美国国家公共电台 NPR--The longest serving member of the House of Commons remembers the queen

The longest serving member of the House of Commons remembers the queen

Transcript¹

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Sir Peter Bottomley, known as the "father of the House," about the legacy² of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. He was boy when queen began her reign³.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We're going to bring in another perspective now, that of Sir Peter Bottomley. He's a senior member of Parliament and holds the title Father of the House. He has held the longest uninterrupted service in the House of Commons, serving since 1975. Sir Peter was just a little boy when Queen Elizabeth began her reign, and he still remembers her coronation.

PETER BOTTOMLEY: I was 8. My mother brought my sister and myself out the way that the procession was going to come from Buckingham Palace to go down to Westminster Abbey. We got ourselves periscopes⁴ - little sort of cardboard tubes with a mirror at one end and a mirror at the other so you could look over the heads of grown-up people. And when they passed, I walked 2 1/2 miles back across London by myself to the local vicar, the minister of religion, who had just bought or had a black-and-white television set. And I was able to watch the rest of the coronation on that.

MARTIN: Seventy years. I mean, she was the only monarch⁵ that most Britons ever knew. It leaves an indelible mark on the British psyche⁶, her passing, as evidenced by the miles of people who are waiting all weekend to pay their respects.

BOTTOMLEY: It's true that enormous numbers of people have come for paying their respects to her lying in state in the Great Hall of Westminster, from which she's moved to Westminster Abbey before going on to Windsor. Some of it is curiosity. Most of it is love. And so many people - it's a memory.

MARTIN: If I may ask a personal question, what does the loss feel like to you?

BOTTOMLEY: It's a transition rather than a loss. I think I felt the way I did when my father died. It was a life well lived. It may be a matter for tears, but not sadness. And also, there's a dedication⁷ to try to go on with King Charles, making it possible for our country to go on improving. And I explain to people that we have a monarchy⁸ because it's a democratic choice. If we didn't want a monarchy, we would have had a revolution. If we didn't want a monarchy, the Parliament would vote to abolish its rule. We haven't. So she was there by choice. King Charles is there by choice. And we can presume that William and George will follow on.

MARTIN: For a lot of people from former colonies, the queen didn't just represent values that were considered aspirational⁹. She represented an exploitative, brutal¹⁰, imperial rule. What do you say to them?

BOTTOMLEY: I can see that people can say the British Empire was not perfect. That's true. I can also see the consequences that other people experienced. So, for example, 50 years ago, Idi Amin threw tens of thousands of Ugandan Asians out of Uganda, one of the most racist¹¹ attacks on innocent people the world has known in peacetime. I'm not sure they'd necessarily think that the British rule was worse than what Idi Amin and Milton Obote gave them. But on the day of the queen's funeral, we can recognize that most decisions about decolonization are ones for Parliament and politics, not for the head of state.

MARTIN: The nation of Antigua and Barbuda recently called on a referendum to decide on removing the British monarch as head of state. Do you believe the Commonwealth¹² of Nations will endure in this new era without Queen Elizabeth?

BOTTOMLEY: The Commonwealth will certainly endure. The answer in endurance is clearly yes. If you take places like Australia, which I'd expected to become a republic years and years ago - didn't when they had a referendum because what they chose to replace it was less popular than going on with the Commonwealth queen, now king. So I think there isn't really a problem. One can have a good argument for all of these things in good time.

MARTIN: You were the second MP, after the Speaker of the House, who swore an oath of loyalty¹³ to King Charles. You've watched him prepare for this role his entire adult life. Who do you believe he will be as monarch?

BOTTOMLEY: By chance, he and I were at the same college, at the same university, two or three years apart. I think he'll help guide future prime ministers into making decisions which are more likely to be successful and less likely to be failures without becoming controversial.

MARTIN: But the public knows far more about him than they did his mother, right? I mean, of course there were all the scandals related to his marriage to Princess Diana. But the public knows also what issues he cares about because he was allowed to advocate in a way his mother never did. Does knowing more about him make him more vulnerable to criticism?

BOTTOMLEY: I don't think knowing something about somebody makes them vulnerable. The fact is things happen. And I think that you need to be able to march forward, as well as being aware that you could have done things better in the past. That certainly applies to me as a member of Parliament. Can I be more of the good person I could be in the future? I think he will be, and I think he'll help us to do the same ourselves to make the country better.

MARTIN: When you think of her legacy, how did she make a difference? What did she accomplish? What did she, Elizabeth, bring to the monarchy?

BOTTOMLEY: The simplest answer is the dedication to service. It's not like being head of a university for five or 10 years. It's not like being chief executive of a company for two years or 18 years. It's a lifelong dedication, and she showed it could be done. You have to have endurance. You have to have fortitude¹⁴, and you have to know that there's a higher cause you're working for rather than just personal popularity.

MARTIN: But it sounds like you're saying what she achieved was survival.

BOTTOMLEY: Well, that's certainly true that she achieved survival as - the same way that King Charles, as heir, did the same thing. But if you start saying, is it because of her that we're far more tolerant on race or sexual orientation¹⁵? No, but she's gone along with that. And I don't think anyone can say she disrespects the difficulties other people go through. In fact, there are plenty of examples where her personal kindnesses to people have made a difference in people's lives. So I think I'd look to the small things as well as the big things and just say that we were to ask God to bless the queen, but now God save the king.

(SOUNDBITE OF TAKENOBU'S "REVERSING")

MARTIN: Sir Peter Bottomley, the longest serving member of the House of Commons.

(SOUNDBITE OF TAKENOBU'S "REVERSING")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 periscopes   

n.潜望镜( periscope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Periscopes at various heights and apparatus of visual relationship between the departed and the living souls. 借助不同高度和方位的潜望镜，人们可以看到逝去与活着的灵魂之间的视觉关系。 来自互联网

5 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

6 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

7 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

8 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

9 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

10 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

11 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

12 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

13 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

14 fortitude   

n.坚忍不拔；刚毅

参考例句：

• His dauntless fortitude makes him absolutely fearless.他不屈不挠的坚韧让他绝无恐惧。
• He bore the pain with great fortitude.他以极大的毅力忍受了痛苦。

15 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。