Chris Patten Book order

The diaries of the last British Governor of Hong Kong, published on the 25th anniversary of the handover In June 1992 Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try to prepare it not (as other British colonies over the decades) for independence, but for handing back in 1997 to the Chinese, from whom most of its territory had been leased 99 years previously. Over the next five years he kept this diary, which describes in detail how Hong Kong was run as a British colony and what happened as the handover approached. The book gives unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese, about how the institutions of democracy in Hong Kong were (belatedly) strengthened and how Patten sought to ensure that a strong degree of self-government would continue after 1997. 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 concludes with an account of what has happened in Hong Kong since the handover, a powerful assessment of recent events and Patten's reflections on how to deal with China - then and now.

Explore the darker side of the popular Go programming language while you test your systems, build and automate tools to fit your needs, and improve your security skillset.

Most politicians write autobiographies to 'set the record straight'. This is a different sort of memoir. Following his life as a self-confessed 'wet European' from parliament to Hong Kong and beyond, Chris Patten creates a meditation on personal and political identity which, in an age of simplification, shows the complexities of both. 'A defence of liberal conservatism ... If old-style centrism is to stage a comeback and reason to supplant stridency and authoritarianism, be it in west or east, the moderates can wave Patten's book on their way to their barricades' Jonathan Fenby, Financial Times 'Vivid, very well-written, First Confession joins the highest tier of recent works by British politicians' Paschal Donohoe, Irish Times 'Draws on his experience of four controversial institutions - the Tory party, the Vatican, the Chinese government and the BBC - to swell the tiny list of intelligent and cultured memoirs by front-line politicians' Mark Lawson, New Statesman, Books of the Year

xii 490p hardback, black cloth with beige cover, very good condition, light wear and sticker to jacket, binding intact, pages clear and bright, a good pre-owned copy with the author's signature on the title page

Reveals how the fall of the Berlin Wall transformed the Western alliance between the United States, Britain, and Europe, explaining how terrorism, Asian economic competition, and cultural divides could have profound implications for the West.

"Not Quite the Diplomat" describes what has been happening in Britain, Europe and the world since 1997 from the perspective of one at the heart of international events. In examining how we got to where we are, he writes candidly about many of the major players and what happened behind closed doors. In arguing about where we should be, he writes with the directness of a man freed at last from the bonds of diplomatic restraint. Will the British still be trying to work out who we are and what we want to be as the world moves on? How far can Europe expand and is Europe all a terrible mistake or where our destiny lies? Does the old, fractured Western alliance still have the time and the will to shape the world before the rise of India and China? Chris Patten's answers to these questions are pungent and devastatingly well informed. No recent book by a politician of any political persuasion has been so engaging, so outspoken and often so funny. If Chris Patten is no longer the diplomat, it is the readers of this book who are the beneficiaries.

From the last governor of Hong Kong, a controversial, astute, and thought-provoking analysis of the Asian phenomenon and the future of economic and political liberty in China and East Asia in the next century. For Chris Patten, Hong Kong was an extraordinary vantage point from which to view the growing economic and political power of China and East Asia over the last five years. As a free colony of the British Empire and the apex of an economic success story, it benefited from the development of the Chinese economy as surely as it contributed to that economic miracle. In a political move which marked the twilight years of the Empire, Hong Kong was finally handed back to Communist China in June 1997. East and West is Chris Patten’s account of the current Asian phenomenon and an astute analysis of China as a rapidly growing world power. The handover of Hong Kong challenged Britain’s liberal conscience. With China looming in the background, it was impossible to build a platform of independence and political democracy as had been constructed in other colonial territories. East and West focuses on Chris Patten’s key disputes with China over questions of democratic election, civil liberties, and Hong Kong’s independence; but, more importantly, it examines the larger picture of the Asian value system. Can you have economic change without political change? Can democratic rule guarantee fair play between economic competitors? There can be no doubt that Asia is a potentially formidable competitor to Europe and the United States, but Communist China lies at the heart of Asian development. In his intelligent and thought-provoking book, Chris Patten examines the implications of China’s economic reforms and sets out the key political agendas for the future – not only for the East, but also for the West.