又中又英
又中又英
又中又英

A week is a long time in politics

2016/11/03 08:41:25 網誌分類: 生活
03 Nov
          A week is a long time in politics. This famous expression was?coined?by Harold Wilson, the British prime minister during the 1960s and 1970s. It means that a lot can happen or can change very quickly in politics. As I explained recently, the word “coin” refers to money, such as a dollar coin, but it can also mean to invent a new word or phrase. Many things have happened very quickly in the past two weeks. Retired judge Woo Kwok-hing surprised everyone by becoming the first candidate to announce he would compete in the chief executive election next March. No one had expected him to join the election.

          The Legislative Council cancelled two meetings because of chaos (disorder and confusion) caused by whether two members should be allowed to re-take their oaths after they insulted China in their first oath-taking. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying surprised everyone by asking the court to disqualify the two as legislative councillors. All these surprising things happened in a very short time. That’s why?a week is a long time in politics. So many things can happen in such a short time that people quickly forget things that happened just a week or two earlier. Last week a government hygiene official caused public?outrage?(extreme anger, fury) after he fined a 71-year-old government cleaner $1,500 for pouring water onto a street gutter. She had used the water to clean a public toilet in Wanchai.

          Many people criticized the hygiene officer for punishing an elderly grandmother. Her boss agreed to pay the fine but because?a week is a long time in politics, everyone has forgotten about the?heartless?(unsympathetic, unfeeling) hygiene officer. I live near Lan Kwai Fong. Workers of many bars and restaurants pour dirty water onto the street after they clean the floors every morning. They also throw a lot of restaurant rubbish onto the street. I have taken pictures of this. Government street cleaners have to collect the rubbish every morning. Hygiene officials have no guts to fine these bars and restaurants. They only have the guts to fine elderly grandmothers.

        ***

          A week is a long time in politics.這是哈羅德.威爾遜所創(coined)的名言,他上世紀六十至七十年代任英國首相。這句話的意思就是政治形勢急速變化,可以發生許多事情。我最近也解釋過,coin即是錢幣,例如一元硬幣(coin),但它也解去創作新字或新的語句。過去兩個星期,許多事情發生得太快。退休法官胡國興成為首位宣佈在下年三月競逐特首之位的候選人,令所有人大感意外。此前從未有人想到他會參戰特首。

          兩位議員在首次宣誓中侮辱中國,令他們被質疑應否獲准重新宣誓,立法會因着當中所引起的混亂(chaos)而休會兩星期。特首梁振英要求法院禁止二人再度宣誓,取消二人的立法會議員資格,亦令所有人相當驚訝。這一連串令人意想不到的事,全在短時間之內發生。因此,政治一星期都嫌長(a week is a long time in politics)。這麼短時間之內發生這麼多事,令人很快忘記一星期或兩星期前的事。上星期,一名七十一歲的政府外判清潔工倒水落坑渠,食環署職員向她票控罰款一千五百元,惹起眾怒(outrage)。她用那水清潔灣仔一個公廁。

          許多人批評食環署職員懲罰一位年長的婆婆。她的老闆同意付罰款,但因為政治一星期都嫌長(a week is a long time in politics),人人都已忘了這名無情(heartless)的食環署職員。我住在蘭桂坊附近,每個早上,許多酒吧和食肆洗過地後,都會將污水倒在街上。他們也會將餐廳的許多垃圾丟在路旁。我已拍了照片為證(見圖)。政府的清潔工人每個早上都要收集這些垃圾。食環署職員卻沒有膽量去票控這些酒吧和食肆。他們只夠膽去票控年老的婆婆。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

        

        
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