Charter 08, a radical call by 300 intellectuals for an end to one party rule was widely expected to die a quiet death. Instead, it seems to be taking on a life of it's own. Read this article in the Washington Post about the kinds of people who are adding their names… Eight thousand people is still a drop in the ocean in a country of a billion, but if it is so insignificant, then why does the Communist Party want to ban all mention of it from the internet?
I first wrote about Charter 08 for The Guardian 's online Comment is Free site here, and received a rather rude response on a state-run website.
A couple of days ago I wrote about the economic crisis for Comment is Free. The economic slowdown is already hitting China, although we don't yet know how hard. But the leadership will be watching not only how many people lose their jobs, but how those people react. Beijing has kept the population happy with an economic boom and rising living standards. That's about to falter.