I have just been to Buckingham Palace, where Her Majesty1 the Queen has asked me to form a new government, and I accepted.
我刚刚去了白金汉宫,女王陛下请我组建一个新政府,而我答应了。
In David Cameron, I follow in the footsteps of a great, modern Prime Minister. Under David’s leadership, the government stabilized2 the economy, reduced the budget deficit3, and helped more people into work than ever before.
作为大卫·卡梅伦的继任者,我追随的是一个伟大而开明的首相的脚步。在大卫的领导下,政府稳定了经济,削减了财政赤字,而且以前所未有的幅度增加了就业量。
But David’s true legacy4 is not about the economy but about social justice. From the introduction of same-sex marriage, to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether; David Cameron has led a one-nation government, and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.
不过大卫真正的政治遗产并不是经济方面的而是社会正义方面的。无论是引入同性婚姻还是全面免除低收入人群的个人所得税,大卫·卡梅伦领导的政府让整个国家团结起来,而这也是我领导时打算秉持的精神。
Because not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is the Conservative and Unionist Party, and that word ‘unionist’ is very important to me.
并不是所有人都知道,但我的政党全名是保守与统一党,而其中的“统一”二字对我来说非常重要。
It means we believe in the Union: the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it means something else that is just as important; it means we believe in a union not just between the nations of the United Kingdom but between all of our citizens, every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we’re from.
这两个字代表我们对“统一”的信念——英格兰、苏格兰、威尔士、北爱尔兰之间极其珍贵的统一。不过除此之外它还有更深一层的意思,而这层意思同样重要,那就是不仅在国家之间取得统一,还要在整个联合王国的所有人民之间取得统一,不管我们是谁、从哪来。
That means fighting against the burning injustice5 that, if you’re born poor, you will die on average 9 years earlier than others.
这也意味着我们要与社会上的不公做斗争,这些不公就是:如果你生而贫穷,你的平均寿命就比其他人少9年;
If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white.
如果你是黑人,那么你在刑事司法体系中收到的待遇会比白人严厉;
If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university.
如果你个白人男孩,而且出自工薪阶层接听,那你上大学的几率就比别人少;
If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately6.
如果你上的是公立学校,那你从事高端职业的几率就比上私立学校的人小。
If you’re a woman, you will earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s not enough help to hand.
如果你是女人,你受的教育会比男人少;如果你受心理健康问题所苦,你将得不到足够的帮助;
If you’re young, you’ll find it harder than ever before to own your own home.
如果你是年轻人,你获得自己房产的难度将比以往都大。
But the mission to make Britain a country that works for everyone means more than fighting these injustices7. If you’re from an ordinary working class family, life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise. You have a job but you don’t always have job security. You have your own home, but you worry about paying a mortgage. You can just about manage but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.
不过,我们的任务是将英国建立为一个适合所有人的国家,这远远不止包括与这些不公做斗争。如果你来自一个工薪家庭,你的生活会比威斯敏斯特的许多人意识到的要艰难。你有工作,但你的工作并不稳定。你有自己的房产,但是你会被住房贷款所困扰。你能勉强收支平衡,但是你很担忧自己能否将孩子送进一所好学校。
If you’re one of those families, if you’re just managing, I want to address you directly.
如果你属于一个这样的家庭,你的生活会捉襟见肘,而我的话正是对你们讲的。
I know you’re working around the clock, I know you’re doing your best, and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle. The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours.
我知道你们全天无休地工作,我知道你们已经尽了全力,而且我也知道有时候生活非常艰难。我所领导的政府,将不是被特权人士的利益所驱动的,而是被你们的利益所驱动的。
We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives. When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful, but you. When we pass new laws, we’ll listen not to the mighty8 but to you. When it comes to taxes, we’ll prioritise not the wealthy, but you. When it comes to opportunity, we won’t entrench9 the advantages of the fortunate few. We will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.
我们将尽一切所能让你们能对自己的生活掌握更大的控制权。当我们考虑重大问题的时候,我们所想的不会是权贵,而是你们。当我们通过新法案的时候,我们所听取的不是豪强的声音,而是你们的。当我们探讨税收问题的时候,我们将把你们而不是富人作为第一考虑对象。当我们处理机会问题的时候,我们不会为那极少数的巨富挖壕沟。我们将尽自己所能来帮助所有人,无论这个人的背景为何,我们都会帮他达到他的才能所能触及的极限。
We are living through an important moment in our country’s history. Following the referendum, we face a time of great national change.
我们正在经历这个国家历史上一个重要的时刻。在全民公投之后,我们的国家正在面临重大的变革。
And I know because we’re Great Britain, that we will rise to the challenge. As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world, and we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us.
而且我知道,因为我们是伟大的不列颠,所以我们定会直面挑战。在离开欧盟之后,我们会为自己在世界上塑造一个崭新而勇敢的积极形象,而且我们会将英国建立为一个所有人的国家(而非少数特权阶层的国家)。
That will be the mission of the government I lead, and together we will build a better Britain.
这将是我所领导的政府的人物,而我们将同心协力建设一个更好的英国。
1 majesty [ˈmædʒəsti] 第7级 | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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2 stabilized [s'teɪbəlaɪzd] 第8级 | |
v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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3 deficit [ˈdefɪsɪt] 第7级 | |
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差 | |
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4 legacy [ˈlegəsi] 第7级 | |
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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5 injustice [ɪnˈdʒʌstɪs] 第8级 | |
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利 | |
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6 privately ['praɪvətlɪ] 第8级 | |
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地 | |
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7 injustices [ɪnˈdʒʌstɪsiz] 第8级 | |
不公平( injustice的名词复数 ); 非正义; 待…不公正; 冤枉 | |
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