Play With Words

Michael White uses the analogy to tell us what they are like:

If Mrs Thatcher was matron and John Major that nice bus conductor on the No 63, Tony Blair was an upmarket estate agent. But Brown is a hellfire preacher whose media handlers have told him to go easy on the hellfire stuff because it reduces the Sunday collection.

matron: A woman who acts as a supervisor or monitor in a public institution, such as a school, hospital, or prison.

hellfire: Portending future disaster

Michael White of the Guardian comments on Peter Hain’s resignation:

Hindsight specialists were quick to argue that Brown’s failure to make him walk the plank in December – when the real scale of his initial £5,000 amnesia began to become clearer – is further proof of his indecision.

我喜欢这里的几个幽默的表达方式：

hindsight specilaist (“马后炮专家”似乎不如原文清晰和精彩)；

walk the plank 是指在船甲板上架起一块木板(plank)，伸向船外，然后让人从板上走过去，掉入海中，现在指被逼辞职；

£5,000 amnesia 指 Peter Hain 声称“忘了申报”的借口。

《卫报》(The Guardian)的 Michael White 有着一手风趣的文笔。有关这次提前大选风波，他写道：

…But what mattered yesterday was that Mr Brown blinked first. In the long run it may not prove to be what managers sometimes call a CLM – a career limiting moment. If he recovers strongly the “Bottler Brown” jibe will fade.

But the weekend’s drama was defintely a career enhancing moment for two of the other players. Mr Cameron may just have had a “people’s princess” moment with the Middle Britain public. And this was surely the day when Mr Marr inherited one of nation’s great constitutional offices. From here on he is The Dimbleby of State.

Mr Marr : Andrew Marr. 原 BBC 政治编辑 (political editor)，现在担任 BBC One 星期天早晨的政治清谈节目 The Andrew Marr Show。这次 Gordon Brown 就是选择他的节目宣布不会有提前的大选。此举代表了 Andrew Marr 的节目在英国政治生活中的重要地位－－与另一位资深的时事节目主持人 Johnathan Dimbleby 看齐。