British Vision Issue 46 救救我们的邮局

Downing Street will receive a special delivery from postmasters this afternoon, the country's biggest ever petition in modern times. Four million people have backed a campaign, urging the government to save Britain's post offices. More than four thousand post offices have closed since 1999; the rest are losing up to a quarter of a billion pounds a year. Now the National Federation¹ of Sub-Postmasters fears lost income from key services like the planned withdrawal² of the Post Office card account in 2010 will threaten the network's future. James Blake reports.

The Saint Levan Valley Post Office near Plymouth faces closure. It is one of thousands that are not commercially viable³ and cost taxpayers⁴ over a hundred and fifty million pounds a year in subsidies⁵. And yet the customers here don't care if the post office makes money, they say it's a social lifeline for the community.

We've had people moved to tears here at the very thought of losing their post office. And we won't fail to express that to the government, we, it's such a vital part of the community.

That's why hundreds of sub-postmasters have descended⁶ on London this morning to protest against what they call a death by a thousand cuts. The government has removed so many services from branches that many would be forced to close.

Instead of saying we are going to shut everything, to shut things down, and we're going to deprive communities of their post office, we need, we need to do what we are doing, and that's look at innovative⁷ new ways of delivering the service, particularly out in the rural network where there are far less people to be able to generate the income for sub-postmasters to run full time offices.

This afternoon they'll hand in a petition signed by four million people which they hope would preempt⁸ any government announcement on cuts.

Now the post office is losing three million pounds a week, and no one I've spoken to here really believes that can go on. This lobby wants reform and modernization⁹, but not the piecemeal¹⁰ destruction of the network they say the government is inflicting¹¹ on them.

And at the top of the list of grievances¹²: the planned withdrawal of the Post Office card account, used by millions to access pensions and benefits.

There're many, many people who still want, and who budget on being able to get their money from their pension and other benefits each week in cash at post office, and that is the bottom line, the government has given a commitment in the past that would always be able to happen.

They have to be viable .We, what we wanna do is make sure that they can be viable. So in the same way as a pub used to be tied to one brewery¹³, we want to free up, eh, sub-post offices to have lots of products, so they can have a much better income flow, and therefore, stay open.

There are fourteen thousand post offices in Britain; only four thousand are commercially viable. Here in Plymouth, as across the country, they are collecting hearts with messages of support.

But post offices need more than supporters to keep such a huge network alive. They need customers

1 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

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 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

4 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

7 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

8 preempt   

v.先发制人；先取

参考例句：

• We arrived early at the theatre so as to preempt the front seats.我们早早来到剧院，以便捷足先登占到前排座位。
• He pre-empted any decision to sack him.他预先阻止了所有解雇他的决定。

9 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

10 piecemeal   

adj.零碎的；n.片，块；adv.逐渐地；v.弄成碎块

参考例句：

• A lack of narrative drive leaves the reader with piecemeal vignettes.叙述缺乏吸引力，读者读到的只是一些支离破碎的片段。
• Let's settle the matter at one stroke,not piecemeal.把这事一气儿解决了吧，别零敲碎打了。

11 inflicting   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。
• It's impossible to do research without inflicting some pain on animals. 搞研究不让动物遭点罪是不可能的。

12 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 brewery   

n.啤酒厂

参考例句：

• The brewery had 25 heavy horses delivering beer in London.啤酒厂有25匹高头大马在伦敦城中运送啤酒。
• When business was good,the brewery employed 20 people.在生意好的时候，这家酿造厂曾经雇佣过20人。