纽约时报 英国首相鲍里斯在议会遭遇重挫(1)（在线收听）

Lawmakers Foil Britain’s Leader With Brexit Vote.

“脱欧”纷争：英国首相在议会遭遇重挫

By Stephen Castle

文/斯蒂芬·卡索

LONDON — British lawmakers on Tuesday rose up against Prime Minister Boris Johnson,

伦敦电——周二，英国议员与首相鲍里斯·约翰逊发生对抗，

moving to prevent him from taking the country out of the European Union without a formal agreement.

试图阻止他在没有达成正式协议的情况下脱欧。

The epic showdown pushed Britain to the verge of a new election.

这场史诗般的对决也将英国推到了新一轮大选的边缘。

After losing his first-ever vote as prime minister,

约翰逊上任后首次投票就以失败告终，表决结束后，

Mr. Johnson stood up in Parliament and said he intended to present a formal request

约翰逊从议会席站了起来，表示他打算向议员们提出正式的提前大选请求，

for a snap general election to lawmakers, who would have to approve it.

议员们将不得不同意他的这一请求。

A little over a month ago, Mr. Johnson, a brash, blustery politician often compared to President Trump,

这名性情急躁，常被比作特朗普的政治家一个多月前刚刚走马上任，他在上任时宣称，

swept into office with a vow to finally wrest Britain from the European Union by whatever means necessary,

要不惜一切代价，即使意味着以混乱、无协议的方式退出，

even if it meant a disorderly, no-deal departure.

也要将英国从欧盟分离出来。

Now, Parliament has pulled the rug out from under him,

如今，议会打破了鲍里斯的计划，

and Mr. Johnson is at risk of falling into the same Brexit quagmire that dragged down his predecessor as prime minister, Theresa May.

鲍里斯即将面临陷入英国退欧泥潭的风险，而拖垮了他的前任特蕾莎·梅的正是这一泥潭。

The lawmakers forced his hand by voting by 328 to 301 to take control of Parliament away from the government

议员们以328：301票的投票结果从政府手中夺回了对议会的控制权，

and vote on legislation as soon as Wednesday that would block the prime minister from making good on his threat of a no-deal Brexit.

最快将在周三就立法进行投票，阻止首相兑现他提出的无协议退欧的威胁。

That prompted an angry response from the prime minister.

议员们的这一举动招致了首相的愤怒回应。

“I don’t want an election, the public don’t want an election,

“我不想要选举，公众也不想要选举，

but if the House votes for this bill tomorrow,

但如果下议院明天就这项法案进行投票的话，

the public will have to choose who goes to Brussels on Oct. 17 to sort this out and take this country forward,”

公众就要决定让谁在10月17日前往布鲁塞尔解决这个问题，带领这个国家向前发展。”

Mr. Johnson said, referring to the next European Union summit.

约翰逊说道，就前往布鲁塞尔一事而言，他指的是接下来的欧盟峰会。

Tuesday was a critical moment in Britain’s tortured, three-year effort to extract itself from the European Union.

为了脱离欧盟，英国已经做出了长达三年的艰苦卓绝的努力，因此，周二的投票颇为关键。

The saga has divided Britons, torn apart the ruling Conservative Party

这段传奇不仅破坏了英国民众的团结，分裂了执政的保守党，

and prompted complaints that Mr. Johnson has trampled the conventions of the country’s unwritten constitution.

还引发了诸多抱怨之声，其中之一就是约翰逊践踏了该国不成文宪法的惯例云云。

A majority of lawmakers are determined to block a withdrawal from the European Union without a deal,

大多数议员都决意阻止无协议脱欧局面的发生，

which they believe would be disastrous for the country’s economy.

认为无协议脱欧会给英国的国家经济带来灾难性的后果。

Tuesday’s vote suggested they have the numbers to succeed.

周二的投票表明，他们有足够的选票支持他们实现这一目标。

Mr. Johnson’s aides had made clear that, in the event of a defeat on Tuesday,

约翰逊的助手们已经明确表示，如果周二选举失败，

he would seek a general election on Oct. 14 — just a little over two weeks before the Brexit deadline of Oct. 31.

约翰逊会设法在10月14日举行大选——也即在距离英国退欧的最后期限10月31日只有半个月多一点的时间点举行大选。

In his rebuttal to Mr. Johnson’s call for elections, the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn,

反对党领袖杰里米·科尔宾反驳了约翰逊提出的大选呼吁，

said he would agree to an election only after Parliament passed legislation barring a no-deal Brexit.

他表示，只有在议会通过立法禁止实行无协议脱欧后，他才会同意举行选举。

The House of Commons is expected to approve the measure on Wednesday.

预计，周三英国下议院将批准该议案。

Tuesday’s vote marked a moment when Mr. Johnson’s hardball tactics, for once, were met with equal resistance.

周二的表决标志着约翰逊的强硬策略第一次遭遇了势均力敌的阻力。

On a day of high drama, Mr. Johnson lost his working majority in Parliament even before the vote took place,

在充满戏剧性的周二这天，投票还未开始，约翰逊就失去了议会中多数议员的支持，

when one Conservative rebel, Phillip Lee, quit the party to join the Liberal Democrats,

保守派议员菲利浦·李倒戈，加入了自由民主党的阵营，

who have managed to stage a resurgence by positioning themselves as an unambiguously anti-Brexit party.

自由民主党则凭借着明确反对英国脱欧这一立场得以重新崛起。