经济学人:英联合政府"没有永远的敌人 只有永远的利益

 　　Britain The coalition¹ in 2013

　　英国 联合政府的2013

　　Friendly fire

　　内讧

　　David Cameron and Nick Clegg have less to fear from the other side than from their own furious ranks

　　卡梅隆和克莱格之间内忧大于外惧

　　“No Permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests”, goes a well-worn axiom of realist statesmanship. The formation in 2010 of Britain’s first coalition government since the second world war showed that the prospect² of power could trump³ large ideological⁴ differences between two parties. But diplomatic relations between David Cameron’s Conservative Party and Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats⁵ have reached the table-thumping stage.

　　“没有永远的敌我，只有永远的利益。”这条公理已在现实主义的政治家口中说烂。2010年，英国继二战以来首次建立联合政府，这表明权力之争甚至能压倒政党间巨大的意识形态分歧。而今，英国首相大卫·卡梅隆（David Cameron）所在的英国保守党（Conservative Party，与下文中的Tory同义）与副首相尼克·克莱格的英国自由民主党（Liberal Democrats，与下文的Lib Dem同义）已步入貌合神离的阶段。

　　Last year saw bitter arguments over House of Lords reform and constituency boundaries. It ended with the spectacle of Mr Clegg theatrically⁷ rolling his eyes during the autumn statement, in which George Osborne, the Tory chancellor⁸, announced new tax and spending measures. This year is likely to bring rows over press regulation, Europe, welfare cuts, green energy and departmental spending. Such is the antipathy⁹ that plans for a revised government programme were first delayed, then shelved, for fear of uncontainable hostility¹⁰ between the two sides. Instead, a more modest package of new measures will be announced in the spring.

　　去年，两党就英国上议院（House of Lords）改革和选举区划分问题发生过激烈争论。其后，保守党的英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本（George Osborne）在秋季财政报告上宣布新设税制和财政支出政策，对此，克莱格夸张地转了转眼珠。这一趣闻给双方的争论暂时画上句号。而今年争论的焦点将会在媒体监管、欧洲问题、福利削减、能源环保和政府开支之上。此两党由于担心势成水火，在政府计划的修订案上一再拖延、搁置，令人民反感不已。最终，新一揽子计划将于今年春季发布，其内容将更为适中。

　　Astonishingly, the 2015 election already looms¹¹ over the coalition. Conservative thinkers are focused less on improving this government than on winning a workable majority next time. And the governing parties are preparing for combat. The Conservatives are targeting Liberal Democrat⁶ seats, convinced that their partners’ terrible poll figures will not recover. The Lib Dems will concentrate on fighting off Conservative challengers: at least they do not have to defend the coalition in such races, as they do when fighting Labour.

　　但惊人的是，2015年的大选已渐渐迫近联合政府。保守党的智囊团把目光集中于赢得大选的多数票这一可行方案上，而非努力改善政府。同时，保守党与自由民主党之间也已剑拔弩张。保守党坚信，自由民主党惨淡的支持率将难以重振，因此准备拿下其所占的国会席位。而自由民主党则意欲击退保守党的夺席者，因为在本次大选中，该党无需如前一次对垒工党（Labour）那般力保联合政府。

　　The process of “differentiation”, in which the parties distinguish themselves from the coalition, has got under way early. Lib Dems miss no opportunity to remind voters that, unlike their Conservative colleagues, they support a “mansion tax” on expensive homes. An internal memo¹² leaked in December revealed that the party plans to present itself as the conscience of the coalition, restraining Tories from “looking after the super rich while ignoring the needs of normal people”. The Conservatives, in turn, blame the sluggish¹³ economy on Lib Dem opposition¹⁴ to deregulation and to further spending cuts.

　　两党的“区分运动”（即两党试图在联合政府中展现本党独有特点的运动）也早已展开。自由民主党不失时机地告知民众，他们与保守党的同僚们不同，赞成对巨额豪宅征以“豪宅税”（mansion tax）。去年12月，一份遭泄露的政府内部文件中提到，自由民主党将遏制保守党“拥富歧贫”的政策，并以此成为联合政府中的道德方。而保守党则把国内经济停滞的原因怪罪于自由民主党在管制放宽与开支削减上的反对态度。

　　The launch of the coalition was accompanied by ambitious talk of a grand realignment of Britain’s political centre. Mr Cameron hailed “not just a new government, but a new politics”, one in which “the national interest is more important than the party interest” and “where co-operation wins out over confrontation”. The partners declared the coalition agreement “more radical¹⁵ and more comprehensive” than their own electoral manifestos. The coalition, some suggested, was not a compromise, but an ideal. This brave new politics has given way to a cold war between the two sides.

　　联合政府成立之际，双方曾豪言壮语地称其为英国政治中心的伟大改组。卡梅隆曾赞道，这“不仅是一个崭新的政府，更是一套全新的政治”，该政府将奉行“国家利益高于党派利益”，“通力协作胜于对立斗争”的方针。而自由民主党则宣称，相比自身的选举宣言，两党一致才“更为根本、更为普遍”。但据部分人士称，联合政府无法妥协一致，而只是一番空想。本该勇往直前的新政治已转变为双方之间的冷战。

　　But it has not disappeared entirely¹⁶. Bickering¹⁷ in public and on the back benches belies¹⁸ a strikingly businesslike atmosphere in Whitehall. Conflicts are carefully controlled: last year Mr Clegg even discussed his mutiny on boundary change with Mr Cameron before announcing it. In a sense, coalition discord¹⁹ is the opposite of the internal feud²⁰ that preoccupied²¹ the last Labour government. Supporters of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown fought much harder behind the scenes than in public.

　　但是，联合并未完全消亡。无论公众面前还是政府内部，双方喋喋不休的争论反而使英国白厅（Whitehall，译者注：英国各行政机构所在地）避免了商界般的暗斗。两党间的争论处于谨慎控制之中，如去年克莱格就选举区变更问题上曾对卡梅隆倒戈相迎，但他在公然挑明之前仍选择与其讨论协商。内部斗争曾在工党执政期充斥全党，前首相托尼·布莱尔（Tony Blair）和戈登·布朗（Gordon Brown，译者注：这两位首相皆属于工党）的支持派曾在暗中经过了无数艰难斗争。从某种意义上看来，同盟内的不合恰恰遏制了这种内部斗争。

　　Decision-making at the top of the coalition is a case study in the realistic and mature management of discord. Senior ministers seek consensus²² in a series of conclaves²³. The most significant is the “quad”, made up of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the chancellor and the chief secretary to the Treasury²⁴. Here, at Monday morning parleys²⁵ between the two party leaders and in meetings of Cabinet Office panjandrums, compromises are brokered²⁶, assurances given and caveats²⁷ established. The need for both parties to approve new measures has revived cabinet government: debate is more thorough and better documented than before.

　　联合政府的高层决策还为现实审慎地调解分歧提供了案例教程。高级官员常在一系列密谈中谋求一致，其中最重要的密谈当属由正副首相和财相组成的“四方会谈（quad）”。“四方会谈”包括每周一上午两位首相出席的会谈，以及内阁官员出席的会议。会上，大家协商共识、繁征博引，并互作限制。一旦两党需通过新法案时，内阁将一片活力：相比过去，争论将更为彻底，理由也更为充足。

　　Jaw-jaw, not war-war

　　争论，而非争斗

　　It helps that neither party wants an election. Both are doing poorly in the polls, and advisers²⁸ caution that the public punishes leaders who fail to work together in the national interest, particularly at a moment of economic peril²⁹. The dangers of the nuclear option—one of the partners pulling out of the coalition, triggering a Conservative minority government followed by a new election—are a robust³⁰ deterrent³¹.

　　两党都不希望改选，这一点对于双方都有所好处。目前，两党在支持率上表现不佳。对此，评论家警告称，任何一位党首若无法以国家利益为重而通力协作的话，将遭到民众惩罚，尤其在此经济危机之时。联合政府的任意一方退出，将使得保守党以劣势参加本次大选，其后果不堪设想。因此双方都有效地得到遏制，不作退出。

　　But as a small, intricate network of senior figures forges consensus, a serious rift³² is growing between leaders and their parties. Intense dealmaking at the top of government makes it harder to modify measures once agreement has been reached. Tory MPs, many of whom are already suspicious of leaders who share the Cleggites’ metropolitan³³, liberal outlook, feel shut out of the policy-making process. One backbencher criticises decisions “handed down from on high” by the “four or six” people who hold the reins³⁴ of power. Grassroots party members are intensely grumpy at the concessions³⁵ that coalition demands. There are rumblings among the Lib Dems, too, though of a different order. Mr Clegg, who is deeply unpopular and tarnished³⁶ by his proximity³⁷ to the Tories, looks increasingly vulnerable to a leadership challenge from the left of his party before the next general election.

　　但由于会谈仅限于少数关系错综的高层官员，党首与其党派间开始产生巨大隔阂。政府高层的协商往往十分激烈，这也增加了共识达成后修改的难度。保守党的议员已怀疑其高层被克莱格的大都会自由思想所同化，认为自己被排除在决策层之外。其中，某位后座议员（译者注：不担任任何国家或党内职务的议员）批评称，政府决策都是由“四名或六名”掌权人“上意下达”。几位平民出身的保守党议员对于联合政府提倡的妥协让步也尤为不满。而在自由民主党内也有所躁动，只是顺序与保守党有所不同。克莱格由于偏向保守党而在党内人气大跌、光芒不再。本次大选前，克莱格的党首宝座被党内左派分子取而代之的可能性越来越大。

　　Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron are increasingly pulled in two directions. The public expects them to get things done, which requires flexibility³⁸ and guile³⁹. Yet they are also expected (particularly by MPs and activists) to display solid principles and fierce loyalty⁴⁰ to their tribe. The coalition partners are torn between nurturing⁴¹ their working relationship and managing their parties.

　　克莱格和卡梅伦两人的两难处境越陷越深。一方面，在民众的要求下，他们需要不断变通和欺瞒来完成工作。而另一方面，其党派又要求他们坚持原则、各忠其主。双方既要改善工作关系，又须经营自身党派，为此受尽折腾。

　　In the year ahead, the two leaders will attempt to reconcile these two priorities. There may be more controlled explosions like Mr Clegg’s rejection⁴² of boundary change last summer. Differences of opinion once kept behind closed doors will probably be aired more openly. Both sides will talk up the fruits of their realpolitik, too: the coalition has been poor at selling its achievements. If they get the balance right, it will serve both parties’ permanent interests. If they get it wrong, 2013 may be the year the coalition cold war heats up.

　　在新的一年里，两位党首将重设这两大目标的优先顺序。去年夏天，克莱格公然反对英国选区变更，类似的受限争论今年还会出现更多。不为人知的意见分歧可能更容易曝光。同时，双方也将提及现实政治的成果，因为一直以来，双方都未能给让公众信服。若两位党首能妥善平衡利害，两党从长期看来都将获益；但若不能，2013年将会成为联合政府的冷战升温期。

　　1.well-worn 老生常谈的

　　例句:To use a well-worn cliche⁴³, it is packed with information.

　　说得老套一点，其内容翔实。

　　2.talk up 大声讲；赞扬

　　例句:He'll be talking up his plans for the economy.

　　他会大肆吹捧自己制定的经济计划。

　　3.shut out 排除；遮住

　　例句:I shut out the memory which was too painful to dwell on

　　我不再去回忆那些痛苦不堪的往事了。

　　4.in public 公开的；当众

　　例句:It's not polite to point or talk about strangers in public.

　　在公共场合对陌生人指指点点或议论纷纷都不礼貌。

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 theatrically   

adv.戏剧化地

参考例句：

• He looked theatrically at his watch. 他夸张地看看表。 来自柯林斯例句

8 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

9 antipathy   

n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物

参考例句：

• I feel an antipathy against their behaviour.我对他们的行为很反感。
• Some people have an antipathy to cats.有的人讨厌猫。

10 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

11 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

13 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

14 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

15 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

16 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

17 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 belies   

v.掩饰( belie的第三人称单数 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• His appearance belies him. 他的外貌给人以假象。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The modesty of their home belies their great wealth. 他们简朴的家使人们看不出他们拥有巨额财富。 来自辞典例句

19 discord   

n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐

参考例句：

• These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
• The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。

20 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

21 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 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？

23 conclaves   

n.秘密会议，教皇选举会议，红衣主教团( conclave的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In huts and caves, in the plains and in the mountains, secret conclaves went on again. 在平原的土房里，在山区的窑洞中，秘密串连又开始了。 来自互联网

24 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

25 parleys   

n.和谈，谈判( parley的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The next two days were spent in fruitless parleys. 其后两日是消磨于毫无结果的谈判中。 来自辞典例句

26 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

27 caveats   

警告

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling. 为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。 来自辞典例句
• As I have written before, that's quite a caveat. 正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。 来自互联网

28 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

29 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

30 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

31 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

32 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

33 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

34 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

35 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

36 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

37 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

38 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

39 guile   

n.诈术

参考例句：

• He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
• A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术；强盗用武力。

40 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。

41 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

42 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

43 cliche   

n./a.陈词滥调(的)；老生常谈(的)；陈腐的

参考例句：

• You should always try to avoid the use of cliche. 你应该尽量避免使用陈词滥调。
• The old cliche is certainly true:the bigger car do mean bigger profits.有句老话倒的确说得不假:车大利大。