My Take | BN(O) scheme more a cruel trap than ticket to paradise

The BN(O) scheme as an escape route for Hongkongers from “tyranny” has been the triumph of showy British politics over sound economics. Its pretension of offering “freedom” has become a trap for thousands from the city who now can’t make ends meet, and only a bleak future awaits them and their families in the United Kingdom.

It would have been less cruel if the previous Conservative government of Boris Johnson had set some requirements for professional qualifications or net worth to select those more likely to succeed in making this huge life-changing adjustment. At least such people would have a fighting chance to make it and live well, rather than just surviving, if at all, in an economy and society in rapid decline.

The harsh reality is that BN(O) migration is not for everyone, despite having 2.5 million potentially qualified Hongkongers.

But the former prime minister was always known for show over substance, bombast over well-thought-out policy. Equally unforgivable has been ex-Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, who lent his enormous prestige among some Hong Kong people – I used to be one of them – to promote the scheme because of a warped sense of colonial responsibility to his former subjects and a mythological belief that Hong Kong was descending into a Maoist hell. Well, when you are out of (colonial) office, the best thing you can do is to shut the hell up!

After spending a whole life in the bubble of British politics, and having retired with no doubt a very sizeable nest egg, Patten probably has no idea how many economically disadvantaged Britons actually live. No doubt in his mind, great Britannica offers an idyllic life for all comers.

Aspiring BN(O)ers should read this latest post on Quora from a certain Joe Kuan. I don’t know who he is other than his claim that he was originally from Hong Kong and has worked as a chef for a long time in Britain.