新组织要求英国政府尽快与欧盟“分手”

AS IT IS 2016-09-16 New Group Tells British Government to Speed Up Break with Europe 新组织要求英国政府尽快与欧盟“分手”

Three months ago, voters in the United Kingdom decided¹ to withdraw from the European Union. Now, some supporters of the planned withdrawal² are calling loudly for a quick, sharp break with the EU.

Last June, 52 percent of the voters agreed on a proposal for Britain to cancel its EU membership. That membership made Britain part of a political and economic alliance with 27 other countries.

The voters’ decision to cancel – or exit – the membership is known as Brexit.

The official process to leave the EU takes two years. It begins when the British government invokes⁴ Article 50 of a treaty. Britain’s new prime minister, Teresa May, has repeatedly said she plans to delay invoking⁵ Article 50.

But “hard Brexit” supporters say the government should act quickly – before the end of the year. Those supporters note that the British stock market is strong, and that numbers related to jobs and sales are high. In other words, the British economy is doing well.

On Sunday, leading Brexiters formed a group to pressure the government to start the exit process. The group is called Change Britain. Organizers say it aims to “deliver the UK’s referendum result in the most effective way.”

Politics and the prime minister

Prime Minister Teresa May campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU. Now, she is walking a political tightrope⁶.

Some people in her Conservative Party want to make sure Britain breaks completely with the EU. If Britain does not, those party members might revolt.

At the same time, Britain’s trading partners want the country to remain a member of the EU Single Market. They are pressuring the prime minister to find a way to stay close economically to the rest of Europe.

Relationship with EU

One of the Brexit supporters in May’s government is Iain Duncan Smith. He said last week that the EU bloc⁷ is currently a “complete mess.”

Duncan Smith worries that the longer Britain delays the exit process, the closer the country will remain to the EU.

Several leading Brexiters in the government spoke⁸ privately⁹ with VOA. They worry the prime minister might try to negotiate a deal between Britain and the EU. The deal would enable Britain to stay in the EU Single Market. But, Brexit supporters fear, the deal would probably require Britain to accept migrants and provide financially to the EU budget.

International concerns

The international community is also speaking out about Brexit.

Last weekend, Japan’s Foreign Ministry¹⁰ took an unusual step. It published a paper on the effects of the Brexit vote. The paper urged Britain to keep full access to the Single Market. And, it said the government should let British businesses offer jobs to EU nationals without restrictions¹¹. Japanese businesses are major employers in Britain.

The Japanese aren’t the only ones who are worried.

American bankers also believe a hard Brexit would be bad for their investments and businesses. They have already created plans to move workers from London to Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt.

Brexit boom?

But Brexiters do not believe withdrawing from the EU will affect their economy poorly.

They point to the country’s currently strong economy, calling it a “Brexit boom.” The situation, they say, shows Britain will continue to do well on its own, outside the EU.

But many economists¹² say it is too soon to judge the economic results of Brexit. One reason, they say, is that Britain has not yet withdrawn¹³ from the EU. But they warn the longer-term signs are not good.

Rupert Pennant-Rea is a former deputy governor of the Bank of England. He says the “strongest clue” of what Brexit might mean for Britain comes from international financial markets.

In a story in the Financial Times newspaper, he noted¹⁴ that all the currency markets show British assets are worth less than they used to be. “Land, property, companies, bank deposits, government debt — everything in the UK has been marked down against the rest of the world,” he wrote.

Conservative Party leader and former government minister John Whittingdale rejects talk about economic dangers. He says people who do not like Brexit are just looking for problems. Wittingdale told Britain’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper that delaying Brexit gives opponents time to try and stop the process.

Those opponents – called Remainers – still hope Britain won't withdraw from the EU. They are waiting for the result of legal challenges to the Brexit vote.

But legal experts say those challenges are very unlikely to succeed.

Words in This Story

invoke³ – v. to make use of a law or a right

tightrope – n. a tightly stretched rope or wire high above the ground that a performer walks on, especially in a circus. The word is often used figuratively to describe a dangerous or uncertain situation in which you have to be very careful not to make mistakes

revolt –v. to act in a way that shows that you do not accept the control or influence of someone or something

boom– n. a rapid increase in growth or economic success

migrant – n. a person who goes from place to place, usually for economic reasons

access – n. a way or getting near or close to something; permission or the right to enter

challenge – n. a refusal to accept something as true, correct, or legal

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

4 invokes   

v.援引( invoke的第三人称单数 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• The Roundtable statement invokes the principles of the free market system. 企业界圆桌会议的声明援用了自由市场制度的原则。 来自辞典例句
• When no more storage is available, the system invokes a garbage collector. 当没有可用的存贮时，系统就调用无用单元收集程序。 来自辞典例句

5 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

6 tightrope   

n.绷紧的绳索或钢丝

参考例句：

• The audience held their breath as the acrobat walked along the tightrope.杂技演员走钢丝时，观众都屏住了呼吸。
• The tightrope walker kept her balance by holding up an umbrella.走钢丝的演员举着一把伞，保持身体的均衡。

7 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。