Disney in the backyard. And voting in Legislative Council elections

Traveller Palms and Christmas tree in our back yard

We also voted today. In the elections for the Hong Kong Legislature. 

BBC, CNN, ABC and other mainstream media are mocking this HK election because candidates have to be “patriots”. I wonder though how far a politician in America or Australia or Europe or the U.K. would get if they were not patriotic. They may not have to swear fealty or patriotism during a campaign, but anyone not patriotic would be sniffed out and wiped out. Wouldn’t they?

ADDED: if that sounds like apologia, well here’s the thing. The narrative on foreign media is that Hong Kong has gone from struggling towards full democracy (2019 and “brave democracy fighters”) to a place crushed under Beijing’s boot.  From X to Y. From chalk to cheese. From a place with a modicum of democracy to one with none. Whereas what’s gone on is a place with some democracy has become a place with less, or different, or “patriotic” democracy. Not none. 

ProDem people have boycotted the elections, which strikes me as silly. Result: moderate and even some “pro-democracy” candidates lost seats to pro-government candidates. The pan-Dem camp thus keeping its 100% record of making strategic blunders. For isn’t a boycott counter productive? There’s always one candidate that’s better than another, isn’t there? Even 2020 Trump v Biden, one or other had to win and one or other would make a better president, wouldn’t he?

For us, in this election, limited or flawed as it may have been, that candidate was Regina Ip. We don’t love her at all.  But she will stand up for Hong Kong. Or, we believe she will. Or hope she will, at least. And so she should stand up for our remaining — and still substantial— freedoms. Via standing up for One Country Two Systems (OC2S).  While not bad mouthing Beijing, which is pointless, also counterproductive and leads to Bad Things like the National Security Law.

(It always struck me as rather odd that people would say “the Chinese Communist Party are authoritarian dictators”, then expect them not to act like authoritarian dictators. And one thing about authoritarian dictators — they’re extremely touchy).