The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong

by Jonathan Dimbleby

Overview

1 July 1997 marked the end of British rule of Hong Kong, whereby this territory was passed into the hands of the People’s Republic of China.

In 1992, Chris Patten, former chairman of the Conservative Party, was appointed Hong Kong's last governor, and was the man to oversee the handover ceremony of this former British colony.

Within the last five years of British rule, acclaimed journalist Jonathan Dimbleby was given unique access to the governor which enabled him to document the twists and turns of such an extraordinary diplomatic, political and personal drama.

As Governor, Patten encouraged the necessary expansion of Hong Kong's social welfare system, striving to reconcile the basic rights and freedom of over 6 million people with the unpredictable imperatives of Beijing.

Drawing on the insights of a host of senior figures, the author places the crisis in both its human and historical contexts, and presents some startling arguments about the conduct of British foreign policy on Hong Kong before and during Patten's tenure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526701831
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	11/16/2018
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Dimbleby is an historian and broadcaster, a political commentator and a writer. He also acts as president of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Vice-President and past President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), president of the South Hams Society and is a trustee of Dimbleby Cancer Care.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Foreword xiii

Introduction xxi

1 'A Terrible Feeling of Falling': The New Governor Arrives in Hong Kong 1

2 'Reckless and Unscrupulous Adventures': Britain Acquires a Colony 19

3 'We Had No Option': Deciding Hong Kong's Fate 45

4 'No One is Safe': Alarm Bells Across the Border 64

5 'No More Games': The Governor Assesses his Options 86

6 'A Democratic Time Bomb': Patten Draws Up a Blueprint 113

7 'You Deserve Better': An Agenda for Hong Kong 137

8 'Restraint in Difficult Circumstances': Britain and China at Odds 167

9 'The Criminal of All Time': Beijing Campaigns Against the Governor 186

10 'Pebbles in a Black Hole': Talks About Talks 212

11 'The Mad Governor Factor': Negotiating in Earnest but in Vain 234

12 'Without Fear or Favour': Defending Free Speech 253

13 'A Bracing and Bruising Experience': Charges and Counter-Charges 279

14 'Inside I'm Crowing Like Mad': LegCo Votes on Patten's Reforms 304

15 'A Matter of Decency': A Row Over the Court of Find Appeal 326

16 'A Good Moment': The First Fully Elected LegCo 349

17 'Not Remotely Acrimonious': Tackling the Home Secretary 372

18 'Thank You For the Visas, Prime Minister': John Major Brings Good News 402

19 'The Headbanger in Hong Kong': China Maintains the Pressure 430

20 'We Are Not Simply Limp Victims': The Governor's Authority Begins to Crumble 454

21 'We All Know the End of the Plot': Wrangling About the Handover 473

22 'Hong Kong Can't Be Lobotomised': Patten Rum Out of Time 489

Epilogue 511

Sources and Further Reading 537

Index 539

Editorial Reviews

Remarkable… contains allegations against British Prime Ministers and officials as astonishing as anything in recent imperial history.
—The Times

Simon Jenkins

Brilliant… a riveting account of the duplicity and deviousness of the British Civil Service, a detailed examination of the way departments and uncivil servants lie, cheat and betray anyone who stands in their way. It is Yes, Minister without the jokes, a peek into the unreal world where ‘economical with the truth is regarded as a clever remark.
—Observer

Peter Hillmore

Extraordinary… Dimbleby [is] a lucid and eloquent writer.
—New York Review of Books

Jonathan Mirsky