经济学人:年轻选民 无情的谬误

 　　Young voters

　　年轻选民

　　Apathetic¹ fallacy

　　无情的谬误

　　Online voting could transform Britain's electorate²

　　网络投票改变英国选民

　　Fancy a snap election?

　　喜欢临时选举？

　　ONE-BY-ONE they approach the lectern, explaining why they will cast their votes. “Regardless of whether you do or don't, policies will be implemented,” says Princess, an activist³, to loud cheers. As politicians from the main parties all make their speeches, the atmosphere in the lecture theatre at Queen Mary University, in east London, is electric. This is what Citizens UK, a network of university bodies, youth groups and religious gatherings⁴, does so well: using existing civil-society organisations to spur young people into political action, and holding invigorating assemblies to meld them together.

　　选民们一个一个走上将台，解释他们为什么要投下选票。“不管你投还不是不投，政策还是要实施，”活动家Princess大声欢呼道。各主要政党的代表们都发表演讲之后，东伦敦玛丽皇后大学的演讲厅充满了激昂的情绪。这就是一个大学机构、青年团体和宗教集会网络Citizens UK擅长的伎俩：利用现有的民间社会组织来鼓励年轻人参与政治并举办鼓舞人心的集会来团结他们。

　　年轻选民.jpg

　　It is also the exception. At the 2010 election, according to Ipsos MORI, 44% of Britons aged⁵ between 18 and 24 voted, compared with 76% of those aged 65 and over (national turnout was 65%). The gap is relatively⁶ new: it was half the size in 1970, and has grown significantly only over the past two decades. It is also starker⁷ than elsewhere. In the German election in 2013, for example, 64% of first-time voters cast their ballots⁸, compared with 75% for over-70s. Britain's low youth turnout helps to explain why the outgoing, Conservative-led government has protected public spending on older voters (guaranteeing increases in the state pension, for example) while doing little to solve a housing shortage, which affects the young most acutely.

　　但这也是一个例外。根据莫里市场公司调查显示，在2010年的选举中 ，18岁至24岁的英国选民中有44%的人投出选票，而65岁及以上的选民投票率达到76%（全国投票率为65%）。这个差距一直在变化：1970年的差距仅为2010年的一半，而在过去的20年间迅速增长。英国的差距也比其他地区明显。在2013年的德国大选中，64%的第一次投票的选民（people aged between 17 and 21）进行了投票，70岁以上选民投票率为75%。英国低靡的年轻选民投票率在一定程度上解释了外向的保守党联合政府为何乐意为老年选民保证公共支出（比如保证养老金增长）而不太愿意去解决对年轻人影响更大的住房短缺问题。

　　There are several reasons for the low turnout. One is that more Britons are going to university and ever-more live in short-term, rented accommodation. Both trends make it harder for authorities to register them. Another is that Britain's first-past-the-post system holds down insurgent⁹ parties—like the Green Party—which are popular among young voters but stand no chance of winning more than a handful of seats. This makes voting seem less effective. Perhaps the most convincing explanation is that mainstream¹⁰ parties, with their soporific committee meetings, are ill-attuned to a generation more at home in dynamic organisations like Citizens UK and 38 Degrees, an online campaigning network which claims to have over ten times as many members as the Labour Party.

　　年轻人的低投票率有一些原因。第一，越来越多的英国人进入大学，相较于以前更多地住在短期租赁的住所。这两个趋势让当局很难为他们进行注册。第二，英国选举的简单多数制能够压制叛乱党派——比如绿党——该党在年轻人中更受欢迎，但是却没有机会赢得更多的席位。这让选举变得似乎不那么有效。最有说服力的理由或许是主流政党中那些催人欲睡的委员会把更愿意呆在家里的这个群体推向了动态的组织，比如Citizens UK 和38 Degrees 这个声称拥有比劳工党多10倍成员的在线竞选网络。

　　What to do? In the long term, political parties should become looser, more open and more welcoming. But one simple improvement would be online voting; a measure which John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, has said he wants to see by 2020. That would both accommodate the footloose lives of young Britons, but also reflect how they like to do their politics: online and with reference to their social networks. Estonia introduced online voting in parliamentary elections in 2007. What is Britain waiting for?

　　我们该做什么？长远来看，政党应该变得更宽松、更开放、更受欢迎。但是在线投票或许是一个简单的改进：下议院院长John Bercow说他希望在2020年看到这一景象。这会更加适应年轻英国人自由自在的生活，也能够反映他们喜欢怎样参与政治：通过在线和社交网络。爱沙尼亚已经在2007年的议会选举中引进了在线投票。英国还在等什么呢？

　　1.according to 根据，按照；据…所说

　　例句:Philip stayed at the hotel, according to Mr Hemming¹¹...

　　据亨明先生所说，菲利普住在旅馆里。

　　2.between and 在两者之间

　　例句:It may turn out, however, that some differences both between and within groups are quite marked.

　　然而，各种群之间和各种群内部的部分差异性也许最终会被明显地标记出来。

　　3.hold down 固定；限制；镇压

　　例句:Growth has become less job-intensive, so the economy needs to grow faster to hold down unemployment.

　　经济增长变得不那么就业导向，所以经济需要增长更快以压低失业率。

　　4.claim to 自称、承认

　　例句:Only the opening sequence could claim to be genuinely innovatory¹².

　　只有开场片段能称得上是真正的创新。

1 apathetic   

adj.冷漠的，无动于衷的

参考例句：

• I realised I was becoming increasingly depressed and apathetic.我意识到自己越来越消沉、越来越冷漠了。
• You won't succeed if you are apathetic.要是你冷淡，你就不能成功。

2 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 starker   

（指区别）明显的( stark的比较级 )； 完全的； 了无修饰的； 僵硬的

参考例句：

• As night falls, the contrast between these worlds grows starker. 随着夜幕的降临，两个世界的对比更为鲜明。
• What's more, compared with 1992, voters face a starker economic choice. 另外，跟1992年相比，选民面临着一种更为刻板的经济选择。

8 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

10 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

11 hemming   

卷边

参考例句：

• "Now stop hemming and hawing, and tell me about it, Edward. "别再这个那个的啦，跟我说说吧，爱德华。 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡
• All ideas of stopping holes and hemming in the German intruders are vicious. 一切想要堵塞缺口和围困德国侵略军的办法都是错误的。

12 innovatory   

adj.革新的

参考例句：

• They have collective innovatory mind, have different style and nature again. 他们有共同的革新精神，又有不同的风格和性格。 来自互联网
• Innovatory code (trick) locks are really unmatched. 新型密码锁，真正独一无二。 来自互联网