As governor, I experienced the vitality of life in a booming and free Asian city, saw routinely the best and… — Chris Patten
As governor, I experienced the vitality of life in a booming and free Asian city, saw routinely the best and worst aspects of human nature, and was made to revisit some of the principles in which I have always believed but to which I had rarely given much thought previously. In the darker hours of occasionally fretful nights I found myself face to face with the moral dimensions of political action to a greater extent than ever before.
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It is not unusual for electorates to want contradictory things, and politicians often make promises accordingly.
p. 34
[O]n July 1, 1997, Hong Kong became the only example of decolonization deliberately accompanied by less democracy and a weaker protection of civil liberties. This was a cause for profound regret, especially for the departing colonial power. But it was China's doing and China's decision. I am pleased that Britain narrowly avoided complicity in the dishonourable act of denying the citizens of free Hong Kong what they had been promised in 1984.
p. 70
No other place has quite the same blend of East and West, ancient and modern, spectacular and humdrum.
p. 10
