Book signings & MTR stations

The man with the Bow tie was getting Sinclaires signature in the FCC last night. How he can walk in there is a wonder but he did. Sinclair appears to have written best wishes from Sinclair. For a man that has not got long to go saying it how it is would have been better. Sad that even in in his final days the need to self censor is still prevalent. A lady appears to have some editorial function in the standard. Her name is Mary Ma She feels today that taking the piss out of the person who gets loads of dosh from taxpayers is unfair and Legco should stop doing it. Apparently Hong Kong is what it is today because people "sort a better deal". Apparently the bit that only the really connected got it was lost in the print run. She goes on "instead of continuing to hound Chong, one should be trying to determine where the blame lies" Well my dear Mary, I guess asking the CEO whether the Chairman approved it is a case in point especially when the bloke at the TB said she did. Selina has no recollection I presume which probably is a similar answer to I didnt inhale, she didnt swallow etc etc. Glad to see our poloticians are at least learning. She goes on to explain that other matters are of equal import such as bonuses for performance when no performance benchmark is set. The reasoning behind all this Mary is that if you can determine the CEO is on the gravy train and the Driver Selina has the lights on but is not steering then the rest is QED. It appears to be yet another example hard on the heals of the department for silly inventions. Apparently Mary expects that the legislators will be able to determine whether the board gave value for money. So how will they do that. Work out how much the government got in tax fro tourism, take away what the tourist board cost and if its a plus say yes. I do not think you have to be a genius to realise that once again this is an organisation that is run on the basis of grace and favour of the CE. Now onto more stupidity. The South Island line. You build a line to South Horizons, Ocean Park and that apparently is pretty much it. Well it would be except there must be a massive scramble on at the moment for all the derlict buildings in Aberdeen so that the developers can make a killing on tuscany towers adjacent to the Ocean Park MTR station. But there is no stop at Happy Valley, Nothing to relieve Causeway Bay or Wanchai, through which the line runs. If the jockey club want one they will have to pay for it themselves. Now forgive me if I appear stupid, but the jockey club maintains a monopoly on gambling in Hong Kong and I believe is some sort of Quasi charity. Its revenue is shrouded in secrecy as is its governance, however its punters are the people of Hong Kong. This institution effectively taxes those who often miss the net and passes it back to the government aften wining and dining on the proceeds. So if the Jockey club pays, it reduces the money it could give to charity and reduces money returned in tax. Does this mean we pay but in the process mostly the poor and stupid who gamble pay. I think it does, nothing like widening the tax base and getting the poor to pay for tourists to visit ocean park in comfort and to add to developers profits after they have left the trough.