British Vision Issue 42 布莱尔何时走下政坛?

All he has to do is be back on British soil, and the political pace quickens. In the prime minister's case though it's necessarily to a sprint¹ to keep the demons² at bay. Certainly the bank holiday weekend looks to be anything but time-off for Mr. Blair as he fine tunes³ a raft of initiatives and speeches and plans private meetings with his own turbulent backbenchers, all aimed at showing he's inclusive, in control and in touch, his new agenda being dominated by the interwoven themes of faster progress in the Middle East and greater security at home. While loyal ministers insist that far from contemplating⁴ his exit, he and the government are just getting on with their work.

What we have to do is to engage with the Labor⁵ Party, and with members of the Labor Party, ah, with supporters of the Labor Party and also with the wider public, ah, making sure, that we deliver on all those commitments that we made in our manifesto⁶ a little over a year ago.

For all his public protestations of commitment though to the New Labor Project, Gordon Brown will be less than overwhelmed that there is apparently⁷ no end in sight to the waiting, which has already gone on for so long.

In theory, Tony Blair could carry on for another couple of years or so, but in reality, the question of when he will go is already convulsing the Labor Party. The endless speculation⁸ on this subject is in itself destabilizing and in the coming weeks and months, the business as usual agenda that Downing Street will try to set, will impact on many as some kind of parallel universe, Peter Spenser Sky News, Westminster.
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a raft of
[informal] A great number, amount, or collection
许多，大量，大批
backbencher
后座议员(指英国下院的后坐议员,普通议员)
manifesto
A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature.
宣言对理论、政策或动机的公开宣言，尤指具有政治性质的
convulse
To shake or agitate⁹ violently
使…强烈地震动或狂躁不安
destabilize
To undermine the power of (a government or leader) by subversive¹⁰ or terrorist acts.
使动荡通过颠覆性的或恐怖性的活动破坏(一个政府或领导者的)统治

1 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

2 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

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 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

9 agitate   

vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动

参考例句：

• They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
• All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。

10 subversive   

adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子

参考例句：

• She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
• The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。