2015年经济学人 邻避主义与选举 柏油碎石路反对者投票

Britain

NIMBYism and the election

The anti-tarmac vote

The Conservatives are getting squeezed over big building projects

ON first glance, the constituency of Brentford & Isleworth, in west London, looks like a typical Conservative Party heartland.

It is full of boutique shops and cafés. The back streets are lined with pretty Victorian terraced houses.

Yet Mary Macleod, the Conservative incumbent¹, has a fight on her hands to hold the seat. This is partly down to demographics.

Along with plenty of middle-class residents the seat is dotted with council estates,

and is also home to large Pakistani and Indian populations who have tended to vote for the Labour Party.

But one of the biggest problems for Ms Macleod is not on the ground but in the air.

Each day dozens of aeroplanes fly over the constituency, which is near Heathrow airport.

And depending on the outcome of the Airports Commission, which was set up by the coalition² government to look into airport expansion,

and which will report after the election, even more could criss-cross over the area.

Ms Macleod first won the seat in 2010 with a majority of 1,958 by campaigning heavily against airport expansion.

And although Heathrow is not the only issue worrying local voters,

winning the seat could still hinge on how effectively the Conservative incumbent can distinguish herself from Ruth Cadbury,

the Labour candidate, who is also against a bigger airport. Ms Macleod's plight³ points to a larger problem for the Conservatives.

Too often for comfort, well-meaning plans to improve the country's roads, airports and railways clash with the NIMBYish instincts of their core supporters.

The country's infrastructure⁴ is creaking. Sir Howard Davies, who heads the Airport Commission,

estimates that Heathrow is full to capacity while Gatwick, the other option for airport expansion, will be full by 2020.

According to the World Economic Forum⁵ British roads rank a lowly 30th in the world for quality, just above Chile and Sri Lanka.

David Cameron, the prime minister, acknowledges the problem. The Conservative Party manifesto⁶, launched on April 14th,

commits to previous plans to splash out 15 billion ($22 billion) on the road network and 38 billion on the railways over the next parliament.

Mr Cameron also reiterated⁷ support for HS2, a shiny new 42 billion high-speed railway from London to Manchester.

Yet in doing so, Mr Cameron has infuriated many natural Conservative voters. HS2, which runs through a series of safe blue seats in Buckinghamshire,

is particularly divisive. The railway is a “headache” on the doorstep, admits one Conservative MP seeking re-election,

as he is often limited in how vocally⁸ he can oppose it. To add to Tory woes⁹, the UK Independence Party, which scooped¹⁰ up six council seats in 2013 along the route,

is making hay on the issue. It claims to be the “only” party against the “construction disruption” HS2 will bring (although the Green Party also opposes it).

NIMBYs pose difficulties for any government, but particularly for Mr Cameron's,

which has often trumpeted¹¹ the notion that it is investing in Britain's infrastructure to levels not seen since the Victorian era.

If economic growth is to be sustainable, then more infrastructure will be needed to support it.

But if Heathrow is given the go-ahead for expansion, for instance, it will be “campaign, campaign and campaign again,”

warns Barbara Reid, a local resident and former Conservative councillor. Getting Britain moving will require a big push from the next government—

especially if the Tories win.

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 manifesto   

n.宣言，声明

参考例句：

• I was involved in the preparation of Labour's manifesto.我参与了工党宣言的起草工作。
• His manifesto promised measures to protect them.他在宣言里保证要为他们采取保护措施。

7 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

8 vocally   

adv. 用声音, 用口头, 藉著声音

参考例句：

• She is not SCREAMER or MOANER - She is VOCALLY APPRECIATIVE. 她并不乱叫或发牢骚，只是用声音表示喜怒。
• The left has been vocally against. 左派力量一直竭力声讨。

9 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

10 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 trumpeted   

大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
• The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。