身在嚴寒的北京，一方面努力翻牆，希望可以突破金盾看到平日唾手可得的資訊，像劉曉波被判十一年的消息，沒有一份內地傳媒報導；一方面見證北京這幾年來的巨大改變，許多高樓大廈拔地而起，像 IFC 一樣的名店大商場遍地開花，但拆遷、房價、移民、交通、蟻族等問題亦越見明顯。北京的交通變化得最是巨大，雖然四處可見漂亮的公路，但由於京城汽車的數目正以每天一千多輛的速度上升，現時近四百萬的車輛正挑戰北京城內公路網的極限，每天堵車已是家常便飯。房價飈升更是問題，京城有這樣一個黑色笑話：『二環內聽的是外國話；三環內聽的是溫州話；四環內聽的是山西話；五環內聽的是廣東話；六環聽的才是北京話』，本地人都給迫出北京城了。遍佈京城和其他大城巿的外圍的，還有一班高智、群居、弱小的蟻族們（大學畢業生低收入聚居群體），這群八十後和九十後的失落和失望，是中國強勁的經濟發展背後的陰影。如果有興趣了解多點內地年青一代對房價的看法，不妨一看剛被停播的電視劇《蝸居》，在內地很受歡迎，但也似乎因為太直接，所以難逃被停播命運。
國務委員劉延東，早前在香港說希望『港澳抓住難得機遇，搭上祖國發展的快車，實現更大發展。』在北京最大的感受，就是大家都希望在這快車向前衝的同時找最多利益，手快有手慢冇，即使國家提出科學發展觀，說要以人為本、要持續發展，但發展仍是硬道理，而穩定則仍壓倒一切。政府對於社會問題當然有一套理解，在它認為重要的領域，對意見的接受程度可以很高，例如環保，例如經濟；但前題是政府必需掌握議題的主導權，在它還未準備好的領域，例如民主，例如維權，民間的異議聲音，立刻可以成為異議者進秦城的通行證。當然亦有政府借民間力量作東風，以推行自己難以推行的政策，例如反貪反腐；但說到尾，意見能否被接受，不在於意見本身合理與否，也不在於異議聲音是否強烈，而是在於政府喜不喜歡。而這樣，當然是悲哀的。
在這個層面上，香港政府還是比中央政府容易面對。12月18 日成功暫延立法會的高鐵撥款，大家除了因為嚐到了一點久違的勝利感覺而高興，也在思考以後的路該怎樣走。反高鐵運動由菜園村開始，一年時間，小火頭變成遍地開花的戰火，證明了我們的社會當真千瘡百孔。矛盾不是被製造出來的，而是被突顯出來，使我城無法繼續對之裝作視而不見。反高鐵運動突顯了：1. 土地資源的分配不公義；2. Mega Projects 的陋規惡習；3. 立法會功能組別的不民主；4. 與內地融合的問題的思考貧乏；5. 巿民參與影響公帑運用的意識和能力的缺乏；6. 政府的獨斷獨行、對民怨的無知。
要拉倒現時高鐵方案，雖然可能性很低，但我們還是要朝這方向堅持下去；同時我們亦要思考，反高鐵運動走下去，這股力量將會怎樣蛻變。反高鐵運動與本土行動一脈相承，繼續了在利東街、天星皇后未完成使命；同時亦正與民主運動匯流，功能組別是兩者的共同敵人，而政府吸納民意、順應民意的問題，正正也是民主化的問題。在泛民因為五區總辭而分裂的同時，反高鐵運動會否成為民主派間的黏合劑，重新將民間和議會中爭取民主的力量重整及結合？
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我的觀點是先衝破British eccentricity
i was awakened by some eccentricity of another person who has lived in hk for a decade, so i got this one.
01 April 2006
British Eccentricities
It’s now been a year and a half since my arrival here in the U.K., that’s long enough to have gotten used to the novelty of British life and short enough to still maintain the curiosity. Over this time I’ve come to marvel and wonder and sometimes shake my head at the British way of life. Before I get so used to it, that it becomes my way of life too, let me attempt to document a few things that makes the British tick.
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Celebrities:
Poking you nose into other peoples lives is not something British are famous for, then why I wonder, the obsession of the Brits for celebrity gossip. Britain today is in the grip of a celebrity era. Everybody who is somebody is considered a celeb here. T.V. shows cover their lives(the height of which is one called “Big Brother “show) and magazines pick up their every move. The common people latch onto every detail and ask for more, while secretly nursing hopes of a celebrity status for themselves someday! The whole British entertainment industry seems obsessed with creating celebrities, and much of the public chatter is dominated by celebrity talk, its not general knowledge that matters here, but celeb knowledge. If you want to be in with the crowd, you’d better follow you television closely and make sure u know who your daily soap opera actors are!
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http://thomsupdates.blogspot.com/2006/04/british-eccentricities.html
You crazy rosbifs
Binge-drinking teenagers, dreadful food, terrible weather, sexual repression ... All this and Boris Johnson. No wonder the French are perplexed by us, as these translated extracts from Agnès Catherine Poirier's new book show
* Agnès Catherine Poirier
* The Guardian, Tuesday 12 April 2005
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British eccentricity
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It's the insularity of the British that makes them, by definition, "ex-centred" (in the strict meaning of the term). In the course of time, the notion was then applied to the way of thinking and acting of people who behave in extraordinary ways, contrary to the received wisdom. There's no point looking for examples of European eccentrics; you won't find them. Don Quixote in Spain and Jacques Tati in France? Odd, yes, but not eccentric.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/apr/12/britishidentity.society