Today's SCMP has two gems in its pages today. It remains unlinkable unless you are as unfortunate as me and fell for a subscription. Thus the cut and paste will be deployed:

1. At least 90,000 Hong Kong residents have just three days to get a new "smart" identity card or face a $5,000 fine...If they were all fined $5,000, the government would have $450 million - enough to fund four more Harbour Fests.

Often journalists try and put into context what a large amount of money would translate into in terms of schools, hospitals, police, whatever. In this case, the SCMP points out we could fund more than 4 more Harbour Fests. I almost spat my corn flakes across the table as I chortled with merriment at this one.

2. The government has given the clearest signal yet that the Basic Law allows the chief executive election in 2007 to be conducted by universal suffrage if necessary. But Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung stopped short of making any promises during a three-hour Legco debate on democracy last night.

Article 45 of the Basic Law includes the sentence The ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures. There's other amusing bits in the Basic Law but that's for another day. This text was agreed between to Poms and Chinese when the Poms realised they wanted democracy in HK, about 5 years before they had to hand it back. There is an Annexe that further discusses the Chief's election, but the subtext is whether there should be elections IN 2007 or AFTER 2007. Just another bit of creeping democracy in HK. This is why China is so keen to keep HK as a seperate entity with the "two systems, one country" slogan.