2018年经济学人 新版脱欧计划使英国政治陷入混乱(1)（在线收听）

Just another week in British politics

英国政治拉开一周新帷幕

After a new Brexit plan, politics creates fresh depths of chaos

英国新版脱欧计划造成新的混乱

And the worst is yet to come

没有最糟，只有更糟

A really sensible government would have drawn up a plan for how to leave the European Union before calling a referendum on whether to do so.

理智的政府应在全民公投脱欧之前就应制定好脱欧计划；

A sane one would have devised a strategy before triggering exit negotiations.

在脱欧谈判之前就应想好策略。

Britain, by contrast, announced its departure plan on July 6th,

但英国并未做到，英国于7月6日宣布其脱欧计划，

when three quarters of the time it has for talking to Brussels had already been used up.

彼时和布鲁塞尔（欧盟总部）谈判的时间已耗去四分之三。

And even then the long-overdue reckoning with reality sent the government reeling.

而英国政府的后知后觉也着实让自己手忙脚乱。

Two cabinet ministers and two Conservative Party vice-chairmen have quit;

两名内阁大臣和两位保守党副主席已经辞职；

the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said in his resignation letter that the Brexit "dream is dying".

外交大臣鲍里斯·约翰逊在其辞职信中称脱欧“梦想正在破灭”。

Those abandoning ship are furious that Theresa May has dropped a hard separation from the EU for a softer deal, preserving many legal and economic ties.

这些弃船而去的人对于特蕾莎·梅脱欧不采用强硬脱欧计划而采用相对温和的方式而感到很生气，其温和政策和欧盟还保留着很多法律和经济联系。

For now, the prime minister seems unsinkable (wooden objects tend to be).

尽管现在看来，首相地位稳固（木制品往往不会沉没），

But her belated move towards a realistic Brexit has just begun.

但是首相姗姗来迟的脱欧行动才刚刚开始。

As the truth sinks in, more turmoil is in store.

人们知道脱欧已成既定事实后，更多动乱也即将发生。

The task for Mrs May and the EU is to ensure that the Brexit project does not descend into anarchy.

特蕾莎·梅还有欧盟的任务就是保证脱欧不会陷入混乱。

Mrs May's Brexit plan marks a decisive shift.

特蕾莎·梅的脱欧计划标志着一个决定性改变。

Her approach had previously consisted mainly of ruling things out:

特蕾莎·梅之前的方法主要是阻止事情发生：

no single-market membership, no free movement of labour, no obedience to foreign judges.

拒绝单一市场成员制、拒绝劳动力自由流动、不遵从外国法官评判。

Now she has said what she wants.

而如今，她明确地表明了自己的意图。

She proposes that Britain remain, in effect, in the single market for goods, and in a looser system of mutual recognition for services.

强调英国将会保持单一市场架构，还会放松服务互认系统。

In return she promises not to undercut EU standards for the environment, social policies or state aid.

作为回报承诺不降低欧盟环境标准、社会政策及国家援助。

She proposes a dispute-resolution mechanism that implies a role for the European Court of Justice.

提出一种争端解决机制，暗示欧洲法院应在其中发挥积极作用。

And she suggests that Britain stay in a customs union with the EU

表明英国会和欧盟保持关税同盟关系，

until a clever new tariff-collection mechanism can be set up (which may well mean for ever).

直至建立新的关税机制（可能就是永远）。