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英版特朗普到底是个什么样的人,来了解一下

英版特朗普到底是个什么样的人,来了解一下

Phil Boucher 2019-07-27
他是一位严肃的政客,性情急躁,说话尖刻。

2016年5月,一位女士在布里斯托市一幢废弃建筑物外的壁画前走过,画面上,有可能成为美国总统的唐纳德·特朗普正在和鲍里斯·约翰逊热吻。图片来源:Credit:Matt Cardy—Getty Images

对于自己入主唐宁街10号,也就是英国首相官邸的可能性,鲍里斯·约翰逊曾经说道:“我转世成为一颗橄榄树的可能性更大。”

现在他成为了英国政府的头号人物,以后周围有鸡尾酒扦子和玛蒂尼酒杯时他也许会极为小心吧。

不过,可以肯定的是,0.14%的同胞选了约翰逊虽然让英国人五味杂陈,但在他担任首相期间,政治绝不会变得枯燥无味。

约翰逊本次当选的主要定位是能够成功带领英国脱欧的政客,但面对保守党不断减少的多数席位、记忆中最爱吵架的议会以及在欧洲问题上已经彻底分裂的民意,他的领导工作将遇到挑战。

以往的情况已经证明,约翰逊是一位非常成功的变革者和参选者,同时也出了名的滑稽、迷人、大嘴巴和精于计算,而且这几种特质不相上下。他可以通过奇谈怪论或者时机恰当的俏皮话让最普通的经济或政治话题变得趣味十足。他还以灵活变换政治立场著称,精于施展不落俗套而且效果惊人的政治手段。但这些是否足以帮助他脱欧,或者重新将英国人团结在一起呢?

而我们对鲍里斯·约翰逊又能有哪些期待呢?

1. 冷酷无情

任性的卷发、皱皱巴巴的西装和看来无法把握的领带,约翰逊给人的感觉或许是BBC情景喜剧中一位笨手笨脚的人物。然而,在镜头之外,人们都知道他是一位严肃的政客,性情急躁,说话尖刻。

2008至2016年担任伦敦市长期间,约翰逊的这些特征表现得尤为明显。他成功地从致力于削减开支的财政大臣乔治·奥斯本那里争取到了更多的警务资金。时任伦敦议会通讯主管的古托·哈里最近告诉《泰晤士报》,约翰逊曾经漫不经心地开除了伦敦警务处长伊恩·布莱尔爵士,当时约翰逊的话是:“这话不容易说出口,伊恩,我想要一位新的警务处长。”

没错,2012年伦敦奥运会期间,乘高空滑索庆祝英国夺得首金的约翰逊因为卡在半空中而被众人嘲笑,当时他还挥舞着两面英国国旗。但大家也不应该忘记上述情景。

“I’ve got more chance of being reincarnated as an olive,” Boris Johnson once said about the likelihood of him holding the keys to No. 10 Downing Street, home of the U.K.’s leader.

Now that he’s got the top job, we have to assume he’ll be extremely careful around cocktail sticks and Martini glasses in future.

One thing’s absolutely sure, however: while Johnson’s election by 0.14% of the British population has provoked mixed feelings in the U.K., politics is going to be very far from boring while he’s in Downing Street.

Elected primarily as a politician who can successfully extricate Britain from the EU, Johnson faces the challenge of governing with an ever-shrinking Conservative majority, the most quarrelsome Parliament in living memory and a nation that’s completely divided over Europe.

In the past, he’s proven to be a hugely successful campaigner and vote-winner who is famously funny, charming, offensive and calculating, in equal measure. Johnson is a man who’s able to make the most mundane of economic or political topics a source of entertainment through a quirky phrase or well-timed quip. He’s also been known to shift political positions on a dime and is a master of offbeat but shockingly effective politics. But will that be enough to steer him through Brexit? Or reunite the U.K.?

What, then, can we expect from Boris Johnson?

1. Ruthlessness

With his wayward locks, creased suits and seemingly uncontrollable ties, Johnson may come across as bumbling character from a BBC sitcom. Away from the cameras, however, he’s known to be a serious politician, with a quick temper and caustic turn of phrase.

This was apparent during his stint as Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, when he managed to secure increased police funding from austerity-driven Chancellor George Osborne, and casually sacked the Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, with the words: “There’s no easy way to say this, Ian. I want a new chief of police,” Guto Harri, Johnson’s communications director at the London assembly, recently told The Times.

Yes, people laughed at Johnson when he got stuck dangling on a zip-wire, waving a pair of Union Jacks as part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations. But it’s also an image you don’t forget.

2012年8月,时任伦敦市长的鲍里斯·约翰逊在伦敦奥运会的一个推广活动中卡在了高空滑索上。图片来源:Credit: Barcroft Media via Getty Images

2. 《欧洲神话》

1989至1994年,约翰逊作为《每日电讯报》驻布鲁塞尔的记者创出了名堂。他并未向英国读者详细报道欧洲那些干巴巴的日常事务,相反,他把重点放在挖掘欧洲法律的细枝末节上,进而打造出被称为《欧洲神话》(Euromyths)的系列报道,其中包括采用同等尺寸“欧洲棺材”的计划以及监管水果进口的“香蕉警察部队”。

曾经担任《泰晤士报》驻布鲁塞尔记者的彼得·吉尔福德对《独立报》表示:“他写的那些故事比较反常,也就跟真实情况沾那么一点点边。”吉尔福德还说,约翰逊把疑欧派新闻变成了“一种艺术形式”。

曾经在《每日电讯报》担任约翰逊责任编辑的麦克斯·黑斯廷斯也不认为他“适合担任国家级职务”。

2. “Euromyths”

Johnson made his name as a Brussels reporter for the Daily Telegraph from 1989 until 1994. Rather than detail the dry, routine proceedings of the EU to his readers back in the U.K., however, Johnson instead focused on drawing out tiny details within EU legislation to create a series of what came to be known as“Euromyths”, such as plans to introduce same-size “eurocoffins” and a “banana police force” to regulate fruit imports.

“He would write outrageous stories with only the slenderest connection of truth in them,” Peter Guilford, former Brussels correspondent for The Times told The Independent, adding that Johnson had turned eurosceptic journalism into “an art form.”

His former editor at The Telegraph, Max Hastings, has also declared Johnson “unfit for national office.”

鲍里斯·约翰逊在《每日电讯报》当记者及在《新政治家》周刊当编辑时的照片。图片来源:Credit: Neville Elder—Corbis via Getty Images

后来,英国议会就《欧洲神话》系列报道对约翰逊进行询问,他则否认自己编造了这些故事。约翰逊回答说:“为全力反击那些认为我们应该脱欧的人所付出的努力是巨大的,而且我们说的任何东西多少都有些神话色彩。”

3. 换工作

1988年,约翰逊因为捏造他人话题而被《泰晤士报》开除。后来,他在《每日电讯报》陷入了更为丢人的境地——约翰逊和校友(后承认犯有欺诈罪的)达瑞斯·古比交谈的文字整理稿显示,在一段1990年的录音中,约翰逊正在筹划袭击《每日快报》记者斯图尔特·科利尔,或者说要把后者打的“两个眼圈乌青”,再“断一条肋骨”。

2004年,时任保守党副主席、影子内阁人文艺术大臣的约翰逊再遭解雇,原因是人们发现他向保守党领袖迈克尔·霍华德撒谎,隐瞒了自己和记者彼得罗妮拉·怀亚特四年的婚外情。2018年,担任外交大臣的约翰逊因为对首相特蕾莎·梅的脱欧政策不满而辞职。

4. 种族主义言论

在2002年托尼·布莱尔访问非洲时,约翰逊发表了“著名言论”,将当地人称为“带着西瓜笑脸、挥舞旗子的小黑崽子”。

2006年,他说巴布亚新几内亚是“弑君和食人狂欢”之地。第二年他又把美国总统候选人希拉里·克林顿比作“精神病院的虐待狂护士”。

此外,约翰逊还“成功地”用“半肯尼亚血统”侮辱了美国总统贝拉克·奥巴马,用粗俗的诗来讽刺土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安,并指责欧盟欲对要脱欧的英国施以纳粹式的“惩罚性打击”。

更近一些,也就是2018年8月,他又说穆斯林女性的面纱“令人感到压抑、怪异而且令旁人害怕”,而且还说“打扮的像邮筒一样出门绝对很可笑”。

Johnson was later questioned about these “Euromyths” in Parliament, but denied making them up. “There is a great deal of effort being made to deprecate those who think we should leave the EU and everything we say is somehow mythical,” he replied.

3. Job changes

Sacked by the Times in 1988 for making up quotes, Johnson faced even greater disgrace at the Daily Telegraph when a 1990 tape surfaced of him plotting to have Daily Express journalist Stuart Collier assaulted—or given “a couple of black eyes” and a “cracked rib”, according to a transcript of his conversation with school friend (and later convicted fraudster) Darius Guppy.

In 2004, Johnson was also sacked as Conservative party vice-chairman and Shadow Arts Minister when it emerged that he lied to leader Michael Howard about a four-year affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt. In 2018, he also walked out of Theresa May’s cabinet over her handling of Brexit.

4. Racist comments

When Tony Blair visited Africa, in 2002, Johnson famously described the locals as “flag-waving piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”.

In 2006, he described Papua New Guinea as a land of “orgies of cannibalism and chief-killing”. The following year he compared U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to “a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”.

On top of this, Johnson’s managed to insult US president Barack Obama over his “part-Kenyan” ancestry, composed a rude poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accused the EU of wanting to inflict Nazi-style “punishment beatings” on the U.K. because of Brexit.

More recently, in August 2018, he described Muslim face veils as “oppressive”, “weird and bullying” adding that it’s “absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letterboxes.”

2018年8月,英格兰阿克斯桥当地民众在Hillingdon Conservative Association办公室外抗议鲍里斯·约翰逊针对穆斯林发表的言论。图片来源:Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

这番话遭到保守党资深成员的愤怒谴责,外界要求约翰逊道歉。然而,保守党在调查后裁定约翰逊有权通过“讽刺”来表达其观点。他再次逃过一劫,而这要归因于他的名声和对幽默的使用。

5. 失言

虽然约翰逊的话大多被视为不着调的幽默,但有些也产生了严重后果。

2004年,约翰逊成功地激怒了利物浦全体市民,因为他说在伊拉克被劫为人质且遇害的肯·比格利以及1989年造成96名利物浦足球俱乐部球迷身亡的希尔斯堡惨案让利物浦人都沉浸在“受害者身份”中。

2017年,时任英国外交大臣的约翰逊说拥有英国伊朗双重国籍的女士纳扎宁·扎格里-拉特克利夫“只是教新闻的”,结果直接导致后者在伊朗被捕入狱,而且她“进行反伊朗政府宣传”的证据就是约翰逊的这句话。扎格里-拉特克利夫一直未被释放,最近她为了争取医疗权而开始绝食。

6. 脱欧支持者

约翰逊先生决定支持脱欧改变了英国脱欧公投的进程。他在一夜之间成了脱欧运动的推动者,坐着红色流动竞选巴士游走于英国各地,而且语言亲切,对英国脱欧的乐观态度既坚定不移,又有感染力。

His comments triggered a furious response from senior Conservatives and demands for an apology. A party investigation, however, ruled that Johnson was entitled to use “satire” to make his point. Once again, he survived thanks to his reputation and use of comedy.

5. Gaffes

While Johnson’s comments have largely been treated as misguided humor, some have had huge repercussions.

In 2004 he managed to offend the entire city of Liverpool by claiming they wallowed in “victim status” over the murder of Ken Bigley, who had been taken hostage in Iraq, and the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool FC supporters.

In 2017, when UK foreign secretary, his statement that British-Iranian Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe was “simply teaching people journalism”, directly led to her imprisonment in Iran when it was used as evidence of her “propaganda against the regime”. Zhagari-Ratcliffe remains in prison and recently went on hunger strike over her access to medical treatment.

6. Brexiteers

Mr Johnson’s decision to support Vote Leave was a game-changer in the Brexit referendum. Overnight, he became the impetus behind the leave campaign, touring the U.K. in his red battle bus with a jovial turn of phrase and a relentless, infectiously upbeat approach towards Brexit.

2019年7月22日,正在角逐保守党党魁职位的鲍里斯·约翰逊离开在伦敦威斯敏斯特的办公室,身边环绕着警卫和媒体人士。图片来源:Credit: Simon Dawson—Bloomberg via Getty Images

约翰逊可以把类似自由市场观念的枯燥话题变得易于理解而且有趣。实际情况证明这样的搭配不可阻挡——就像他说脱欧后英国每周可以节省3.5亿英镑一样,后来证明此言纯属无稽之谈。所以,可以预计会有好多口号,有高涨的热情,对细节的关注则可能不太多。

7. 特朗普

唐纳德·特朗普一直在反复称赞约翰逊,而且支持他竞选英国首相。争夺保守党党魁期间,约翰逊在一场直播电视辩论中也没有为报告遭泄露的英国驻美大使金·达罗克爵士辩护。

本周二约翰逊在保守党选举中获胜。特朗普随后在推特上写道:“祝贺鲍里斯·约翰逊成为英国新任首相。他会很出色!”

8. 政策摇摆

2008年成功当选伦敦市市长时,批评者将约翰逊描述为懒惰的种族主义者,厌恶女性而且恐同。随后约翰逊却彻底击碎了这些批评言论,他聘请了四位同性恋者进入他的最高市政管理团队,还聘请了一位穆斯林学者、一位锡克教徒以及加勒比黑人社区的几位领导成员。

约翰逊还为他的自由社会政策奋斗,比如基本生活工资,而且第二次为保守党拿下了伦敦市长职位,甚至是在他的牛津老同学大卫·卡梅隆领导的英国保守党政府难以获得普遍支持的情况下。

9. 大目标

担任伦敦市长期间,约翰逊起草了在泰晤士河口修建新机场(名为“鲍里斯岛”)的计划,推广过在泰晤士河上造“花园桥”的想法,宣布伦敦的欧式弯曲大巴不合法,还引进了超级成功的公共自行车项目(即“鲍里斯自行车”)。

约翰逊显然喜欢大目标,而且不怕投入资金,就算这些计划未能取得成果——上述花园桥设想最近泡汤,但已经耗资5350万英镑。

10. 个人丑闻

2019年6月22日(周五)凌晨0:24,警察接到报警后来到约翰逊和女友卡丽·西蒙兹在伦敦的公寓,原因是邻居担心“一位女士的安危”。

两人的高声争吵差点儿毁了约翰逊的首相征程。但约翰逊安然度过了这场风暴,这在一定程度上得益于几天后一张顺利刊登出来的照片,内容是他和西蒙斯在乡间安静地交谈。

不过,这只是约翰逊诸多登上头条的个人“事迹”中的一件——尤其是2013年爆出的消息,即约翰逊和律师玛丽娜·惠勒结婚后,他的艺术顾问海伦·麦金太尔在2009年为他生了一个女儿。此事在四年后才浮出水面的原因是法院裁定公布该消息符合公众利益。

约翰逊在1993年和首任妻子阿莱格拉·莫斯廷-欧文离婚,两人共同生活了五年。此外,他还被爆与记者安娜·法扎克利以及上文提到的专栏作家彼得罗妮拉·怀亚特有染。(财富中文网)

译者:Charlie

审校:夏林

His ability to turn dry topics such as free-market ideology into something that was understandable and fun proved to be an irresistible combination—as was his claim that the U.K. could save £350 million a week by leaving the EU, which was later proven to be an outright fabrication. So, expect lots of slogans, lots of enthusiasm—and perhaps not too much attention to detail.

7. Trump

Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Johnson and supported his campaign to become prime minister. During the Conservative leadership campaign, Johnson also did not defend the leaked reports of British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch in a live TV debate.

“Congratulations to Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He will be great!” Trump tweeted after Johnson won the Conservative election on Tuesday.

8. Policy swings

Critics decried Johnson as lazy, racist, misogynist, and a homophobe during his successful attempt to become London mayor in 2008. He then turned the tables on his critics completely, employing four gay men in his top team at City Hall, along with a Muslim academic, a Sikh and leading members of the afro-Caribbean community.

Johnson also championed liberal social policies, such as a living wage, and won a second term for the Conservatives in London, even as the Conservative national government run by his old Oxford classmate, David Cameron, was struggling with its popularity.

9. Big Ideas

As mayor of London, Johnson drew up plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary (known as “Boris Island”), promoted the idea of a “Garden Bridge” across the River Thames, outlawed European-style “bendy buses” in the capital and brought in a hugely successful cycle hire scheme (“Boris Bikes”).

Johnson clearly likes a big idea and is not afraid to pump in the finance, even if the plans don’t reach fruition: the garden bridge concept was recently scrapped at a cost of £53.5million.

10. Personal scandal

At 12.24 am on Friday, June 22, police officers were called to the London apartment shared by Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds, following neighborly concerns about the “welfare of a female.”

The screaming row threatened to derail Johnson’s bid to become PM. Yet, Johnson rode out the storm—partly through the help of a conveniently published photograph of him calmly chatting to Symonds in the countryside a couple of days later.

Despite this, it’s just one of many personal incidents to have hit the headlines—not least the 2013 revelation that he fathered a daughter with arts consultant Helen MacIntyre in 2009, while married to barrister Marina Wheeler. This only emerged four years later after a court ruled it was in the public interest for the information to be released.

His first marriage to Allegra Mostyn-Owen was dissolved in 1993, after five years together. At other times he has also been romantically linked to journalist Anna Fazackerley, along with columnist Petronella Wyatt.

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