英国上周三颁布新的财政政策，是否意味着彻底背离了曾经激进的、定义政党本身的意识形态?The Thatcherite legacy of fiscal prudence and a small state has been a core part of the Conservative Party and its economic beliefs for decades. A little over ten years ago a gentle but consistent shift to the centre ground began, in an attempt to “detoxify” the Tory brand and make the party electable again. This has evolved and morphed into a full-blown interventionist agenda.数十年来，撒切尔遗留的财政谨慎和小政府政策一直是保守党及其经济信仰的核心部分。十多年前，保守党开始温和而持续地向中间立场转变，试图"净化"保守党的品牌 ，增强该党的当选性。这已经演进和变化成了一个全面的干预主义议程。The pandemic has forced the Treasury to think the unthinkable about spending but that alone is not the cause of this shift. The leftward move began in earnest long before the coronavirus, as a reaction to stagnating wages and the increased cost of living. 这场疫情迫使财政部在支出方面作出超乎想象的思考，但这本身并不是导致这种转变发生的原因。早在新冠病毒爆发之前，作为对停滞不前的工资和上涨的生活成本的一种反应，向左倾斜的行动就开始了。The state stepped in to subsidise home ownership and intervene in industrial policy. Putting Tory tanks on Labour’s lawn was an effective political tactic, though it sat somewhat uncomfortably alongside a message of austerity.国家出面补贴自置房屋，干预产业政策。把保守党的坦克开到工党的草坪上（意为保守党走工党路线）是一种有效的政治策略，尽管把它与紧缩政策的信息放在一起有点不舒服。That cautiously balanced era is over. Direct state support for industry is likely to continue for some time and the government, keen on avoiding tax rises, will be looking at its ability to borrow. All of this is taking place without a word of discontent from those who think of themselves as small-state Tories.那个谨慎平衡的时代已经结束了。国家对工业的直接支持可能还会持续一段时间，而热衷于避免增税的政府也会其借贷能力。But how will this play out at an election in 2024? If the Conservatives accept more state intervention, more borrowing and more debt, how will they distinguish themselves from Labour? Judging by recent events it is unlikely they can credibly point to a record of competence, though this can be rectified in the time still available. 但在2024年的大选中，这将如何发挥作用？如果保守党接受更多的国家干预、更多的借贷和更多的债务，他们将如何将自己与工党区分开来？从最近发生的事件来看，他们不太可能让人信服地证明自己的能力，尽管这在尚有时间内可以得到纠正。本文节选自：The Times（泰晤士报）
发布时间：2020.07.06
作者：Salma Shah
原文标题：Losing a reputation for fiscal prudence will hurt the Tories
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