評論
打印
Yes, Englishness is still with us.
不錯，英國人特性依然與我們同在，
But it needs reinforcement, extra nourishment, especially now when our public life seems ready to starve it.
但它急需增強活力，補充養分，在當今我們的公共生活看來正準備令其自生自滅的形勢下尤其如此。
There are English people of all ages, though far more under thirty than over sixty, who seem to regard politics as a game but not one of their games–polo , let us say.
有些英國人似乎將政治看成一場比賽，而又不是他們自己所喜愛的比賽--比如說打馬球之類。
To them the House of Commons is a remote squabbling-shop.
這種人在各個年齡層次的人中都有，但三十歲以下的比六十歲以上的要多得多。
Recognized political parties are repertory companies staging ghostly campaigns, and all that is real between them is the arrangement by which one set of chaps take their turn at ministerial jobs while the other set pretend to be astounded and shocked and bring in talk of ruin.
對這些人來說，下議院只是離自己很遙遠的一個吵架斗嘴的場所。那些得勢掌權的政黨猶如一些定期換演劇目的劇團在上演一出出魔幻政治鬧劇，其中唯一真實的事情便是輪到一幫人擔任部長職務，而另一幫人則裝出一副驚駭不已的樣子，大發一通國家要從此遭殃的議論。
The whole thing, in the eyes of these people, is an expensive and tedious farce.
所有這一切，在這些人眼中看來，不過是一場既費錢而又無聊的鬧劇。
In my view they are mistaken, indeed quite dangerously wrong, and I can only hope that no young demagogue of genius and his friends are listening to them.
我認為，他們的這種思想是錯誤的，而且是極危險的錯誤。我只希望一切天才的青年煽動家及其朋友都不要聽信這種論調。
Otherwise they could soon learn, in the worst way, that heavy hands can fall on the shoulders that have been shrugging away politics.
否則，他們很快就會發現，而且是很痛苦地發現，嚴厲無情的鐵腕有可能壓到他們那一直想甩掉政治的肩膀上。
You can ignore politics, taking what has been gained for granted, only to discover your cousins have vanished and you are being knocked up at three in the morning.
你可以不問政治，對一切聽之任之，但結果你會發現你的親人們突然失蹤，你自己也會在凌晨三點鐘被秘密警察敲門叫醒。
Dictatorships have thrived on majorities that are apathetic and then frightened, and on minorities that are fanatically divided, brutally quarrelsome and stupid.
獨裁統治在先是漠不關心、繼而驚恐萬狀的多數人和四分五裂、酷愛爭吵而又愚昧無知的少數人中間盛行起來。
