歐盟註定衰退的10個原因(上)
For almost 25 years, the European Union has been a model of democracy, free trade, and fraternity between nations. Or, to put it another way, the EU has been a feeding trough for plutocrats and the worst kind of cronies to ever besmirch the good name of crony capitalism. It's a contentious issue, and while of course there are good and bad things about the union, it's a dead duck. Here's why.
25年以來，歐盟堪稱民主政治的典範，主張貿易自由，兄弟國家之間互惠互利。但從另一方面而言，這是個備受爭議的問題，當然這個聯盟有好的方面和壞的方面，但是總體而言還是註定衰落，以下我們來簡述一下爲什麼。it
10.英國退出歐盟
Let's begin with the hot topic du jour. Brexit isn't just fragmenting the EU, which most British people didn't feel part of anyway—it has put splinters in the fabric of British society itself. If you voted to leave, rest assured you are probably a racist. If you voted to remain, you are a pawn of the elites.
讓我們從最熱門的話題開始談起。英國的退出不是對歐盟的分化—因爲大多數英國人並不這麼認爲—退出是對英國社會本身的一種解體。如果你投了退出的票，其餘人會認爲你是一個種族主義者。如果你投留下的票，你就會被認定爲精英人羣。
Even before the negotiations have begun, politicians across the continent are treating the topic with all the respect and gravitas of a pack of terriers encountering roadkill. Whatever goes down with old Blighty, it is fair to say that the knock on effect is going to be huge. Now that the precedent has been set, Euro-skeptic nationalist movements across the EU have been emboldened and are making hay on the idea of independence from Brussels. Even if the Brits make a mess of it, the first domino has fallen. Hold on tight.
即使在談判開始之前，歐盟國家的政治家們就極其慎重和嚴肅地討論了這個問題。無論是否隨英國而去，脫歐帶來的影響都將是巨大的。現在塵埃落定，持有歐元懷疑主義觀點的民族主義者在歐盟國家內部備受鼓勵，這無疑是在助力脫離布魯塞爾條約的觀點。儘管英國人把脫歐搞砸了，但是第一塊多米諾骨牌已經倒下了，你們要抓緊了。Failure Of European Neoliberalism
9.歐洲新自由主義的失敗
The average European has seen a decline in their wealth of 5 percent over the last 10 years while seeing their counterparts in Canada (50 percent growth) and Australia (100 percent growth) grow through the metaphorical roof. Politically, the people have been given the finger by a string of governments both at a federal and national level as taxes rise, yet public services decline.
在過去的10年中，歐洲人的平均財富縮減了5%，相對比加拿大和澳大利亞分別實現了50%和100%的顯著增長。政策上，這些國家的國民要繳納一系列國家的，包括聯盟的稅收，同時公共服務還在下降。In the countries where conservatives are in power, the poor are demonized and oppressed, while in more socialist countries the middle classes are squeezed with high taxes. 30 percent of young Europeans are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Joblessness is rife, and there appears no recourse for young Europeans at the ballot box. So dire is the situation that an EU-sponsored survey found that more than half of young people (18–34) would actively participate in large-scale uprising against the generation in power. The sample was over half a million people. We can see from these results that the EU project is not working out for many millions more. But why?
在保守黨執政的國家裏，窮人被打壓及邊緣化，在更民主一些的國家裏，中產者被高稅收壓榨。30%的歐洲年輕人有貧窮或被社會排斥的風險。失業現象很普遍，在投票的時候年輕人沒有話語權。一個歐盟發起的調研發現，超過一半的年輕人（18-34歲）表示會積極參與對抗當權者的大規模罷工，這個調研的樣本有50萬人。由此我們可以得出結論，歐盟並沒有保衛這些羣衆的利益。但原因又是什麼呢？gration
8.移民問題
Mass immigration has been a cornerstone of EU policy for a long time. Singing from the UN's hymn sheet, the response to the troubling problem of a society that doesn't breed as much as it used to (and gosh darn it, simply doesn't die off quick enough) has been to import large numbers of migrant workers. Not a bad idea on paper when you just have to balance the financial books, but apparently for many people, the knock on effect of increased competition for work, artificially stagnated wages, and lack of integration is a problem.
大量的移民一直都是歐盟政策的奠基石，從支持歐盟的角度來說，最近由於移民導致的社會問題相較以前已經大大減少了（天呢，爲什麼不一下子解決掉呢）。引進大量的移民勞工從財務收支上來看是一個不錯的辦法，但是對於許多歐盟國家的年輕人來說這無疑增加了工作的競爭，收入停滯不前以及缺乏整合都將成爲問題。Meanwhile, the population of Africa is exploding. As we've already seen, the relative wealth and permissive societies of Europe are attractive to migrants from the Global South. Now, there are those who will suggest that this is somehow just deserts for the historical exploitation of the colonialist powers, but this perspective is sophomoric in its vindictive nature. The European Union, in any case, will be beset by an immigration problem that will not be stymied by politically correct rhetoric, and may well be met with draconian politics from the new Right.
同時，非洲國家的人口在爆炸型增長。我們已經知道，歐洲國家的相對富裕和移民准入政策吸引了大量的南半球勞工。現在有一派觀點認爲，這正是由於歷史上對殖民地過度開拓所造成的，不過這種觀點是對報復天性的一知半解。歐盟無論何時都會被移民問題所包圍，無論政治上說得如何花言巧語，都將遭到右派的猛烈攻擊。As we have learned from the Brexit debate, those people are undoubtedly racist and should be bullied for wrongthink. Except...
我們從英國脫歐的辯論上就可以看到，這些人無疑是種族主義者，會被錯誤的思想支配，除非……ying People For Wrongthink Doesn't Work Anymore
7.恐嚇人們做錯誤的事情已經不管用了
For several decades now, Europe has been moving along the path of what is called equality. While there is, of course, no doubt that no one should be discriminated against for their sexual orientation or race or any other arbitrary characteristic over that they have no control, the topic in the current year is politicized like never before. To oppose the political exploitation of equality, even against one's own interest, is wrongthink.
近幾十年來，歐洲都在向着平等的政治方針前行。當然，這是無可厚非的，沒有人應該由於性別，種族，或者任何其他的天生特質而遭到歧視，這個觀點今年在政治上比任何時候都明確。如果你反對政治上的平等，甚至是反對個人的利益，也是錯誤的思想。The problem for the political left who have been the arch proponents of this tactic is that many people have no more patience for such behavior, as witnessed by the rise of right-wing, europskeptic parties in the UK, Poland, France, the Netherlands and many other EU nations.
這種策略的支持者遺留下來的潛在問題是，在見證了右翼分子，英國，法國，荷蘭和很多其他歐盟國家的歐盟懷疑主義者的不斷崛起後，很多人對平等失去了耐心。It is this little-understood truth that has contributed to the election of Donald Trump in the United States. When nations operate under democracy, we cannot expect the populace to fall in line through politically expedient altruism alone. Identity politics are finished as a method of control, and the left is reaping the whirlwind.
多虧了特朗普的當選讓我們瞭解到，當一個國家是民主國家，我們就不能期待人民和政治上的利他主義相吻合。政治身份作爲一種控制工具已經結束了，剩餘的將引發旋風。oratism
6.社團主義
The ballots had barely been counted for the Brexit referendum before Germany and Britain were yelling at each other about who could be the best friend to big business. On one hand, Britain is in quite a good position to do whatever she likes with the whole leaving the EU thing. On the other, Germany is an economic powerhouse too, thanks very much, but maybe Fritz doesn't want to annoy Tommy too much, as the Brits might stiff the Germans with a big unpaid tax bill and sail away leaving the EU credit rating in ruins.
在英國脫歐公投之前，德國和英國就在爲誰是歐盟最大的商業國家而爭執不休。英國無論是否脫歐都處在一個絕好的立場，另一方面，德國同樣也是歐盟較大的經濟國之一，但是弗裏茨不會因此感謝湯米，因爲英國將爲德國留下巨大的未支付的稅款，而這些稅單將對歐盟的信用評級帶來毀滅性的衝擊。But then there are at least a few hundred other checks and balances to iron out as we slowly come to realize ultimately the whole palaver looks less like a negotiation between elected governments and more like an overly complicated game of dares to see who can impress Big Business and her alluringly ginormous sexual appetite. And you know what that means...
現在留下數以百計的支票需要支付，我們最終了解到這種地位的爭論或協商一點用處都沒有。你知道這意味着什麼……
