It's not easy being a Hong Kong newspaper or a pundit says Michael DeGolyer, managing to fill a page in The Standard with why he's going nothing to write about. But he's right. Usually the pages of the English language press in this town are an odd assortment of wire stories, local pieces of limited interest but that proves they are "Hong Kong" papers and bits on China that are typically cobbled together from the mainland press and a week or two late, with the occasional geniune piece of reporting or journalism that stands out simply by being geniune.

But yesterday is meant to be the one day of the year the newspapers can devote pages of coverage to The Don's Policy Address, which this year managed to say even less than usual - no mean feat. What's puzzling is this is the last chance for The Don before he runs for re-election next year, which is essentially guaranteed to happen. The beauty of not being a democracy is there was no need to sell-out to the masses with such trifles as a minimum wage law.

But that still leaves one question. While I understand the editors at The Standard were especially busy yesterday, it doesn't mean it is worth duplicating a story on page A4 in the "In Brief" section saying China Southern Airlines may get money from Airbus, only to repeat essentially the same piece in the "In Brief" section on page A8. Still, it fills the space.