英国前首相玛格丽特.撒切尔去世了,今天英国在伦敦为她举行了隆重的葬礼。来自200个国家和地区的2000多名政要、代表及各界人士等前往出席。 尽管这位铁娘子在英国首相位置上曾连任三个任期,但毕竟已离开政坛多年,对她曾经的作为已没有太多印象了。从大处说,她推动了英国经济、社会的多项改革,重振了英国的经济,也在一定程度上加剧了英国社会的分裂;她打赢了马岛战争,提振了英国人的军心、民心,同时也提升她在国内外的声望和影响;与中国有关的大事当属1984年与中国领导人签署了《中英关于香港问题的联合声明》,这一声明最终确定了香港主权如期回归。 除了以上提到的这些事外,留下的另一个印象是撒切尔夫人可归为一个民主与专制的统一体。谈到民主,她无法回避,想成为英国首相,绕不开民主选举这道坎儿;说她专制,在她手下的人会有体会,一旦经过民主授权,登上相位,其他人的意见便可忽略,她完全按照自己的价值信念行事,不动摇,不妥协,从如下一些话语中可以体会到这一强硬风格。 我不是寻求共识的从政者,而是坚持信仰的从政者。大臣们如何喋喋不休我都不在意,只要他们照我说的做。 I'm not a consensus politician. I'm a conviction politician. I don't mind how much my Ministers talk, so long as they do what I say. 共识里存在着危险:它可能是为了满足对任何事情都没有特定观点的人......如果对于要做什么没有坚定的信念,任何伟大的政党都不可能生存。---1968年保守党大会 There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anthing....No gerat party can survive except on the basis of firm beliefs about what it wants to. ---1968, Conservativ Party conferrnce. 如果你只是努力让自己被人喜欢,那你就会准备着随时为一切妥协,结果什么也做不成。 1989年评价她担任首相10周年 If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anytihing at any time and you would achieve nothing. 1989, commenting on her 10th anniversary as prime 在现代行政管理理念中,经常会谈到科学民主决策,科学强调规律,民主体现价值,但在撒切尔夫人那里似乎什么也不是,她按照自己信仰决策和行事。这或许也是她始终饱受争议的主要原因吧,或许也因此,她未完成第三个任期。
英国首相卡梅伦春节贺词 Message from Prime Minister David Cameron to mark the Chinese New Year I want to send my very best wishes to everyone celebrating Chinese New Year in Britain, in China and all around the world. Britain's links with China are becoming ever stronger and ever deeper. We are on course to record our best ever year of trade, up more than 7 per cent in the first half of 2012 alone. Britain today accounts for around a tenth of all Chinese foreign investment. And as the most open economy in Europe. I want Chinese investors to know that Britain will remain a voice for openness and a force against protectionism in the European Union now and in the years ahead. 我向在英国、中国及全世界庆祝中国春节的每个人致以最诚挚的祝福。英国与中国的关系正在越来越紧密和深化。记录显示去年是我们两国贸易往来最好的一年。仅2012年上半年,双边贸易就增长了至少7%。中国对英投资现在已占中国对外总投资的10%。最为欧洲最开放的经济体,我希望中国的投资者了解,英国会在现在和未来几年继续在欧盟内呼吁持续开放并坚决反对贸易保护主义。 But Britain's ties with China are about more than a great relationship between our businesses. They are about the relationship between our peoples and our governments too. Today there are more than 100,000 mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students in Britain and more than 3,000 British students in China. 但是英国和中国的联系不仅限于两国之间繁荣的贸易往来,还包括我们民众之间、政府之间的联系。现在有超过10万来自中国大陆和香港的学生在英国学习,同时有3千多英国学生在中国学习。 口译网 And as we welcome in the Year of the Snake, the celebrations here in Britain will remind us once again of the richness of Chinese culture and the incredible contribution that our Chinese communities make here in Britain. Our two countries are also working together in new and ever more innovative ways. For example, on international development, where Britain is the first Western country to agree a partnership with China on tackling poverty around the world. So I look forward to working with China's new leadership. 在我们迎接蛇年到来的时候,英国各地举行的庆祝活动会再一次让我们想到中国丰富的文化,以及多年来华人群体为英国做出的杰出贡献。我们两国也在用创新的方式进行着合作,比如在国际发展方面,英国就是第一个同意与中国一起合作,对抗全球贫困的西方国家。我期待着与中国新一届领导人共同合作。 General Secretary Xi Jingping recently wrote to tell me that with joint efforts on both sides UK-China relations will continue to forge ahead. I share that determination. I look forward to working closely with China's leaders and people to realise our shared dreams, and I hope that the year of the Snake can be a great year for Britain, for China and for us all. 习近平总书记最近写信给我说,在中英两国的共同努力下,两国关系将继续向前推进。对此我也很有信心,我期待着继续与中国领导人、中国人民一起共享梦想。希望蛇年可以成为对英国、中国以及我们所有人来说非凡的一年! Xin Nian Kuai Le!
温斯顿·丘吉尔,政治家、画家、演说家、作家以及记者,1953年诺贝尔文学奖得主(获奖作品《第二次世界大战回忆录》),曾于1940-1945年及1951-1955年期间两度任英国首相,被认为是20世纪最重要的政治领袖之一,带领英国获得第二次世界大战的胜利。据传为历史上掌握英语单词词汇量最多的人之一(十二万多)。被美国杂志《展示》列为近百年来世界最有说服力的八大演说家之一。2002年,BBC举行了一个名为“最伟大的100名英国人”的调查,结果丘吉尔获选为有史以来最伟大的英国人。 "Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have."