经济学人183:意大利政治 骑士归来

 　　Italian politics

　　意大利政治

　　The ex-Cavaliere is back on his horse

　　骑士归来

　　A favourable¹ court judgment² for the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, may help Matteo Renzi shake up Italy

　　对于前总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼让人信服的判决可能会帮助马泰奥·伦齐掌控意大利

　　FEW events in Italy's recent history have had a more crushing effect on morale³ than the wrecking⁴ of the Costa Concordia, an Italian-owned and skippered liner that capsized off the island of Giglio in January 2012. The giant vessel⁵ foundered⁶ with the loss of 32 lives as Italy, battered⁷ by years of economic stagnation⁸ even before the euro-zone crisis, seemed bound for default on its vast public debts. Silvio Berlusconi had just resigned as prime minister, internationally derided⁹ for his “Bunga Bunga” sex parties and relationship with a young Moroccan, Karima El-Mahroug. Confirmation¹⁰ that the Costa Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, had left the ship before completing its evacuation prompted a bout¹¹ of mortified¹² soul-searching.

　　在意大利近几年的历史上，很少有事件的轰动性能超过2012年1月意属豪华邮轮Costa Concordia 在吉廖岛附近触礁沉没的事故。这艘满载财富的邮轮同时也带走了32个意大利人的生命，由于多年来一直遭受经济停滞的影响，意大利在欧元区危机爆发之前就似乎已经开始拖欠巨额的债务。不过前总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼的事件显然是个例外，当时他已经辞去了总理一职，全世界都在嘲笑他荒诞的性爱聚会以及他和摩洛哥雏妓卡莉玛·艾尔·马罗格。可以确认的是，在邮轮完成疏散之前，船长已经提前逃离了邮轮，这一行为引起了人们对于人性的深刻反省。

　　The removal from Giglio on July 23rd of the refloated, if rusty¹³, hulk was thus more than a triumph of salvaging¹⁴ skill and technology: it eased a huge symbolic¹⁵ weight from the national psyche¹⁶. And it coincided with what Matteo Renzi, the newish prime minister, called “the start of a process of profound change”. On the same day,Italy's upper house began voting on amendments¹⁷ to a bill to reduce the senate from 315 members to 100 and fill it with lawmakers from municipal and regional government or presidential appointees rather than elected representatives. The reform will remove a big obstacle to effective government inItaly: the “coequal” powers of its upper and lower houses, which result in legislation frequently bouncing between chambers¹⁹. The proposed new senate will have drastically reduced legislative²⁰ powers.

　　对于吉廖岛附近沉船的转移从7月23日船只再度浮出水面时开始，如果一切顺利，这堆笨重的废铁就不仅仅象征着救灾技术的巨大成功：同时也让整个国家的精神如释重负。同时这也和新晋总理马泰奥·伦齐宣扬的“伟大变革的开始”保持一致。同一天，意大利上议院开始就关于将参议院315个席位减少到100个的提案进行投票，该提案还将在参议院中增加来自地方立法机构，政府或者是总统指定的一些人员，而不是像之前那样全部通过选举产生。这些改革将会为建立强而有效的意大利政府扫除很多障碍。而对于上下议院权力的平衡行为最常导致的结果就是议院之间关系的动荡。而新推行的一系列政策将彻底削弱立法机构的权力。

　　For some critics, particularly in the populist Five Star Movement, this is a lurch²¹ towards authoritarian²² government. Others complain the reform enhances the influence on national politics ofItaly's often corrupt²³ regional governments. Recent days have seen claims that the deputy governor of Lombardy gave a consultancy contract worth 16,000 a year to his chauffeur²⁴ and the arrest of a former governor of neighbouring Veneto, accused of taking millions for licences to build the barriers that will protect Venice from flooding.

　　对于一些评论家来说，这些改革意味着形势陡然转向独裁主义政府。其他人则抱怨这些举动可能会对国家政治中一直存在的地方政府贪污现象带来不好的影响。近期我们已经能看到不少负面报道了，诸如伦巴第大区的副总裁将一个年薪1.6万欧元的顾问职位交给了他的私人司机，还有对邻近的威尼托区前管理者的逮捕，罪名为擅自挪用了用于修建防洪设施的资金，且数额高达数百万之巨。

　　意大利政治.jpg

　　Some also argue that Mr Renzi should have secured a broader consensus²⁵ before submitting his bill to parliament. Around 7,850 amendments have been tabled in the senate alone. Maria Elena Boschi, the minister sponsoring the bill, claimed the amendments would “make us work an extra week and lose a bit of holiday”. But the reform has much further to go than the Costa Concordia. Ansa, a news agency, calculated that vetting²⁶ the senate amendments could take three months. Then the bill must go to the chamber¹⁸, and again to both houses. Another objection, surprisingly rarely heard inItaly, is that its legislators' time might be better spent on its still-moribund economy: last week, the Bank of Italy forecast GDP growth of just 0.2% for this year.

　　同时还有部分人主张伦齐应该在将修正案提交之前获得更多的支持。现在已经有大约7850个修正案提交到了参议院。参议院官员玛利亚·艾琳娜·博施在支持这些议案的同时表示“这将会让我们额外多工作一周时间并且失去一些假期。”但是相比对Costa Concordia 邮轮的施救行动而言，改革需要更多的时间来完成。新闻机构Ansa表示整个改革将用掉大约3个月的时间。这些提案必须先移交到内阁，接着再次回到上下议院进行讨论。另一种令人震惊且稀有的反对言论表示，意大利立法机构应该更着重于奄奄一息的经济状况—上周，意大利国家银行的报表预测今年的国内生产总值仅有0.2%的增长率。

　　The proposed reform is the fruit of a pact²⁷ in January between Mr Renzi and Mr Berlusconi, who still leads the second-biggest party in the senate. The bill's prospects²⁸ of approval were greatly enhanced when, on June 18th, a court inMilanupheld the media tycoon's appeal against his convictions for allegedly paying for underage sex with Ms El-Mahroug and misusing²⁹ his authority to try to conceal³⁰ their relationship. Seen through the eyes of Mr Berlusconi and his supporters, who regard the judges as puppets of the left, the successful appeal showed Mr Renzi was honouring his side of a bargain implicit³¹ in the January deal.

　　这些提出的改革措施实际上是1月份伦齐与贝卢斯科尼之间协议的过时。即便麻烦缠身，贝卢斯科尼依然领导着参议院中第二大的政党。在6月18日，米兰法庭表达了对广大媒体团关于贝卢斯科尼指控的上诉后，这些提案通过的几率大大增加。在贝卢斯科尼和他的支持者看来，这些判决无疑是受左翼政党控制的，而这次成功的上诉则是伦齐在极力维持他在一月份与贝卢斯科尼之间达成的协议。

　　Mr Berlusconi had been sentenced to a year in prison on the vice³² charge, and six for abusing his position. That he was acquitted³³ of the first charge was unsurprising: even some of his critics thought the evidence was inconclusive. But although many felt his sentence on the other charge was excessive, few expected an acquittal. It is widely accepted that the then prime minister telephoned police inMilanto get Ms El-Mahroug released after she was detained, suspected of theft. The former prime minister's lawyer said the verdict went beyond his “rosiest expectations”. Mr Berlusconi was “deeply moved” and even praised the “vast majority of judges”.

　　贝卢斯科尼因为不道德的行为被判处一年监禁，因滥用职权被判6年。一点也不让人惊讶，他的首要指控被宣布无罪，即便是一些批判他的人也认为那些所谓的证据是模棱两可的。但是，尽管所有人都觉得对于他其它罪行的判决有点过于严厉，但是几乎没有人希望他能无罪释放。众所周知，在那位雏妓因为偷窃而被米兰警方拘留时，贝卢斯科尼曾致电当地警局要求释放该女子。前总理的律师表示，陪审团的裁决已经超乎了他最“美好的期盼”，贝卢斯科尼也被“深深感动了”甚至还赞扬了“大部分公正的法官。”

　　The court has yet to give its reasons, but the way it framed its ruling suggested it had no option but to clear Mr Berlusconi of the misuse³⁴ of authority charge. In 2012, barely noticed by the public and scarcely reported in the media, Mario Monti's government, which succeeded Mr Berlusconi's, abolished the offence for which the former prime minister had been indicted³⁵. In its place, two new ones were created, together with a gap between them into which, Mr Berlusconi's lawyers argued, his conduct fell. As some commentators³⁶ now recall, Mr Monti's government relied for survival on the support of Mr Berlusconi's followers³⁷.

　　法院还未给出了自己的理由，但是它的裁决表明了它除了能洗清贝卢斯科尼渎职的罪名之外并有其他的能力。2012年，很少有公众和媒体注意到马里奥·蒙蒂的政府成功掩护贝卢斯科尼销毁了法院对他的两项指控。所以现在一些评论者回想起来认为蒙蒂的政府是要依靠贝卢斯科尼的党羽们才能苟延残喘。

　　The 77-year-old Mr Berlusconi cannot run for public office again because of another conviction for tax fraud, which also led to his being stripped of his knighthood. And the prosecutors³⁸ in the ‘Ruby' case are likely to seek a final ruling from the supreme³⁹ court, which could yet decide that the former prime minister is guilty of one or other offence. But the decision of the Milancourt has nevertheless given Mr Berlusconi renewed influence over the fortunes of Italy. As Il Messaggero, a Rome daily, put it, l'ex Cavaliere rimonta a cavallo, the ex-knight is back on his horse.

　　不过77岁的贝卢斯科尼依然不能正式回归政治，因为他同时还因为一些税务问题遭到指控，这同时也剥夺了他的“骑士身份”。同时，“粉红事件”的公诉人有可能转而向最高法院寻求最终判决，因为最高法院依然裁定前总理因为一个或更多的原因有罪。不过，无论如何米兰法院的判决都帮助贝卢斯科尼再次赢得了对意大利未来的影响力。就如一份罗马日报—Il Messaggero 表达的那样:骑士马前复出，落魄骑士再度归来。

1 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

4 wrecking   

破坏

参考例句：

• He teed off on his son for wrecking the car. 他严厉训斥他儿子毁坏了汽车。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Instead of wrecking the valley, the waters are put to use making electricity. 现在河水不但不在流域内肆疟，反而被人们用来生产电力。 来自辞典例句

5 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

6 foundered   

v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Three ships foundered in heavy seas. 三艘船在波涛汹涌的海面上沉没了。 来自辞典例句
• The project foundered as a result of lack of finance. 该项目因缺乏资金而告吹。 来自辞典例句

7 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

8 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

9 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

10 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

11 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

12 mortified   

v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等）

参考例句：

• She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了，直羞得无地自容。
• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

14 salvaging   

（从火灾、海难等中）抢救（某物）( salvage的现在分词 )； 回收利用（某物）

参考例句：

• A shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship. 某轮船公司要求赔赏打捞沉船的费用。（make a claim 要求）
• It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship. 航运公司为打捞沉船的费用而提出要求，这并非奇闻。

15 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

16 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。

17 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

18 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

19 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

20 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

21 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

22 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

23 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

24 chauffeur   

n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车

参考例句：

• The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
• She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。

25 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

26 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

27 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

28 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

29 misusing   

v.使用…不当( misuse的现在分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• This means we must stop misusing them. 也就是说，我们已必须停止滥用抗菌素不可了。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器
• Misusing organic fertilizer may cause a decrease in the soil's quality. 滥用有机肥料可能会导致土地的土质下降。 来自互联网

30 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

31 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

32 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

33 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

34 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

35 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

36 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

37 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

38 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

39 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。