经济学人:新版脱欧计划使英国政治陷入混乱(3)

 Where does this leave Britain? 那么英国到底应何去何从？

Do not look to Brexiteers for answers. 恐怕脱欧派也无法回答。

Although they complain that the people have been betrayed, 脱欧派尽管抱怨自己遭到背叛，

they have still not explained how Britain could cut all ties with the EU while preserving trade links to what is by far Britain's largest market. 但是他们也无法解释英国如何在与欧盟断绝一切往来后，仍能与其保持贸易联系，毕竟显而易见，欧盟是英国最大的贸易市场。

Mr Johnson did not even mention Ireland in his resignation letter this week. 约翰逊先生在其本周写的辞职信中甚至从未提及爱尔兰。

It is as if Brexiteers have spent so many years in opposition¹ attacking the EU that they are flummoxed by the idea of coming up with a workable plan. 这就好像脱欧派长期支持脱欧，但需要提出可行计划的时候却又慌乱失措。

While Mrs May at last faces up to the painful trade-offs that Brexit always required, 至少特蕾莎·梅还在面对脱欧派一直作难的权衡，

those who condemned² her this week prefer to indulge their fantasies. 而本周谴责她的人却活在幻想中。

The EU could help—and has reason to. 欧盟可以提供帮助——而且有理由这样做。

It is reluctant to give Britain a bespoke³ deal, 欧盟不愿给英国定制协议，

for fear that its other restless members will angle for special treatment, too. 因为担心其他成员国也想要特殊优待。

This is why Eurocrats solemnly vow⁴ that nothing must undermine the single market. 因此，欧共体成员严肃宣称，任何事情都不能破坏欧盟单一市场。

But if the Brexit negotiations⁵ fail, and Britain crashes out without any deal at all, 但如果脱欧谈判失败，英国在没有任何协议的情况下就失败了，

it would cause grave damage across Europe and beyond. 那么就会给欧洲乃至全世界造成严重损害。

And in some areas the EU has an incentive⁶ to offer concessions⁷. 因此，在某些领域欧盟还是会考虑让步。

The most glaring is security, where its hardline position is self-defeating. 最引人注目的是安全问题，但其强硬立场却往往适得其反。

Britain is one of Europe's two big military and intelligence powers. 英国是欧洲两个军事和情报大国之一。

Limiting its role in projects such as the Galileo geolocation system, 欧盟限制英国在项目中的发言权，如“伽利略定位系统”项目，

at a time when America is wavering on its NATO commitments and Russia is stirring up trouble, endangers all Europeans. 而此时美国在对北约的承诺上摇摆不定，俄罗斯制造的问题不断涌现，这种限制对整个欧洲都是不利的。

Bending rules such as freedom of movement is harder. 改变诸如劳动力自由移动的规则更难。

But the EU can help give Mrs May the cover she needs to sell the deal at home. 但是欧盟可以帮助特蕾莎·梅安定英国国内事宜。

If she wants to replace free movement with a "mobility⁸ framework" that does much the same thing, let her. 如果特蕾莎·梅想用“移动框架”这样的字眼代替自由移动，而实际事情却是一样的，那就随她去吧。

If she wants market alignment⁹ on goods but not on services, so what? 如果她想要商品市场而非服务市场，那又如何？

And if Mrs May cannot win a Brexit vote? 如果特蕾莎·梅不能赢得脱欧公投呢？

Then the EU should be prepared to grant Britain more time, to avoid it crashing out without a deal. 那么欧盟应该考虑多给英国些时间，以防英国没有协议全盘皆输。

To break the parliamentary impasse¹⁰, Mrs May might have to go back to the people, 为打破议会僵局，特蕾莎·梅应征求民众意见，

either with yet another election or even a second referendum, 要么举行新一轮选举，要么举行第二轮公投，

setting out a concrete plan for Brexit rather than the vague, incompatible¹¹ promises put before voters the last time round. 制订一个具体的计划，而不是上次公投时对选民们做出的模棱两可、自相矛盾的承诺。

That Britain has at last set a course for a soft Brexit is welcome. 总而言之，英国为温和脱欧制定了计划，这一点很受欢迎。

Getting there will be a very rough crossing indeed. 而实现这个计划确实阻碍重重。

 

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句

4 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

9 alignment   

n.队列；结盟，联合

参考例句：

• The church should have no political alignment.教会不应与政治结盟。
• Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.英国在上个世纪与埃及结成了紧密的联盟。

10 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

11 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。