The Hong Kong Diaries

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With hindsight, ex-governor Lord Chris Patten revisits his custodianship of Hong Kong in this genuine recollection of his encounters with the Communist regime.

But the governor’s frustration with much of the business elite, anxious only to kowtow to Beijing and go on making a lot of money, was almost as great. p. 317); “The sins of blimps in blazers at the Hong Kong Club, now retired to Gloucestershire or Scotland with their millions, are going to rebound on us. Patten's conviction that planting the seed of democracy would make Hong Kong more resilient after the handover to China will long be debated by historians, and this book will be an essential source.Because the 2022 polemic is much shorter than the diaries and is also more current, some readers may turn there first. Ted Heath, political apologist supreme for China, is a “despicable old bore”, and Geoffrey Howe little better.

Patten's diaries over the next five years describe in detail his day-to-day battles with the Chinese . His predecessors had mostly been diplomats or administrators – Patten was a senior UK politician with reforming ambitions and a flair for public relations who aroused suspicion in both Beijing and Hong Kong.In The Hong Kong Diaries Chris Patten details his struggle as the last governor of Hong Kong to energise the dying days of British rule. His style occasionally stumbles into overly long sentences which can make his point or observation hard to decipher.

Unexpectedly, his opponents included not only the Chinese themselves, but some British businessmen and civil service mandarins upset by Patten’s efforts, for whom political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong seemed less important than keeping on the right side of Beijing. Lord Patten spent much of his time in Hong Kong struggling against British officials and members of the local elite who believed it was not worth trying to push China to accept more democracy in pre-handover Hong Kong-much less expanding it without China's approval.Even then, Patten’s reforms were carefully calculated to pass through the colony’s executive and legislative institutions.

Indeed, knowing the place - either having visited or lived there - is also required to really enjoy it. Chris Patten’s appointment as Hong Kong’s last governor in 1992 marked a cultural change for the colony. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.Unexpectedly, his opponents included not only the Chinese themselves, but some British businessmen and civil service mandarins upset by Patten's efforts, for whom political freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong seemed less important than keeping on the right side of Beijing. The book is a collection of diaries from the last governor of Hong Kong, who is one of the greatest politicians in his time. When MP for Bath (1979-92) he served as Minister for Overseas Development, Secretary of State for the Environment and Chairman of the Conservative Party. Patten's best efforts, Hong Kong became the canary in the mine shaft, showing what happens when the Chinese Communist Party is allowed to get its way.