美国国家公共电台 NPR U.K. Businesses, Officials Push For Clarity, Transitional Deal With European Union

 

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Britain's government is torn between those who want a clean break from the European Union and those who want to preserve as many ties as possible after Britain leaves the EU in 2019. The paralysis¹ is worrying small-business owners and those in the city of London, the U.K.'s financial center, who say the indecision is damaging the economy and putting any future prosperity at risk. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports from London.

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JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE²: Is this a robot?

Rich Walker is the managing director of the London-based company Shadow Robot. He's showing me a black and silver robotic hand wiggling its fingers.

RICH WALKER: These go all over the world into the research community, people doing advanced technology around robotics.

KAKISSIS: Each hand costs about $150,000, made by a team of international roboticists, whom, Walker says, now feel unwanted after Brexit.

WALKER: And we've seen various of our staff want to move from the U.K. back to where they came from or to other countries.

KAKISSIS: On top of that, many of his customers, dependent on research grants, are hesitating about orders.

WALKER: We have customers who are putting together long-term funding applications. And for those customers, the uncertainty³ - the volatility⁴ in the pound, the uncertainty over what's happening economically - is a real problem.

KAKISSIS: That uncertainty has been at full pitch since disastrous⁵ elections in June paralyzed the conservative government, leading the infighting over how to exit the EU. U.K. Treasury⁶ Secretary Philip Hammond wants a slower exit. He's pushing a transitional deal with the EU that would keep current trade rules in place until new rules can be negotiated.

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PHILIP HAMMOND: When the British people voted last June, they did not vote to become poorer or less secure. They did vote to leave the EU, and we will leave the EU. But it must be done in a way that works for Britain.

KAKISSIS: But what works for Britain when it comes to immigration has been a major issue. Prime Minister Theresa May wants to end the free movement of EU citizens to and from the U.K. after March 2019. Others in her Cabinet want the doors to stay open. Alan Soady, of the Federation⁷ for Small Business (ph), wants clarity.

ALAN SOADY: If you run a small business - let's say a tech start-up company - you have five employees; two of those are EU citizens. You want to know whether they're definitely going to be able to stay. If you're recruiting right now and employing an EU national, you don't know whether that person will come under the old arrangement or whatever the new arrangement is. And businesses do you need some certainty around that.

KAKISSIS: The growing course of pro-business voices coupled with the divided British government's hesitant negotiations⁸ with the EU have put a spring in the step of remainers. While it may be nearly impossible to reverse course, Former Prime Minister Tony Blair told Sky News he hopes Brexit is dead.

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TONY BLAIR: I think it's absolutely necessary that it doesn't happen because I think every day is bringing us fresh evidence that it's doing us damage economically - certainly, doing us damage politically.

KAKISSIS: There are signs that Brexit has damaged the city, London's historic business district. Speaking on Skype, professor Barbara Casu of London's Cass Business School says banks want to relocate.

BARBARA CASU: They are reaching the point where they can no longer wait to see what the government is deciding to do and that we are hearing news of banks choosing their new headquarters within the European Union. For example, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has announced a move to Dublin, following on from Morgan Stanley choosing Frankfurt.

KAKISSIS: Outside The Lamb, a pub in the city where insurance executives are having lunchtime pints⁹, there's talk of moving their headquarters to Luxembourg. But market analyst¹⁰ David Buik, who unlike many here supports Brexit, says London will still be a global financial center.

DAVID BUIK: I've been here in the city of London for 55 years. And I've seen the evolution and the development of the city of London on an international basis. And we've nothing whatever to be frightened of.

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KAKISSIS: Far from the well-heeled voices of the city, the town of Romford sits on the outskirts¹² of London. And it's full of Brexit supporters. Town Councillor Lawrence Webb of the nationalist UKIP party, blames EU bureaucracy for Romford's economic woes¹³.

LAWRENCE WEBB: Just take a look around you. There's a boarded-up shop there. There's a boarded-up shop on the corner there.

KAKISSIS: Webb wants the government to move on exiting the EU as soon as possible, hoping that new trade deals with the U.S. can revive Romford and the rest of the country. Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, London.

(SOUNDBITE OF LOCAL NATIVES SONG "YOU AND I")

1 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

5 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

6 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。

7 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 pints   

n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel. 我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two pints today, please. 今天请来两品脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 accordion   

n.手风琴；adj.可折叠的

参考例句：

• The accordion music in the film isn't very beautiful.这部影片中的手风琴音乐不是很好。
• The accordion music reminds me of my boyhood.这手风琴的乐声让我回忆起了我的少年时代。

12 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

13 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。