2006年VOA标准英语-Blair's Public Support Low Despite Plans to Ste

By Simon Marks
London
05 October 2006
 
watch Blair's Political Status

Britain is in the midst of political uncertainty¹, after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he plans to step down within the next 12 months....but stopped short of endorsing² a successor.  Even though his Labour Party has won three successive general elections in the United Kingdom, Mr. Blair's personal popularity is at an all-time low -- in large part because of the war in Iraq and his close ties to U.S. President George Bush.

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Across London, the talk of the town is of the fall of Tony Blair.

 
Nick Ferrari 
  
Every morning, radio host Nick Ferrari wakes Londoners up on the capital's news station, LBC. "Hello there, sorry to keep you waiting, what do you want to say about Tony Blair?"

And they call into his program in large numbers, looking forward to a day when Tony Blair's government is a thing of the past:

Ferrari: "Frank's in Chalfont. Go ahead, Frank"
Frank: "We've lost our country generally.  That man's not for us.  He's not for us at all".
Ferrari: "Carol's in Basildon.  Assess the Prime Minister for me, Carol."
Carol:"You know, I can't bear the man.  I think he will absolutely be remembered for bringing terror to the shores of England"
Ferrari: "Seems a litany of negatives here…."

A litany of negatives that has not always been heard on the airwaves here.

Tony Blair has - at times - been the most popular Prime Minister in British political history.  Next May he will celebrate a decade in power…if he's still in power to mark the occasion.

Rodney Barker  
  
Rodney Barker is a professor of political science at the London School of Economics provides some historical perspective. "When Tony Blair began his premiership he was seen as young, charismatic, straight-forward, honest.  And inclusive.  There was a reversal in the public esteem³ of Tony Blair so that somebody who in 1997 was seen as a young white knight⁴ on a white charger is now seen as flashy, insincere, deceptive⁵ and a danger to the country".

The main reason behind Tony Blair's demise:  the growing unpopularity in Britain of the US-led war in Iraq.

Mr. Blair is accused by his critics of an unquestioning allegiance to the White House - to the detriment⁶, they say, of Britain's interests in the world.

 
Glenda Jackson
  
That viewpoint has strengthened the hand of rebels within his own party, and they include the former actress - now Parliamentarian - Glenda Jackson.
"Certainly since the Iraq War in my constituency people have been saying to me, 'I'm a lifelong Labour voter, my family have been lifelong Labour voters.  I will never ever vote Labour again while Tony Blair is leader'."

It is an ignominious⁷ political end for a man credited by many analysts⁸, including Rodney Barker, with transforming Britain. "Despite the low esteem in which Tony Blair is now held, he is without doubt the most successful leader the Labour Party has ever had.  Three general elections in a row; a third successful term in office; a major program of constitutional reform; not a solution, but the best solution we've come up with yet for civil war in Northern Ireland.  It is a substantial record".

But it is not a record that many in Britain seem willing to celebrate.

Despite the fact that London today - even in its very skyline - is emblematic⁹ of an era known as "Cool Britannia" ushered¹⁰ in by Tony Blair…an era of rising living standards, lower unemployment, better public services and revived national pride….despite all that, the man who helped bring it about is virtually 'persona-non-grata' on the national stage.

Mr. Blair has his defenders¹¹ - they celebrate not only his record domestically, turning London into a world capital every bit as prosperous - and expensive - as any of its global competitors.

John Prideaux  
  
But they also say his alliance with the White House has delivered results, according to John Prideaux who reports British politics for "The Economist¹²".

"They say you have to take the world as it works and the best thing for Britain to do in terms of exercising influence in the world is to stay close to America and to have influence behind the scenes.  And they point to dividends¹³ from this.  In particular, George Bush being the first American President to say he's in favor of a viable¹⁴ Palestinian state, and the other thing they point to is George Bush's willingness to go back to the UN and try to get a second resolution during the run-up to the Iraq War"

It will soon be up to a new leader of the Labour Party to paint the next canvas in Britain's governmental history. That person may well be Gordon Brown, the current Chancellor¹⁵ of the Exchequer¹⁶.  If he wins the Labour Party leadership, he will have up to two-and-a-half years to govern before a general election must be called....and the broader battle to succeed Tony Blair is fought.

1 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。

2 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

3 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

4 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

5 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

6 detriment   

n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源

参考例句：

• Smoking is a detriment to one's health.吸烟危害健康。
• His lack of education is a serious detriment to his career.他的未受教育对他的事业是一种严重的妨碍。

7 ignominious   

adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的

参考例句：

• The marriage was considered especially ignominious since she was of royal descent.由于她出身王族，这门婚事被认为是奇耻大辱。
• Many thought that he was doomed to ignominious failure.许多人认为他注定会极不光彩地失败。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 emblematic   

adj.象征的，可当标志的；象征性

参考例句：

• The violence is emblematic of what is happening in our inner cities. 这种暴力行为正标示了我们市中心贫民区的状况。
• Whiteness is emblematic of purity. 白色是纯洁的象征。 来自辞典例句

10 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

13 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

14 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

15 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。

16 exchequer   

n.财政部；国库

参考例句：

• In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending.英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
• This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer.这使国库遭受了重大损失。