A fresh push for independence has emerged in Scotland after a majority of voters across the United Kingdom approved a British exit, or Brexit, from the European Union, while Scottish voters opposed the departure.
在英國(guó)多數(shù)人投票同意脫歐,而多數(shù)蘇格蘭選民支持留歐之后,蘇格蘭地區(qū)再次掀起要求獨(dú)立的風(fēng)潮。
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of the Scottish National Party, announced Thursday that she aims to introduce legislation next week that could pave the way for another independence vote before Britain formally leaves the EU.
蘇格蘭首席大臣、民族黨領(lǐng)袖尼古拉•斯特金10月13日宣稱,將于下周發(fā)布新法案,為英國(guó)正式脫歐前的新一輪獨(dú)立公投做準(zhǔn)備。
"Hear this: if you think for one single second that I'm not serious about doing what it takes to protect Scotland's interests, then think again," Ms. Sturgeon told a party conference in Glasgow, The Guardian reported.
據(jù)《衛(wèi)報(bào)》報(bào)道,斯特金在格拉斯哥舉行的民族黨會(huì)議中表示,“聽(tīng)著:哪怕你有一秒鐘認(rèn)為我不是在認(rèn)真捍衛(wèi)蘇格蘭人民的利益,那就再好好想想。”
Ignoring Scotland's parliamentary voice would be an act of "constitutional vandalism," Sturgeon added, challenging Brexit's legal basis.
斯特金對(duì)“脫歐”的法律根據(jù)表示質(zhì)疑,并補(bǔ)充說(shuō),忽視蘇格蘭議會(huì)的意見(jiàn)是在“違背憲法”。
"There is no rational case for taking the UK out of the single market, and there is no authority for it either," she told fellow party members.
她對(duì)民族黨同伴說(shuō),“將英國(guó)從歐盟單一市場(chǎng)中脫離既不合理,也沒(méi)有權(quán)力這樣做。”
In 2014, a referendum for Scottish independence from the UK failed, garnering only 45 percent of the vote.
2014年,蘇格蘭在獨(dú)立公投中只獲得45%的投票,脫英失敗。
During the June Brexit vote, however, Scots showed a clear divide on the issue of continued EU membership: 62 percent voted in favor of remaining in the bloc, versus 47 percent in England, 48 percent in Wales, and 56 percent in Northern Ireland.
然而,在六月份的英國(guó)脫歐投票中,蘇格蘭人就留歐問(wèn)題與其它地區(qū)產(chǎn)生明顯分歧:62%的蘇格蘭人支持英國(guó)留歐,而英格蘭只有47%支持,威爾士48%,北愛(ài)爾蘭56%。
The issue has driven a political wedge between London and the leaders in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, and it may be shifting the nature of Scottish cultural identity, too, as The Christian Science Monitor's correspondent Peter Geoghegan reported earlier this year:
據(jù)《基督教科學(xué)箴言報(bào)》通訊記者皮特•蓋根今年早些時(shí)候報(bào)道,這一問(wèn)題加劇了倫敦與蘇格蘭首府愛(ài)丁堡領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人之間的政治分歧,并將有可能從本質(zhì)上改變蘇格蘭文化身份。
Just as political events out of London in the 1980s and '90s – including the policies of Margaret Thatcher and the creation of a Scottish parliament – spurred Scots to increasingly identify themselves as Scottish rather than British, so, too, could Brexit strengthen Scotland's relationship with Europe. As the English and other pro-Brexit groups in Britain push away from the European Union, Scots may increasingly embrace Europeanness as a way of distinguishing themselves from their neighbors to the south.
20世紀(jì)80年代和90年代,瑪格麗特•撒切爾夫人政策的出臺(tái)和蘇格蘭議會(huì)的建立這些倫敦以外的政治事件使蘇格蘭人更愿意將自己視為蘇格蘭而非英國(guó)子民,因此脫歐將加強(qiáng)蘇格蘭與歐洲的聯(lián)系。隨著英格蘭以及英國(guó)其它支持脫歐地區(qū)對(duì)歐盟的推開,蘇格蘭人民將更愿意成為歐盟成員,將自己與英國(guó)南方的“鄰居們”區(qū)別開來(lái)。
Laura Cram, a professor of politics at Edinburgh University, told the Monitor that this rise in pro-Europe sentiment could be more about Scots themselves than the benefits they see in maintaining close ties with Brussels.
愛(ài)丁堡大學(xué)政治學(xué)教授勞拉• 克拉姆對(duì)《基督教科學(xué)箴言報(bào)》說(shuō),蘇格蘭人民擁歐情緒高漲更多是因?yàn)樘K格蘭人民本身而非與布魯塞爾保持密切聯(lián)系所帶來(lái)的利益。
"If you feel deprived of something then it matters to you even more," she said. "Not only did you not vote for it, but now someone is taking it away from you."
“如果你感覺(jué)到自己被搶奪,那么這件事就會(huì)對(duì)你更重要,”她說(shuō),“你之前既沒(méi)有投票,現(xiàn)在還要莫名遭受別人的搶奪。”
While the latest polls indicate that the Brexit has not significantly boosted public support for Scottish independence, the bill Sturgeon plans to introduce could prove itself useful as a bargaining chip by directly challenging British Prime Minister Theresa May's hardline Brexit approach. Sturgeon's spokesman told The Guardian that the bill's immediate goal is designed to give Scotland a full range of options for optimal leverage in the Brexit deal.
盡管最新民意調(diào)查顯示脫歐并沒(méi)有在很大程度上獲得民眾對(duì)蘇格蘭獨(dú)立的支持,但斯特金計(jì)劃發(fā)布的法案將是她反對(duì)英國(guó)首相特雷莎•梅“硬脫歐”方式的有效談判籌碼。斯特金發(fā)言人告訴《衛(wèi)報(bào)》,法案的最直接目的是讓蘇格蘭在“脫歐”事件中擁有多種選擇,從而獲得最佳利益。
Sturgeon will seek to lead a group of opposition lawmakers, but her critics accuse of her playing partisan politics with serious issues.
斯特金將著手領(lǐng)導(dǎo)一組反對(duì)“脫歐”的立法人員,但有評(píng)論家指控她在利用重大問(wèn)題玩弄黨派政治。
"This isn't the action of a first minister of Scotland but an SNP fundamentalist who puts independence first, last, and always," said Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, The Guardian reported.
據(jù)《衛(wèi)報(bào)》報(bào)道,蘇格蘭保守黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人露絲•戴維森表示,“這不是蘇格蘭首席大臣應(yīng)該做的事,而是從始至終將獨(dú)立放首位的蘇格蘭民族黨基要派人士的任務(wù)。”
Citing economic challenges, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale added that another independence referendum is "the last thing we need."
考慮到經(jīng)濟(jì)挑戰(zhàn),蘇格蘭工黨首領(lǐng)凱西婭•達(dá)格代爾補(bǔ)充說(shuō),新一輪獨(dú)立公投是“我們最不需要的”。