Mike Bickerton

The whole Bo saga is a fascinating tale! Almost as fun to watch from the sidelines as the trials of Mr. Murdoch … And inside they don’t even know the real story. There’s this great debate on as to whether they’re resisting him because he represents liberalizing forces or whether they think he’s the opposite – another demagogue. But it’s one of the juiciest stories going and yes, when are they making the movie???

On a serious note—to say that that was an experience would be a serious under-use of the term.

Now, the Bo Xilai part is very interesting to me. And may I say how lucky you and Tom were not to be served any food by his wife! Mr. Bo, as you know, has not been seen in public since March.

The whole situation, involving his wife, the Brit, and Mr Wang, the Police Chief (that sounds like a movie, doesn’t it?!), grows more jaw-droppingly chilling and bizarre as the days go by. It may show that China still has a long way to go in terms of dealing with and stamping out graft, money smuggling, nepotism, favoritism and a whole host of other problems usually associated with a totalitarian regime. Or, it could all be an elaborate ruse by the Chinese politburo to keep Mr. Bo at bay. Which would mean activity usually associated with a totalitarian regime.

Apropos, with the enourmous opportunities and wealth creation taking place today in China, I heartily recommend ‘The Fat Years’ by Koonchung Chan, for a look at where China may be headed. Marxist capitalism is the new term.

Apropos of nothing, but with regard to Ricky Martin…sigh. He’s so dreamy. You guys are so lucky.