英国新闻听力 英国养老金大臣辞职掀政局风波

Political commentators¹ here in Britain are describing the resignation of the Welfare Minister Iain Duncan Smith as the most dramatic cabinet departure of David Cameron’s leadership. Now the recriminations within the governing conservative party continue with critics and allies of Mr. Duncan Smith lining² up to give their opinions to the media. As for the man himself in his first interview since standing³ down on Friday, he accused the government of risking dividing the country in its search for spending cuts. Here is our London correspondent Rob Watson.

This is certainly the worst crisis for the conservatives since they won last year’s general election. It hits at the government’s central economic policy namely austerity but also touches on something deeper. Reinforcing as it does, the long standing perception of the conservatives as a party that favors the better-off. So hardly helpful to have Iain Duncan Smith until Friday the man in charge of reforming the country’s welfare system touring the television studios accusing the government of balancing the books on the backs of the poor.

I am concerned that this government that I want to succeed is actually not able to do the kind of things it should because it has become too focused on narrowly getting the deficit⁴ down without being able to say well that should fall other than simply on those who I think progressively can less afford to have that fall on them.

The Prime Minister David Cameron is said to have been furious at Mr. Duncan Smith’s resignation. And Downing Street has insisted this is a government that wants to help everyone in society. Some conservatives have accused Mr. Duncan Smith of being motivated more by his wish to see Britain leave the Europian Union. While other ministers still in the government like Amber⁵ Rudd say they just don’t get it.

I don’t really understand. I’m pretty disappointed. I mean, this is a man who I sat in cabinet with for nearly a year. I mean, he was obviously a cabinet minister for six years, but I’ve sat in cabinet with him every week for the past year. I do respect him. And so to suddenly launch this bombshell on the rest of us in a way that is difficult for us all to understand is just really disappointing.

A kind of open warfare⁶ has broken out in the conservative party not just over Europe but now over welfare. Fortunately for the government, voters don’t follow these things as closely as either the media or politicians like to think. But it is a mess and that they will have picked up on.

英国政治评论家将养老金大臣伊恩·邓肯·史密斯的辞职描述为大卫·卡梅伦领导下最戏剧性的内阁辞职。现在，当政的保守党内部骂战继续，邓肯·史密斯的批评者和盟友站队向媒体陈述各自的观点。邓肯·史密斯本人在周五离职后的第一个采访中指责政府冒着分裂国家的风险寻求削减开支。本台伦敦记者罗博·沃森报道。

这必然是保守党去年大选获胜以来最严重的危机，直接瞄准政府的主要经济政策，也就是紧缩，但同时也触及更深的层面。长久以来，保守党在人们印象中是一支比较倾向富人的政党，而且这种观念还在不断强化。所以伊恩·邓肯·史密斯在政府的作用并不大，直到周五，这位国家福利体系改革的负责人去各个电视演播厅巡回演讲，指责政府牺牲穷人利益平衡账簿。

我担心我想要有所作为的这届政府不能做出它应该做的一些事，因为政府只着眼于降低赤字，把负担仅仅落在那些越来越没能力承担的人身上，而不是说让应该承担的人来承担。

据说，首相大卫·卡梅伦对邓肯·史密斯的辞职非常生气。唐宁街坚持表示，本届政府愿意帮助社会上的每一人。有些保守党成员指责邓肯·史密斯的动机是想看到英国脱欧。而仍在政府就职的其他大臣比如安布尔·拉德表示他们无法理解。

我真弄不明白，太失望了。你看，我和这个人在内阁一起工作了近一年，当然他当内阁大臣已经六年了，但过去一年，我每周都和他在内阁上班。我很敬重他，但我们都很难理解为什么他会突然这样对我们，真是让人很失望。

保守党内的一场公开斗争就这样爆发了，围绕的话题不只是欧洲，现在还有福利事业。值得政府庆幸的是，选民并不像媒体或政客那样紧盯着这种事。但这种混乱局面必然引起他们的关注。

1 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》

2 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

5 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。