坐不住了，英国要碎了吗？

据多家英国媒体报道，英国威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰三地的首席大臣将于今天（9月14日）在威尔士首府卡迪夫举行会议，讨论更紧密合作的途径，包括宪政议题。这将是自威尔士民族党领袖鲁恩·约沃思今年5月就任威尔士地方政府首席大臣以来，三地首席大臣首次面对面会晤。英国广播公司（BBC）的报道指出，苏格兰地方政府首席大臣是苏格兰民族党党首约翰·斯温尼，北爱尔兰地方政府首席大臣是来自新芬党的米歇尔·奥尼尔，这是威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰首次同时由希望脱离英国的首席大臣主政。

威尔士民族党发言人表示，这是“威尔士民族党、苏格兰民族党和新芬党领导人齐聚一堂的机会，讨论如何在关乎各地人民的重要议题上开展更紧密的合作，具体涉及能源、经济和各地与欧洲的关系等领域，以及各地面临的更广泛的政治和宪政问题及自决权问题。”

英国首相伯纳姆预计将于下个月与威尔士、苏格兰、北爱尔兰地方政府领导人会面。英国政府表示：“伯纳姆致力于为英国所有四个组成部分带来变革，并坚定支持国家统一。”

据英国媒体报道，对于这次卡迪夫会晤，目前，北爱尔兰、威尔士的其他一些政党及英国改革党均表示批评。

卡迪夫三地首席大臣会晤

The Guardian《卫报》

Leaders of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin are expected to meet in Cardiff to sign an agreement aimed at putting pressure on Downing Street to hold referendums on independence. The meeting on Monday will involve the first ministers of the UK’s three devolved nations, where they are set to sign a memorandum of understanding pushing for constitutional change in their respective countries. SNP leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill will meet in Cardiff. Sinn Féin’s president Mary Lou McDonald, who is the leader of the opposition in the Irish Dáil, will also attend the meeting. First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth will welcome the other leaders to Cardiff. The group will meet in their capacity as party leaders, rather than as officials in their respective governments. They are due to discuss partnership around the economy, energy and international co-operation. They will also call on the UK Government to “prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and the north of Ireland”.

苏格兰民族党、威尔士民族党与新芬党领导人将在卡迪夫会晤，计划签署一份协议，向唐宁街施压，要求举行独立公投。这场周一举行的会晤，参会者为英国三个权力下放地区的首席大臣。他们将签署一份谅解备忘录，推动各自地区的宪政变革。苏格兰民族党党首约翰・斯温尼、威尔士民族党领袖鲁恩・约沃思以及新芬党副主席米歇尔・奥尼尔将在卡迪夫会面。身为爱尔兰众议院反对党领袖的新芬党主席玛丽・卢・麦克唐纳也将出席本次会议。威尔士首席大臣鲁恩・约沃思将在卡迪夫接待其他领导人。本次参会是以政党领导人身份，而非各自地方政府公职人员身份进行会谈。他们计划围绕经济、能源以及国际合作议题商讨合作方案。他们还将呼吁英国政府 “为威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰的宪政变革做好准备、制定规划并提供便利”。

Mr Swinney said: “I welcome the opportunity to meet with colleagues in Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin in Cardiff. We are at a pivotal moment of constitutional change, and our parties share the common belief that our interests will never be served by Westminster, and that the people of our respective nations must have a meaningful say over their future.”

斯温尼表示：“很高兴能有机会在卡迪夫与威尔士民族党、新芬党的同僚会面。我们正处在宪政变革的关键节点。我们几个政党有着共识：威斯敏斯特无法维护我们的利益，各地区民众应当对自身的未来拥有实质性话语权。”

Mr ap Iorwerth said he was pleased to welcome the SNP and Sinn Féin leaders. He said: “May’s election was a turning point for Wales. We now have a Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government with a clear mandate to do things differently. Across these islands, we are seeing a new political landscape emerge, with a growing recognition that the Westminster model is no longer working. Our parties have much to gain from working together, as partners and as equals, where we share common interests and where co-operation can improve the lives of the people we represent.”

鲁恩・约沃思称，很高兴接待苏格兰民族党与新芬党领导人。他表示：“5月大选是威尔士的转折点。如今威尔士民族党领导的威尔士地方政府获得明确授权，可以推行全新施政路线。在整个不列颠群岛，全新的政治格局正在形成，越来越多人意识到威斯敏斯特模式已经失效。我们几个政党以平等伙伴身份开展合作，能够收获良多；在拥有共同利益的领域，合作可以改善我们所代表民众的生活。”

Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill said “change is happening right across these islands”. “Partition has failed the island of Ireland and the best interests of our people have never been served by those in Westminster. However, change is happening right across these islands and we must be ready for constitutional change when it comes. The election of three nationalist First Ministers for the first time on these islands is a clear indication that people see that Westminster is not working for the people of the North, Scotland or Wales.”

斯托蒙特议会首席大臣米歇尔・奥尼尔表示，“变革正在整个不列颠群岛发生。爱尔兰分治给爱尔兰岛带来失败，威斯敏斯特方面从来无法维护我们民众的核心利益。但变革正在整个群岛发生，我们必须为即将到来的宪政变革做好准备。不列颠群岛首次选出三位民族主义派首席大臣，这清晰说明民众已经看到，威斯敏斯特无法为北爱尔兰、苏格兰与威尔士人民服务。”

Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the DUP, has already said Ms O’Neill has “not sought any agreement or permission from me to travel, attend or sign anything as First Minister”. Successive UK governments have been consistently against the holding of referendums on separation since the 2014 vote in Scotland and hopes last week of a softening position were dashed by Downing Street. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Commons another vote in Scotland could be held if there was a “clear consensus” north of the border for it, but a letter sent to Mr Swinney later clarified a referendum remained “off limits”. The issue of a border poll in Ireland has been thrust into the spotlight after weekend comments from US President Donald Trump in support of Irish unity. However, Ms Little-Pengelly, the joint head of the Stormont powersharing Executive, accused Ms O’Neill of attempting to “weaponise the role of First Minister”. In a social media post she said: “Let me be absolutely clear. Michelle O’Neill is not travelling to this ‘summit’ as First Minister, she has no authority to present herself as representing the FM role at any such ‘summit’ and nor does she have any authority to sign anything as First Minister of Northern Ireland at any such ‘summit’.”

北爱尔兰副首席大臣、民主统一党成员埃玛・利特尔 - 彭吉利此前就表态，奥尼尔 “没有向我征求同意，就以首席大臣身份出行参会、签署任何文件。” 自2014年苏格兰公投以来，历届英国政府一贯反对举行脱离英国的公投；上周外界预期英国政府立场会有所松动，但唐宁街直接打消了这一幻想。英国首相安迪・伯纳姆在下议院称，如果苏格兰内部形成 “明确共识”，苏格兰可以再次举行公投。但后续发给斯温尼的信件明确说明，公投仍然是 “不可能进行的”。美国总统特朗普上周末表态支持爱尔兰统一，爱尔兰边界公投问题由此被推到舆论焦点。但斯托蒙特权力共享执行委员会共同负责人利特尔 - 彭吉利指责奥尼尔试图 “将首席大臣这一职务武器化”。她在社交媒体发文称：“我把话说清楚。米歇尔・奥尼尔并不是以首席大臣身份前往这场峰会。她无权在这场峰会中代表首席大臣身份，也无权以北爱尔兰首席大臣的名义在会上签署任何文件。”

特朗普爱尔兰统一

苏格兰问题表态

DOONBEG, Ireland, Sept 13 (Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterated his support for Northern Ireland breaking from the United Kingdom to unify with the Republic of Ireland, but said he would not talk about Scotland becoming independent “yet”.

路透社爱尔兰敦贝格9月13日电，美国总统特朗普周日重申，支持北爱尔兰脱离英国、与爱尔兰共和国统一，但他表示，苏格兰独立的话题 暂时不会讨论。

Trump surprised officials in Dublin and annoyed pro-British politicians in Northern Ireland and London by enthusiastically backing Irish unity during a visit to Dublin on Saturday, saying he would “love” to see it happen sooner rather than later. “You have Northern Ireland and you have Ireland and it would seem to me that one of the ‘naturals’ of all time is to put them together,” Trump told reporters during a visit to a golf tournament at one of his resorts, doubling down on his initial comments. “You asked about Scotland. That one I won’t talk about yet. I’ll save that for another day,” he added.

特朗普周六访问都柏林期间高调支持爱尔兰统一，让都柏林官员感到意外，也惹恼了北爱与伦敦的亲英派政客，他称自己乐见爱尔兰统一尽早实现。特朗普在自己旗下一处度假村观看高尔夫赛事时对记者重申此前观点：“一边是北爱尔兰，一边是爱尔兰。在我看来，二者合并是一件理所当然的事。” 他补充道：“你问到了苏格兰。这个问题我暂时不谈，留到以后再说。”

Scotland, where the Trump family also owns a golf resort, voted against independence from the rest of Britain in 2014. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out another vote, as well as a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK. Trump made his comments about Irish unity after a meeting with Micheal Martin, the country’s prime minister. In his first comments since Trump’s remarks, the Irish premier said the response from some unionist politicians was “an overreaction”.

特朗普家族在苏格兰也拥有高尔夫度假村。苏格兰在2014年公投中否决独立。英国首相安迪・伯纳姆已经排除再次举行苏格兰公投，也拒绝北爱尔兰脱英公投。特朗普是在会见爱尔兰总理米歇尔・马丁之后发表爱尔兰统一相关言论。在特朗普表态之后，爱尔兰总理首次回应称，部分统一派政客的反应属于过度反应。

“It shouldn’t be a surprise. He takes a different sort of perspective on things,” Martin told reporters on Sunday after meeting Trump again for lunch at the golf course. Martin said the pair discussed Northern Ireland and its relationship with the Republic of Ireland and that he also went through with the president how the British-run region achieved peace. A 1998 peace agreement ended three decades of violence between Irish nationalists seeking a united Ireland and unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.

马丁周日在高尔夫球场与特朗普共进午餐后告诉记者：“这并不出人意料，他看待事情的角度不一样。” 马丁表示，两人讨论了北爱尔兰以及它与爱尔兰共和国的关系，他还向总统介绍了这片由英国管辖的地区实现和平的历程。1998年和平协议结束了长达三十年的冲突：一方是谋求爱尔兰统一的民族派，另一方是希望北爱留在英国的统一派。

“I support unity, I don’t see it happening now. I’ve been very clear about that,” Martin told BBC News in a separate interview. “The chances are if one (vote) was held next week, it would find great difficulty in getting through.”

马丁在另一档BBC采访中表示：“我支持统一，但我认为统一短期内不会发生，这点我表达得非常清楚。”“如果下周就举行公投，大概率很难通过。”

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重点词汇

devolved 权力下放的

constitutional 宪政的；宪法的

memorandum of understanding 谅解备忘录

referendum 全民公投，公决

nationalist 民族主义者；民族派

unionist 统一派；联合主义者

partition 分治，分割

Downing Street 唐宁街（代指英国中央政府）

facilitate 促进，促成，使便利

pivotal 关键的，核心的

mandate 授权；施政使命

dash 使破灭，挫败

off limits 不予考虑的；禁止触及的

reiterate 重申，反复说明

sovereignty 主权

constitutional change 宪政变革

independence 独立

border poll （爱尔兰）边界公投

powersharing 权力共享

executive 行政当局，执行机构

weaponise 将… 武器化

separation 分离，脱离

consensus 共识

turning point 转折点

文化科普

1.英国权力下放：

苏格兰、威尔士、北爱尔兰设有地方分权政府与首席大臣，外交、国防等主权权力仍归伦敦威斯敏斯特中央议会，英格兰无地方分权议会。

2.三个民族主义政党：

SNP 苏格兰民族党：谋求苏格兰独立

Plaid Cymru 威尔士民族党：主张威尔士独立自治

Sinn Féin 新芬党：推动爱尔兰岛统一

本次会晤看点：三地首次同时由主张脱英 / 爱尔兰统一的首席大臣主政。

3. 北爱两大阵营：

民族派：支持爱尔兰统一（新芬党）；统一派：主张留在英国（DUP 民主统一党）。北爱实行权力共享制，首席、副首席大臣分属两派，重大事务需双方同意。

4. 1998《贝尔法斯特协议》：

结束北爱三十年武装冲突。北爱统一公投（border poll）启动权归英国中央政府，不能由地方自行发起。

5. 术语代称：

Westminster威斯敏斯特：英国中央议会

Downing Street唐宁街：英国首相府，代指英中央政府。

政客常用these islands代指不列颠群岛。

6. 身份区分：

首席大臣是公职，政党领袖是党内身份。统一派批评奥尼尔利用公职推进独立诉求，将职务武器化。

7. 公投常识：

referendum 全民公投；2014苏格兰独立公投，独立提案未通过。