, aircraft, warships, submarines, and artillery, as well as WMDs, particularly nuclear warheads.

[Bombadil]

Beijing's sweeping electoral "reforms" have now been officially enacted.

What are the changes, and what do they mean for Hong Kong?

State news outlet Xinhua has reported a list of reforms which, among other things, impact the way Hong Kong's parliamentary Legislative Council is formed, effectively making it easier to bar politicians deemed critical of Beijing.

The number of directly elected LegCo members falls from 35 to 20, while LegCo's size is increased from 70 to 90 seats - thus diluting the influence of democratically elected politicians.

All prospective LegCo candidates will now have to go through two rounds of vetting before they can run, by the powerful pro-Beijing Election Committee as well as by a new screening committee. Carrie Lam said that will include background checks by the police and national security department.

The changes come months after several opposition lawmakers were disqualified, which led to the entire opposition in LegCo resigning.

If a future veto keeps critics out of LegCo, such public embarrassments would be much less likely.

The legal amendments will take effect on Wednesday, and Hong Kong will change its local laws to reflect them in coming weeks. Several local elections are coming up in 2021.

At this point, there really is no point at all in voting or running for office. Hong Kong's electoral system has morphed completely into an Iranian-style charade. Everyone should just boycott the vote, engage in civil disobedience and TAKE TO THE STREETS once again. The Hong Kong government has lost ALL of its remaining legitimacy and should be outright overthrown in an insurrection.

Why bother with these fake "elections" when they might as well formally abolish Hong Kong's SAR status, its borders, its legal autonomy, its passport, driving on the left, speaking Cantonese, etc.

Why even bother with this charade at all? I always thought Singapore was bad, but Singapore is being run waaaay better than Hong Kong and at least there is a growing chance to actually topple the ruling PAP in a general election especially after LKY's death in 2015 and LHL's pending retirement a few years from now.

Funnily enough we’re being asked to register to vote by April 2nd, not sure many will bother given, as you say, there’s no point.

[Sungoldy-China]

Tools shouldn’t have too many ideas,

Both Hong Kong and CCP are paying the price for their naivety,
At least CCP is starting to correct its mistakes