The inconclusive talks, and the eye-opening interview given before them

People watching the televised talks between Umbrella Movement

representatives and the government earlier this evening
at the Causeway Bay protest site

If only members of the government would come under the yellow 

canopy in the flesh (Yes, you may say I'm a dreamer but...)

So the talks between the protesters and the authorities finally happened... and as widely expected, neither side looked able to convince the other of the validity of its views.  But on the bright side, they were talking -- not shouting at and haranguing the other.  And Hong Kongers got to see and hear that the Umbrella Revolution representatives aren't radical revolutionaries but, rather, overly idealistic students at worst.

Also, it may be empty words but it's still interesting that Chief Secretary Carrie Lam included the following statements in her concluding remarks:-

- The framework for 2017 is not final.

- The government is considering how to make a report to central government to reflect people’s views.  

Still, far more illuminating to me -- and most definitely damning -- is 689's remarks ahead of the talks in an interview carried in The Wall Street Journal, the International New York Times and the Financial Times -- and reported by such as the South China Morning Post in the past 24 hours.  And while the International New York Times' article's headline read "Hong Kong Leader Reaffirms Unbending Stance on Elections", the South China Morning Post got closer to the crux of it with its headline of "CY Leung: 'Democracy would see poorer people dominate vote.'"

For those who missed it, here's the opening paragraph from the International New York Times piece: The Beijing-appointed leader of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying, said Monday evening that it was unacceptable to allow his successors to be chosen in open elections, in part because doing so would risk giving poorer residents a dominant voice in politics.

And here's more from the South China Morning Post's piece:-

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told media that if the government met pro-democracy protesters’ demands it would result in the city’s poorer people dominating elections.

...Leung said that if candidates were nominated by the public then the largest sector of society would likely dominate the electoral process. 

...“If it’s entirely a numbers game and numeric representation, then obviously you’d be talking to the half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 a month [HK$13,964.2],” Leung said in comments published by the WSJ, the FT and the INYT.

...Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has one of the biggest income divides in the world, with growing discontent at increased inequality and exorbitant property prices fuelling the protests which turned increasingly violent at the end of last week.

...Leung’s latest comments are likely to further fuel the anger of protesters who see him as hapless, out of touch and pandering to the whims of a small  number of tycoons who dominate the financial hub.

And this man is supposed to be a Communist?  Only under China's brand of Communism...