Les's 'J'accuse letter' to all Rochdale's Councillors

IS ROCHDALE COUNCIL GUILTY OF BAD FAITH?

J'accuse. by Zola. J'accuse, (French: “I accuse”) was a celebrated open letter by Émile Zola to the president of the French Republic in defense of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer who had been accused of treason by the French army. It was published in the newspaper L'Aurore on Jan. 13, 1898.  

On the 1st, December 2019. on this NV Blog Les May accused the Rochdale Councillors of 'institutional racism' for their failure to openly condemn a version of racism when it was applied to white northern workingmen employed as tree surgeons in the Rochdale ward of Newbold.  Mild mutterings in private e-mails really doesn't cut the mustard.  

A number of councillors have already replied to Les May's open letter on the 6th, Nov. calling on Rochdale's councillors to condemn the collective assault on the tree surgeons recorded on this NV Blog.  Meanwhile, another  Rochdale councillor who is Asian has quite separately engaged with me in an exchange of views on this matter below. 

Readers of this Blog, in the light of the savage attack in Newbold on the tree surgeons in October 2017, must judge the wisdom of the concluding utterance of this councillor:
'Brian I don't want to waste your time justice has been served and there are no tensions in newbod of the sort you suggest'

***************

On Fri 25/10/2019 at 14:04, I wrote:

Dear Councillor X,

How are you? You will no doubt be aware of the case below for which I provide the link.  Already there are sites taking note of this who perhaps lack the best of intentions. I suspect the people involved were not from Kashmir. However, the critics of this behaviour will not be so nuanced and on past experience will use a scatter gun approach. In the light of this, it is important that the Council should condemn in full council what has happened up Newbold in the strongest possible terms.  I'm sure that you will agree with this, and accept that attempts to sweep this kind of conduct under the carpet is worse than short-sighted. Please try to prevail upon your colleagues and get them to condemn the culture that allows this to take place?

Best wishes,

Brian Bamford:  joint-editor of Northern Voices. 

*************

On Fri the 25/10/2019 at 14:49 Councillor  X replied:

Thank you Brian  I am aware of this case and as a result the council,police and community have worked together.

I am a councillor ,not Kashmiri,Pakistani or Muslim councillor but a councillor who serves all people of Rochdale.

In your email I assume hints of segregation (but I know you better). However, are you suggesting that all muslim/Asian councillors should condemn it?

We are having a meeting with police to look at crime figures in my ward and drawing up a strategy to combat it.

Once again thank you for your email.

************* 

To which I responded on Fri 25/10/2019 at 20:01L

Dear X,

I wrote to you as a friend rather than as a councillor and as I am someone who, because of my history which know about, has a certain affection for Kasmir.  Clearly as a councillor you must represent all of your consituents, but one of the offendents in this case , Habibur Rahman, claimed in Court that the victims  were 'white b******s' who were in his 'country'.  Now Mr. Rahman was clearly making a specific  georgraphical claim, and as someone who is an ethnomethodologist and a conversational analyst I find it curious.  I take this to mean that he exercises some control in Newbold.  Now let me be clear that I believe that all Rochdale councillors of all parties, should openly condemn this kind of thing, precisely because it strikes at the heart of all human decency and civilisation.

Best wishes,

Brian Bamford

****************

On Mon the 04/11/2019 at 07:16 I wrote:  I don't understand why you are so reluctant to invite me over to discuss the problems of Newbold. Clearly there is something seriously wrong in the ward. Later today I will be talking to the police about this case of the tree surgeons. As I write this I'm just hearing about the problems in Kashmir on Radio Four, I remember in the 1990s when you asked me to go over there with you. The bottom line is there must be an open and public condemnation of what happened in Newbold at the next Full Council Meeting which I believe is the 11th, December?

To which Councillor X replied on Mon 04/11/2019 at 08:29:  Brian I don't want to waste your time justice has been served and there are no tensions in newbod of the sort you suggest

*************************

Rochdale resident's Institutional Racism anxiety

I've read the full post on the blog, the replies from the councillors are at best flippant! At worst they are exactly as reported by Les, blatantly racist. 

The gangerism he highlights is, I suspect, the reason the individual councillors are unwilling to comment.

This fear of retribution, of what might happen if something is said against them, is the reason these "gangs" continue to grow stronger and languish in the fear they're creating.

Unless something is said in condemnation by those on the top levels of our councils the situation we now face ourselves with will only get worse. 

Gangs are clearly present!

If one man can make a call to arms and have, almost instantly, numerous men appear with weapons we may already be too late, but should it stop us at least trying to put a halt to it?

As I said in an earlier email, there are areas of Rochdale I just wouldn't drive through let alone walk through anymore, how long will it be before the whole of Rochdale is off bounds? 

Scary, scary times.

************************

Rochdale Council and Institutional Racism

by Les May

I BELIEVE that Rochdale Council is tainted by institutional racism.  I rest this claim upon the fact that its members appear to base some decisions about whether to act to give some sort of leadership to the people of Rochdale upon skin colour and ethnic origin.  The evidence I have for this is the response, and in most cases, lack of response, I received when I sent an open letter to all members of Rochdale Council regarding an attack on four white tree surgeons by a gang of about twenty Asian men in the Newbold area of Rochdale.

I provide below three paragraphs of this letter.

I am writing to you not as a representative of a political party, or of a particular ward, or because you happen to have been born with skin of a particular colour, but as someone who was elected to represent the people of Rochdale.

Two weeks ago the Rochdale Observer reported that a thug who had been ‘disrespected’ in ‘his country’ organised a gang of about twenty males who were armed with weapons such as knuckledusters, claw hammers and an axe to attack four men working as tree surgeons.  One of the men had his hand hacked off in the attack. Before the attack the four men had been called ‘white bastards’.

In the name of common decency I call upon all councillors, both individually and collectively, to condemn this attack and the language which preceded it, by bringing a motion to this effect before the full Council at its next meeting.

The full letter can be read at:

http://northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2019/11/an-open-letter-to-rochdale-councillors.html

I print below the responses that I received from individual councillors and my reply to them.  As I believe that the racism is present at an institutional level because it exists as a shared understanding, whether conscious or unconscious, amongst members of Rochdale Council that some things must never be drawn attention to, I have chosen to remove the name and anything that would identify individual Councillors.  This was impossible to do without mutilating the response in one case so I have excluded it.

Dear Mr May

Thank you for the information of which I knew nothing.  Unfortunately the next Council meeting is a short meeting with no motions due to the Freeman and Alderman meetings to follow.  I will discuss with colleagues, but if I had been asked for a comment I would condemn this attack as indeed I would any attack regardless of colour, creed or sexuality.  There is no support for any form of violence I would hope from any member of Council, and this and any attack should be condemned by all.

Dear Councillor ***,

Thank you for your response to my e-mail.

I believe that this is a matter of such importance to the promotion of harmonious relations within the town that I would like to see it debated and condemned by the full Council at a later meeting, if the next one is not appropriate.  This is the reason I have written to every councillor in every ward in the town, I believe it should be condemned by every councillor both individually and collectively.

If you or your colleagues wish to obtain further information a report which includes material taken from the court hearing can be found in the Rochdale Observer of 23 October and on the GMP website below.

https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2019/october/Four-men-have-been-jailed-for-their-part-in-a-brutal-gang-attack-which-left-a-man-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-with-an-axe-in-Rochdale/

I would be grateful if you would share this with your colleagues.

Les May

Hi Les

I have no idea why you’d want me to comment on this particular incident, given I have never commented on any police investigation.  I’ve had a look through my inbox and it seems you’ve never emailed me before demanding I call out racist attacks in Rochdale.  I have no idea why this one might be different.

It seems to me that the legal system has dealt with the criminals - not being involved in the case or having any legal training, I can’t say either way whether there are any issues here.

To be honest it’s the first I’ve heard of this terrible incident, not some cover up of anti-white racism.

It’s a shocking incident.  All racism is wrong.

Do you have any potholes or grot spots in **** I can help with?

Dear Councillor ***,

Given the nature of the incident which involved an unprovoked attack by a gang of up to 20 young men armed with an axe, knuckledusters and a claw hammer on four workmen which resulted in one of those attacked having his hand chopped off, I think it is self evident why some comment is needed.   I am not aware that there has been an attack of such a nature in Rochdale before.  I am not asking you to 'call out' racism, which I note that you clearly identify this attack as being tainted with, I am asking that you use your best endeavours to have this attack debated and condemned by the council.  Twenty young men being assembled quickly and carrying weapons, coupled with the use of the term 'my country' by the leader who claimed he had been 'disrespected', suggests to me that what we have here is a case of gangsterism which may well spread into the wider community. I would like to see it halted before it does.

This attack was reported on the front page of the Rochdale Observer of Wednesday 23 October 2019, so quite a lot of people will be familiar with it.

I should add that every councillor in Rochdale has received the e-mail I sent you.   I will file your response along with theirs.

Les May

Hi les

Thank you for including me in your email.  I have and always will stand up against any form of racism and will continue to do so

Regards *** ***

Dear ***,

This is not about racism, though there are clearly racist overtones. It is essentially 'gangsterism' when someone justifies the attack by saying he has been 'disrespected' in 'his country'.  That is why I want it condemned by councillors individually and collectively. The racism will be if there is an unwillingness to condemn it because it was carried out by up to 20 young men identified as Asian.

Les May

Hi Les,

I am saddened to hear what you have alluded to in your email. ******* I am not aware of the matter you mention but will establish the facts and contact relevant officers.   I apologise that you have not had a response before now.  Please let me have a few more details abut the incident such as when, where etc it occurred. I realise you may be further upset by my asking for this but it will save me some time.  I am grateful. ***

Dear ***,

Thank you for your very positive response.

The incident occured on October 17, 2017 and came to court in October 2019.  It was reported in the Rochale Observer of 23 October but the story was very garbled and differs somewhat from what was reported on the Greater Manchester Police website. I have given the link below.

https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2019/october/Four-men-have-been-jailed-for-their-part-in-a-brutal-gang-attack-which-left-a-man-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-with-an-axe-in-Rochdale/

Although there is a racial element in this attack which I think has deterred people from commenting on it, the main problem appears to be gangsterism.  If this is indeed the case it will be very detrimental to everyone in Rochdale and especially in Newbold.  I believe there was a similar, but much less serious, incident in the Greave area during the summer.   This is why I would like it condemned by individual councillors, and debated and condemned by the full Council.

Thank you again for your positive response.

Les May

I have absolutely no doubt that had this been an attack on four Asian men by a gang of some twenty white males armed with an axe, knuckledusters and a claw hammer, it would have been publicly condemned by most, and probably all, of our Councillors.  I believe that this view would be shared by many people in Rochdale. If this belief is correct then our Councillors do not represent the views of the people of Rochdale.

I can only offer four possible reasons for the unwillingness of Councillors to go on the public record and condemn this attack for what it is; gangsterism exacerbated by racial abuse.  These are: a desire to keep certain councillors ‘on side’, a desire not to alienate what is seen an individual Councillor’s ‘natural constituency’, a fear of being called ‘racist’ by others and not considering an attack in which a young man had his hand hacked off with an axe to be sufficiently serious that it has to be publicly condemned.

To Rochdale Councillors I say this: ‘Telling me in a private e-mail that you are not racist and how you have always been against it, is not good enough.   I will start to believe you actually understand what racism is when I see that you are willing to stand up and be counted by publicly condemning gangsterism and similar crimes, irrespective of who the perpetrators are’.

I stand by my belief that Rochdale Council is tainted with institutional racism.

*******************

Half of UK working adults don't earn enough to pay income tax

Sir Keith Joseph

Averages conceal wide variations. The median annual UK income for 2019 is said to be £29,588. Yet, according to figures from HMRC, nearly half of all Working adults in the UK, pay no income tax because they earn less than £12,500 per annum, the figure where income becomes taxable.  

Many of the very wealthy avoid paying UK tax by becoming 'Non Dom' or pay themselves 'dividends' instead of 'incomes' which attract less tax. In the last 40 years, people in emerging economies and the world's richest people have seen the fastest growth in income. Wages in Western economies have grown more slowly.

Before we joined the E.C. (now the E.U.) in January 1973, Britain was known as the 'sick man of Europe' because its economy lagged behind countries such as France and Germany. In June 1974, seventeen months after we joined the EU, Sir Keith Joseph said this, in a speech at Upminster:

 "Compare our position today with that of our neighbours in Germany, Sweden, Holland, France. They are no more talented than we are. Yet, compared to them, we have the longest working hours, the lowest pay and the lowest production per head. We have the highest taxes and the lowest investment. We have the least prosperity, the most poor, and the lowest pensions."

Not much changes folks. And who did Sir Keith blame for all this? No, it wasn't the E.U.- he said it was all the fault of Labour and socialism. Since the onset of Thatcher and Regan, the world's richest, have seen their wealth soar into the stratosphere. That was what the Conservative revolution was all about.

According to a government report, Brexit is likely to lead to Britain becoming worse off.

Spanish Civil War talk in Ashton-under-Lyne

LAST NIGHT Dr Mercedes Penalba-Sotorrio of Manchester Metropolitan University gave an exquisite talk on the Spanish Civil War at a crowded event at Ashton-under-Lyne Central Library.   Ashton has been the scene of several such events since the unveiling of a Blue Plaque on behalf of  a local lad, James Keogh, who died in the hills of Aragon in 1938 fighting for the freedom of Spaniards on the 25th, November 2011.

Dr. Mercedes Sotorrio gave a very interesting detailed account of the struggle to defend democracy in Spain of the 1930s.  She described the contribution made by working-class volunteers such as James Keogh, a tailor and the son of a local binman.*   But James Keogh, as she showed in her talk last night was one of a vast number of northern workingmen, who were so inspired that they fought in many battles on the Spanish peninsula, throughout the war.  People went from Ireland and as she pointed out fought for both sides.

She referred particularly to the Battle of the Ebro which occurred between July and November 1938.  Fought on the banks of the Ebro; the longest river in Spain, it became a slaughter house for the republic.  It was a folly described so well by Antony Beevor the military historian in his book 'The BATTLE for SPAIN':

'To continue the battle in such circumstances had no military justification at all, especially when the Republic was so vulnerable there was no hope of achieving the original purpose of the offensive.  But instead of withdrawing with their best troops in good order to fight again, the republican command continued to send more men across the Ebro.  And all this was because Negrin believed that the eyes of Europe were upon them and he could not acknowledge a defeat.  Once again, political and propaganda considerations led to yet another self-inflicted disaster.'

Dr. Sotorrio said:  'Some 35,000 people went to Spain to fight with the volunteers, mostly, but not only,  in the International Brigades and some 10,000 died in the conflicts'.   She agreed during the question time which followed that the Soviet Union, like the Fascist Axis powers, 'had its own agenda'; which sometimes contrasted with that of the Spanish Republic.

There was some criticism during the questions about the non-intervention of the British and French governments in the Spanish Civil War, and Dr. Sotorrio said 'it seemed that some of the British public had more understanding of the likely danger presented by Fascism to Europe'.  There were also queries about the role and relevance of British Gibraltar to the conflict.  In the early stages of the war the British authorities on Gibraltar had tended to assist the supporters of General Franco rather than the legally elected Spanish Republic.  Some Spaniards who supported the Republic, who sought refuge in Gib. were sent back to Spain and imprisoned by Franco's supprters, and a Republican ship that sought British protection was threatened  by the British that if it didn't leave the port of Gibraltar the authorities would illuminate it so that it would by vulnerable to nationalist bombers at night.

Meanwhile, although it wasn't mentioned  last night, in 1937, it is worth mentioning that during the Spanish Civil War, the British Governor of Gibraltar was successful in obtaining permission from Franco to continue the Hunt.^[23] The tradition of the Royal Calpe Hunt continued for more than a century. The last Hunt took place on 4 April 1939.  It could not be resumed the following autumn due to the outbreak of the Second World War.  Although the horses and the pack were maintained in the hope that the Hunt would resume, and the Hunt Committee remained active until 1973, the Second World War brought the end of the Royal Calpe Hunt.^[4][5][7]

After the questions to Dr Mercedes Penalba-Sotorrio, the archivist who organised the event thanked the speaker and expressed his delight at the turn-out having originally worried that perhaps the subject was not sufficiently local. 


*  See more:   www.northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com › 2011/12 › james-keogh-commemoration

**********************

THE BLACKLIST & LABOUR MANIFESTO

Page 48 of the Labour Manifesto:

"We will establish public inquiries into historical injustices including blacklisting and Orgreave, and ensure the second phase of the Grenfell Inquiry has the confidence of all those affected, especially the bereaved families and survivors. We will also consider a public inquiry in the case of Zane Gbangbola.

We will require judicial warrants for undercover operations and retain the Mitting Inquiry into undercover policing.

We will release all papers on the Shrewsbury 24 trials and 37 Cammell Laird shipyard workers and introduce a Public Accountability Bill".

Blacklist Support Group are proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder on shared platforms for more than 10 years with campaigners fighting for justice for Orgreave, Grenfell, Zane Gbangbola, victims of undercover political policing, the Shrewsbury Pickets and Cammell Laird ship workers.  We have demanded and fought for a public inquiry for over a decade - its is our campaigning that has led to this manifesto commitment. We therefore whole heartedly support this pledge towards getting the truth we, and other working class miscarriages of justice, deserve.  But working people should never place dewy eyed trust in politicians, lawyers or union leaders to solve our problems for us; continuing to build a movement remains essential.  

Full manifesto available to view here: https://labour.org.uk/manifesto/

Blacklist Support Group

book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

TIK TOK: Did they Ban this?

A 17-year-old Muslim girl's TikTok — which started as a makeup tutorial and bait-and-switched to a quick lesson on China's Muslim concentration camps — went viral over the weekend.
People were outraged when TikTok banned Feroza Aziz, who is from New Jersey, days later. They said the app's Chinese developer, ByteDance, was censoring views that went against the Chinese Communist Party, indicative of the delicate balance the company finds itself in. But TikTok told BuzzFeed News that Aziz was actually suspended for another video — one with a meme about Osama bin Laden.

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"So, the first thing you need to do is grab your lash curler, curl your lashes, obviously," Aziz begins in the TikTok about China. "Then, you're gonna put them down and use the phone you're using right now to search what's happening in China, how they're getting concentration camps, throwing innocent Muslims in there. ... This is another Holocaust, yet no one is talking about it."

⚠️ @badboyyeehaw

i always wondered how girls get they eyelashes so curled up and everything

10:33 AM - 24 Nov 2019

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An estimated 1 million Uighur Muslims are currently imprisoned in internment camps in northwest China's Xinjiang region. The camps have been widely condemned by the United States and other nations.

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In the camps, Uighur Muslim families are separated from each other, and those imprisoned have reportedly been beaten, tortured, and forced to study communist propaganda and sing songs of praise to the government.
On Monday, Aziz was banned from using TikTok on her phone, prompting widespread outrage and accusations that the Chinese company was censoring criticism about the country.

TikTok denied that Aziz’s ban had anything to do with her videos on the internment camps, but she doesn’t quite believe it. “I still find it suspicious that TikTok took down my video right when my posts on China’s concentration camps were made. Doesn’t sound right to me,” she said.
The incident comes just a month after Congress raised questions about whether the Chinese app poses "national security risks."
“With over 110 million downloads in the U.S. alone, TikTok is a potential counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore,” wrote Sens. Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton. “Given these concerns, we ask that the Intelligence Community conduct an assessment of the national security risks posed by TikTok and other China-based content platforms operating in the U.S. and brief Congress on these findings.”
Responding in a blog post last month, the company said it does not “remove content based on sensitivities related to China.”
“We have never been asked by the Chinese government to remove any content and we would not do so if asked. Period,” the company said.

Noga Tarnopolsky @NTarnopolsky

.@x_feroza says #TikTok capitulated to China & blocked her account after she posted this fab clip [sound on]

10:33 AM - 26 Nov 2019

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But a spokesperson for TikTok told BuzzFeed News that Aziz wasn't suspended for that video, but another: one that sexualized Osama bin Laden, they said.
The spokesperson's representation of the video was not entirely accurate. Aziz has posted about the dead al-Qaeda leader and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, but in an interview with BuzzFeed News she said the offending video was a dark spin on a TikTok meme — not a sexualization of him.
"There’s a trend on TikTok where you post like, ‘The type of boys or girls I liked when I was little,'" Aziz said. "Mine was like, ‘I liked a lot of white guys, but now I like brown people’ and at the end was [bin Laden] as a joke."
She added, "It was a dark humor joke that he was at the end, because obviously no one in their right mind would think or say that."
In the TikTok, Aziz shows images of the white male celebrities — such as Justin Bieber — she had crushes on in middle school. "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo plays over the short video as she reveals she now has crushes on nonwhite and Muslim celebrities like Zayn Malik. The last photo in the video is of bin Laden.

video-player.buzzfeed.com

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Aziz did not know why she was banned before her interview with BuzzFeed News, despite having reached out to TikTok about it.
"I emailed them about this, and they never got back to me," she said. "I woke up on Monday and saw [I was banned], and was like, wow, okay."
This isn't the first time Aziz's account has been taken down or had videos removed, she said. She believes many of them got reported by other users; her previous account was banned too. (The video about China was posted on Saturday from a new account.)
"For my last account, I had multiple videos taken down, and all the videos taken down were my Muslim videos — me making jokes Muslims could laugh about, relatable Muslim content," she said. "That’s just how TikTok is. There’s always people that report things."

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Aziz's new account and videos are still up, but she said she cannot access her account from her phone. A TikTok spokesperson said it was because her device was banned the last time she had her account removed, but that her current account remains active — though not usable from the same phone.
All in all, it equates to an exceptionally 2019 story. Aziz said she's frustrated and confused that she could get banned for what she believes was clearly a joke.
"Everybody has dark humor, and there are people on TikTok who post explicit things about murder and very intense stuff, and that’s not taken down," she said. "My thing that’s a joke that my group can laugh at, that Muslims and brown people can laugh at, that’s taken down."
Still, she's also glad so many people now know about the human rights crisis in China.
"As a Muslim girl, I’ve always been oppressed and seen my people be oppressed, and always I’ve been into human rights," she said.
She added: "I’ve known about this [crisis] since 2018, and I’ve always talked about it, but whenever I talked about it, no one would care to listen. Everyone just cares what people are wearing, what’s the new style, who’s the new YouTuber, who’s doing this. So I wanted to make a TikTok about it.
"I just wish I could do more to help. I hope something can be done from this."

• 
  Julia Reinstein is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.

  Contact Julia Reinstein at julia.reinstein@buzzfeed.com.

  Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.

Pro-Beijing camp’s landslide loss

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST:

Politics

Time for Beijing to rethink Hong Kong script after pan-democrat landslide, Chinese analysts say

• The results of the district council elections will boost the power of the non-establishment camp and possibly influence the race for the city’s leader, observers say
• A central government official agreed that Beijing was surprised by the landslide win for the pan-democrats

Josephine Ma  

Echo Xie  

William Zheng  

Linda Lew  

Published: 6:01am, 27 Nov, 2019

The results of

Hong Kong’s district council elections

on Sunday were worse than expected and Beijing should start considering how the outcome will affect the 2022 race for the city’s chief executive, mainland specialists on Hong Kong affairs have warned.

“Beijing was psychologically prepared, but it did not expect [that the pro-establishment camp] would suffer such a severe defeat,” Wuhan University law professor Qin Qianhong said.

A central government official agreed that Beijing was surprised by the landslide win for the pan-democrats.

“We know it was going to be a tough fight as some pro-establishment candidates said they faced verbal abuse when they walked the district, but the number of seats [the pro-establishment camp] won was below our expectation,” he said.

A record 2.9 million voters, representing 71.2 per cent of the registered electorate, cast their ballots in the weekend polls, up from 47 per cent in the 2015 district council election and 58.3 per cent in the 2016 Legislative Council election.

The pan-democrat camp won 392 of the 452 seats to control 17 out of the city’s 18 district councils.

The results mean the pan-democrats look set to take up all the 117 seats for district councillors in the 1,200-member Election Committee that selects the chief executive.

Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University’s law school in Beijing, said that as a last resort Beijing could exercise its right to refuse the appointment of an “unacceptable” chief executive candidate.

“[The results] will boost the direct or indirect political power of those not in the pro-establishment camp,” Tian said.

“[But] if a candidate that is not acceptable to Beijing has emerged, Beijing would not appoint them.”

Qin agreed that the Basic Law gave Beijing the power to turn down undesirable candidates, but that there were risks.

“The result could be another massive street movement,” he said.

Hong Kong’s crushed pro-government camp faces up to new challenges

Li Xiaobing, a Nankai University academic specialising in Hong Kong politics, said it would be a concern if pan-democrats allied with different sectors in the Legco and chief executive races over the next few years.

“If it was just a few people, then it is easy to handle. But now they have formed a group and become a power,” Li said.

“If they join hands not only among themselves but with different sectors, then it would have … an impact on the Legco and chief executive elections. Beijing would have to address it with countermeasures.”

The pro-establishment bloc ended up with about 40 per cent of the votes on Sunday but an additional 800,000 voters turned out on the weekend, compared to the 2016 Legislative Council elections, and more than half of them voted for the pan-democrats.

“The election has polarised politics in Hong Kong. It has forced those in the middle to take sides. I think most of these people opted to take the extreme side [of pan-democrats who did not denounce the radical protesters]. It is a big political lesson,” Tian said.

In their campaigns, the pro-establishment bloc promoted the need for stability and a return to social order after more than five months of protests in the city but the strategy appeared to have little impact on the new voters.

“Hundreds of thousands of young people were new registered voters … These people were those affected the most by what happened in the past five months,” Nanjing University law professor Gu Su said.

Gu said Beijing might now have to agree to chief executive nominations that were acceptable to both camps.

Hong Kong election result draws cautious response from Beijing

Song Sio-chong, a professor at the Centre for Basic Laws of Hong Kong and Macau at Shenzhen University, said many middle-class people who did not vote in the past also came out to support the pan-democrats this time.

“This election is entirely politicised and there was no mention of community affairs. It prompted the middle class, who were sympathetic to the democrats, to vote. The extensive work by the pro-establishment camp at the community level in the past has become ineffective. What should we do next? It is a big question,” Song said.

He said Beijing should reconsider its strategy and give the pro-establishment parties more flexibility.

“A major reason for the defeat of the pro-establishment is that it was tied to the Hong Kong government in the anti-extradition bill campaign. There was not enough room for the pro-establishment camp to have its narrative and to respond. They could only respond passively in line with the government’s position.”

Gu agreed. “The way the pro-establishment camp supported the government was too direct. Some changes are expected in their relations with the Hong Kong government.”

Politics

Pro-Beijing camp’s landslide loss in district council elections ‘a chance for reflection’ on Hong Kong

• Commentators in mainland China say the poll might kick-start some deeper thinking on public opinion and the central government’s approach to the city
• High-profile tabloid accuses the West of helping opposition forces in the race

Kinling Lo  

Published: 6:00pm, 25 Nov, 2019

Prominent mainland Chinese commentators called for reflection on Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong after the

pro-democracy camp’s landslide win

in local elections on the weekend.

Hong Kong’s district council elections are traditionally low-key events to choose representatives for community office, but Sunday’s poll was seen as a de facto referendum on more than five months of

anti-government protests

that have gripped the city.

The pro-democracy camp, defined by their general support for the protests, won control of 17 out of the 18 district councils, all of which previously had a pro-establishment majority.

Beijing has accused the West, especially the United States and “opposition parties and politicians” in Hong Kong, of fuelling protests triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill that have since developed into calls for democratic reforms and an investigation into police use of force against the protesters.

Mei Xinyu, an economist affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce, said on Monday morning that “the landslide defeat in the Hong Kong district council elections could be a good thing if it resulted in deep reflection”.

“The mess in Hong Kong and a big defeat in the district council elections will hopefully kick-start rumination on its own Zunyi Conference,” Mei said in an online post, referring to a meeting of Communist Party leaders in 1935 that resulted in a personnel reshuffle and endorsed Mao Zedong’s leadership of the party and military.

In an opinion piece published after the election results, state tabloid Global Times said the outcome should not be understood as a sign of support for “mobs”.

“It is both inconceivable and totally impossible that most Hongkongers would encourage violence, support political confrontation against the mainland, and back the city to become a bridgehead for US political forces to pressure China,” the article said.

But it also accused “Western forces” of backing the opposition in the elections.

“It must be pointed out that the West has been helping the Hong Kong opposition in district council elections in the past week,” it said.

The article cited various overseas media reports last week as evidence of that help, including reports that

Simon Cheng Man-kit

, a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong, claimed to have been tortured during 15 days of detention on the mainland amid the protests.

It also referred to Australian media reports about

Wang Liqiang

, who claimed he was a mainland spy but was described by Shanghai police as a fraud.

Global Times

editor-in-chief Hu Xijin

urged pro-Beijing supporters not to be discouraged by the results, saying they should see them “as a foundation for the country to face the practical issues in Hong Kong and a focus to improve future work”.

“With the country so strong, the happenings in Hong Kong will not turn things upside down … staying united is most important,” Hu said.

As the ballot count continued into Monday morning, influential mainland commentator

Ren Yi

compared the elections in Hong Kong to a “referendum”, calling it “the only credible opinion poll”.

“Both the pro-establishment and pro-democracy camps have been politicising the elections, asking people to vote to have their voice heard on the political unrest … All parties [in Hong Kong] are driving people to vote in the ‘referendum’,” Ren wrote on his Chairman Rabbit WeChat account.

Ren, who has more than a million followers on Weibo, is regarded as very influential among Chinese officials.

“Hong Kong has been lacking a credible opinion poll, there has not even been a credible exit poll, so presumably both camps have no clear understanding of the election results and need to understand public opinion through this election,” he said, adding it would be necessary to study the demography of voting results.

Ren has published frequently on Hong Kong with a hawkish view towards the protesters.

Flint Street Nativity: A Review

by Les May

I WAS looking forward to first night of the second offering of the season from Rochdale’s Curtain Theatre, Flint Street Nativity.  Did it live up to my (high) expectations?  Well, almost.

An adult theatre group, playing children to an audience which had a fair sprinkling of Primary School teachers amongst its members, who between them must have been involved in dozens of such happenings, was always going to be a challenge, especially as many of the cast had to appear a second time as their parent later in the play.

The first twenty minutes or so I found baffling.  I much prefer to laugh with children not at them.  It was I suppose intended to ‘set the scene’ by recapitulating the rehearsals and introducing us to the different personalities of the children.  I found myself longing for Michael Winner to rise from the grave and say ‘Calm down dear’ or an Ofsted inspection to take place.

Things changed once ‘The Christmas Story’, or at least the Flint Street version of it, got underway.  There was the expected humour of the ‘child’ cast being in the wrong place on the stage, being too shy to speak their lines, bizarre farm animals and upside down babies.  But some of the funniest pieces were from the innocent honesty of some of ‘the children’, verbal misunderstandings, and new words to old carols.

After the one king with two presents, bath salts and myrrh, had found her way to the baby Jesus, who by this time was looking rather the worse for wear, it only needed Herod and his cardboard castle to round off the story.   But it didn’t finish there.

In the final scene we were invited to the meet the parents over glasses of punch and hear the prejudices they had handed on to their children.  And what a bunch they were!

But that wasn’t really the end, because Tim’s dad appears in the playground and we are fleetingly invited to the darker side of Christmas for some parents.   If you are unfortunate enough to recognise him, just remember miracles do sometimes happen at Christmas.  Honestly they really do.

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