University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.
- Henry Kissinger

The recent imbroglio over legislator Kam Nai-wai’s not-quite-a-sex-scandal and the Chief Executive’s attempt (and a misguided one, at that) at correcting the pan-Democrats’ grammar (Mingpao: Link in Chinese) are but the latest illustrations of the pettiness of disputes in local politics. (Readers with longer memories may recall that the infamous League of Social Democrats “banana incident” occurred almost exactly a year ago.)

The dearth of substantive policy arguments and the rise of empty spectacle is, of course, not a political phenomenon unique to Hong Kong - but the combination of a Legislature hamstrung by design and a persistent lack of political courage, both within Government (at Cabinet and at civil servant levels) and within the pan-Democratic camp, are major contributors. (The customary Scourging of the Mainstream Media for its abdication of its public responsibilities can, Palmerston assumes, be taken as read.)

Indeed, even as Legco politics display all the dysfunctions of a University student society, local student bodies’ disputes have been elevated to near-headline status. Earlier this year the South China Morning Post ran a piece about how the HKU Students’ Union was forced to re-run its election for Union President. This would not have merited discussion, but for the fact that the stated reason was “lack of experience in running contested elections”. However, what was truly remarkable about this story was that the Post’s Editorial Board thought that it merited pride of place in Page A2 of that day’s paper.

Kissinger, eat your heart out. ?