Privatising
the railways was a disaster. It's time to renationalise
Passengers are paying a fortune to travel in overcrowded trains, so Labour, like the Greens, should seize the initiative
乘客们花费不菲，车厢却拥挤不堪，所以工党应象绿党一样掌握主动。
作者：Caroline Lucas
铁路私有化是一场灾难，是再次国有化的时候了
Passengers are paying a fortune to travel in overcrowded trains, so Labour, like the Greens, should seize the initiative
乘客们花费不菲，车厢却拥挤不堪，所以工党应象绿党一样掌握主动。
作者：Caroline Lucas
（卡洛琳.卢卡斯，英国绿党领袖，欧洲议会议员）
Thursday 22 August 2013
'The solution the Green party is proposing is for our railways to be brought back into public hands, with passengers having a greater say in the development of the system.' Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
‘绿党的方案是提议将我们的铁路回购到公众手中来，而且乘客们也要在铁路系统的发展中有更大的话语权’
"No direction", "dithering", "rudderless". Ed Miliband isn't the first opposition leader to hear this kind of language as an election looms, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that his MPs are queuing up to offer him friendly encouragement to fill the policy vacuum.
“无方向”，“犹豫”，“群龙无首”，米利班德不是第一个在选举在即时听到这种言论的反对党领袖，所以当他的下院议员们排着队给他鼓劲以填补这个政策真空时，可能我们并不会感到奇怪。
Clearly, it's not easy being in opposition, knowing that every policy announcement can and will be used against you by the government and a hostile media. But that's why politics requires courage.
显然，当知道到你的每个政策声明都能也将被政府和敌对的媒体用来反击你时，做反对党也不容易，不过这也正说明为何政治需要勇气。
Labour now has some fantastic opportunities to get behind progressive policies that would resonate with its traditional support and with voters. One in particular is about to pull into the station. With the dreadful news last week that rail fares will go up by an average of 4.1% next year (and sincere sympathies to you if you're one of the many passengers who will be hit much harder than that), it's surely time for Labour to accept that privatisation of the railways was a disastrous failure that it should have reversed when it had the chance.
工党现在有一些极好的机会去推动将引起其传统支持者和选民共鸣的进步政策，尤其是在铁路运营这一方面。对于上周发布的火车票价将在明年平均调高约4.1％的可怕的新闻（如果你是将要受此打击更严重的乘客之一，在此致以深切的同情），从工党来说，应当认识到铁路私有化是一场灾难性失败并应在有机会时予以撤销，可以说现在正逢其时。
With the prime minister's former speechwriter, Ian Birrell, leaping to the defence of privatised services and talking about record levels of passenger satisfaction, surely now is the time for Miliband's team to sign up to a policy that would genuinely distinguish him from the coalition. The shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, sounds as if she wants to head in that direction. She recently criticised the government's determination to re-privatise the East Coast service, calling it "bizarre and dogmatic". East Coast, she noted, makes one of the highest payments to the public purse, receives the least subsidy and is the only route on which all profits are reinvested in services. So why doesn't Labour go the whole way?
鉴于首相的前演讲稿撰写人伊恩.比勒尔对私有化服务迅速作出了辩护，指出乘客满意率已达创纪录的水平，无疑，现在就是时候，米尔班德的班子应该达成一项方针以切实的把他与本联盟区分开来。
影子运输大臣玛丽亚.伊格听起来似乎想朝这个方向前进，她最近批评了政府对东海岸（铁路）服务再次私有化的决定，称其“离奇而武断”，她指出，东海岸的服务形成了对公共资金来说最昂贵的支出之一，（但它）接受最少的补贴并且是将所有利润再投资于服务项目的唯一线路，所以工党有何理由不一路走下去呢？
The Rebuilding Rail report, published last year by Transport for Quality of Life, offers a superb analysis of the mess Britain's railways are in. It finds that the private sector has not delivered the innovation and investment that were once promised, that the costs of back-room staff have massively increased, and that the costs of train travel rose by 17% between 1997 and 2010 (while the costs of travelling by car fell). It conservatively estimates that ￡1.2bn is being lost each year as a result of fragmentation and privatisation. The irony is that some of the biggest profiters are the state-owned rail companies of our neighbours: Deutsche Bahn, for example, owns three UK franchises.
去年由“通向优质生活的交通”发布的铁路重建报告对英国铁路的混乱现况提供了一个极好的分析，它认为私营部门没有完成曾经承诺的革新与投入，幕后人员的成本大幅增加，1997年至2010年间铁路出行的成本上升了17％（在此期间汽车出行的成本在降低），报告审慎的估计每年因系统碎片化和私有化造成的损失为12亿英镑，讽刺的是，某些最大的盈利者是我们邻居的国有铁路公司：例如德国联邦铁路公司，它拥有三份英国铁路的特许经营权。
Birrell seeks to paint opponents of privatisation as dewy-eyed nostalgists. But the modern, efficient, clean, affordable services enjoyed in other parts of Europe offer a much better blueprint than our own past. The solution the Green party is proposing is for our railways to be brought back into public hands, with passengers having a greater say in the development of the system. The government would take back individual franchises when they expire, or when companies fail to meet their conditions. The enormous savings generated could and should then be reinvested in rail infrastructure, and to reduce the soaring cost of fares.
比勒尔力图将私有化的反对者描绘为天真的怀旧者，但是，欧洲其它地方享有的现代化的，有效率的，清洁的，负担得起的铁路服务提供了一个与我们所经历的相比要好得多的蓝图，绿党正在提议的方案是将我们的铁路购回公众手中，而且乘客们也要在铁路系统的发展中拥有更大的话语权，当独立专营权到期，或公司未能满足政府的条件时，政府应当将其收回，所产生的庞大的结余款项既可以（也应当）再投资于铁路基础设施，也可令高昂的票价成本得以降低。
My private member's bill sets out the process to make this happen, and is due to have its second reading in October. I've written to Maria Eagle asking if Labour will get behind it. As a policy for Labour, it's unlikely to play well in the Mail and the Telegraph. But I suspect many of their readers – particularly those reading their papers while jammed up against a fellow commuter on an overcrowded, overpriced train – might be more receptive. And certainly there are many rank and file Labour MPs, many of whom are already backing the bill, who are desperate to see their leader prove himself as the conviction politician he says he is.
我的下院议员的法案拟定了促成此事的程序，因在十月份将进入二读，我已致信玛丽亚.伊格,询问工党是否会支持此法案。按工党的政策，它不大可能在邮政和电报事务中得心应手，但是我猜测许多他们的读者－－尤其是那些挤在人满为患且票价高昂的通勤车中的读过他们的文件的人－－可能更能接受，无疑，拥有大量基层群众的工党下院议员中的许多人已在支持此法案，他们渴望看到他们的领袖证明自己是如他所言的意志坚定的政治家。
Thursday 22 August 2013
'The solution the Green party is proposing is for our railways to be brought back into public hands, with passengers having a greater say in the development of the system.' Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
‘绿党的方案是提议将我们的铁路回购到公众手中来，而且乘客们也要在铁路系统的发展中有更大的话语权’
"No direction", "dithering", "rudderless". Ed Miliband isn't the first opposition leader to hear this kind of language as an election looms, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that his MPs are queuing up to offer him friendly encouragement to fill the policy vacuum.
“无方向”，“犹豫”，“群龙无首”，米利班德不是第一个在选举在即时听到这种言论的反对党领袖，所以当他的下院议员们排着队给他鼓劲以填补这个政策真空时，可能我们并不会感到奇怪。
Clearly, it's not easy being in opposition, knowing that every policy announcement can and will be used against you by the government and a hostile media. But that's why politics requires courage.
显然，当知道到你的每个政策声明都能也将被政府和敌对的媒体用来反击你时，做反对党也不容易，不过这也正说明为何政治需要勇气。
Labour now has some fantastic opportunities to get behind progressive policies that would resonate with its traditional support and with voters. One in particular is about to pull into the station. With the dreadful news last week that rail fares will go up by an average of 4.1% next year (and sincere sympathies to you if you're one of the many passengers who will be hit much harder than that), it's surely time for Labour to accept that privatisation of the railways was a disastrous failure that it should have reversed when it had the chance.
工党现在有一些极好的机会去推动将引起其传统支持者和选民共鸣的进步政策，尤其是在铁路运营这一方面。对于上周发布的火车票价将在明年平均调高约4.1％的可怕的新闻（如果你是将要受此打击更严重的乘客之一，在此致以深切的同情），从工党来说，应当认识到铁路私有化是一场灾难性失败并应在有机会时予以撤销，可以说现在正逢其时。
With the prime minister's former speechwriter, Ian Birrell, leaping to the defence of privatised services and talking about record levels of passenger satisfaction, surely now is the time for Miliband's team to sign up to a policy that would genuinely distinguish him from the coalition. The shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, sounds as if she wants to head in that direction. She recently criticised the government's determination to re-privatise the East Coast service, calling it "bizarre and dogmatic". East Coast, she noted, makes one of the highest payments to the public purse, receives the least subsidy and is the only route on which all profits are reinvested in services. So why doesn't Labour go the whole way?
鉴于首相的前演讲稿撰写人伊恩.比勒尔对私有化服务迅速作出了辩护，指出乘客满意率已达创纪录的水平，无疑，现在就是时候，米尔班德的班子应该达成一项方针以切实的把他与本联盟区分开来。
影子运输大臣玛丽亚.伊格听起来似乎想朝这个方向前进，她最近批评了政府对东海岸（铁路）服务再次私有化的决定，称其“离奇而武断”，她指出，东海岸的服务形成了对公共资金来说最昂贵的支出之一，（但它）接受最少的补贴并且是将所有利润再投资于服务项目的唯一线路，所以工党有何理由不一路走下去呢？
The Rebuilding Rail report, published last year by Transport for Quality of Life, offers a superb analysis of the mess Britain's railways are in. It finds that the private sector has not delivered the innovation and investment that were once promised, that the costs of back-room staff have massively increased, and that the costs of train travel rose by 17% between 1997 and 2010 (while the costs of travelling by car fell). It conservatively estimates that ￡1.2bn is being lost each year as a result of fragmentation and privatisation. The irony is that some of the biggest profiters are the state-owned rail companies of our neighbours: Deutsche Bahn, for example, owns three UK franchises.
去年由“通向优质生活的交通”发布的铁路重建报告对英国铁路的混乱现况提供了一个极好的分析，它认为私营部门没有完成曾经承诺的革新与投入，幕后人员的成本大幅增加，1997年至2010年间铁路出行的成本上升了17％（在此期间汽车出行的成本在降低），报告审慎的估计每年因系统碎片化和私有化造成的损失为12亿英镑，讽刺的是，某些最大的盈利者是我们邻居的国有铁路公司：例如德国联邦铁路公司，它拥有三份英国铁路的特许经营权。
Birrell seeks to paint opponents of privatisation as dewy-eyed nostalgists. But the modern, efficient, clean, affordable services enjoyed in other parts of Europe offer a much better blueprint than our own past. The solution the Green party is proposing is for our railways to be brought back into public hands, with passengers having a greater say in the development of the system. The government would take back individual franchises when they expire, or when companies fail to meet their conditions. The enormous savings generated could and should then be reinvested in rail infrastructure, and to reduce the soaring cost of fares.
比勒尔力图将私有化的反对者描绘为天真的怀旧者，但是，欧洲其它地方享有的现代化的，有效率的，清洁的，负担得起的铁路服务提供了一个与我们所经历的相比要好得多的蓝图，绿党正在提议的方案是将我们的铁路购回公众手中，而且乘客们也要在铁路系统的发展中拥有更大的话语权，当独立专营权到期，或公司未能满足政府的条件时，政府应当将其收回，所产生的庞大的结余款项既可以（也应当）再投资于铁路基础设施，也可令高昂的票价成本得以降低。
My private member's bill sets out the process to make this happen, and is due to have its second reading in October. I've written to Maria Eagle asking if Labour will get behind it. As a policy for Labour, it's unlikely to play well in the Mail and the Telegraph. But I suspect many of their readers – particularly those reading their papers while jammed up against a fellow commuter on an overcrowded, overpriced train – might be more receptive. And certainly there are many rank and file Labour MPs, many of whom are already backing the bill, who are desperate to see their leader prove himself as the conviction politician he says he is.
我的下院议员的法案拟定了促成此事的程序，因在十月份将进入二读，我已致信玛丽亚.伊格,询问工党是否会支持此法案。按工党的政策，它不大可能在邮政和电报事务中得心应手，但是我猜测许多他们的读者－－尤其是那些挤在人满为患且票价高昂的通勤车中的读过他们的文件的人－－可能更能接受，无疑，拥有大量基层群众的工党下院议员中的许多人已在支持此法案，他们渴望看到他们的领袖证明自己是如他所言的意志坚定的政治家。
【网络评论数千条】（仅译前15条－－译注）
RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:34pm
Recommend 1293
Agreed, along with Gas and Electricity.
赞同，燃气和电力也要一起来（此评论点赞的最多，1293次，看来英国的燃气和电力也是私营的－－译注）。
Zakida RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:38pm
Recommend 319
And money creation
还有货币发行
RandomAccountant Zakida
22 August 2013 5:42pm
Recommend 54
State money already is.
Whether it should guarantee bank money or not is another question.
国家的货币已经是了。
是否它应该对银行资金作担保，或不会出现另一个问题。
madasballoons RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:48pm
Recommend 402
And water of course.
当然还有供水。
thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:35pm
Recommend 49
So brave.
如此勇敢。
percentages thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:50pm
Recommend 899
Privatising the railways was a disaster. It's time to renationalise
It seems Caroline Lucas & the Greens are now the true party of the Left since Ed Milliband is busy trying to be a true Tory. Well done.
铁路私有化是一场灾难，是把它重新国有化的时候了。
自从米利班德忙于试图成为一个真正的保守党人开始，卡洛琳.卢卡斯和绿党看似就是左翼的真正一员了，干得好。
jonniestewpot thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:57pm
Recommend 65
So brave.
Well it's a start.
如此勇敢。
好，这是一个开始。
dsmith9 thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 6:05pm
Recommend 7
Not really. The railways have and always will be a loss making enterprise. The railways lost money even in the glory days. Probably why Thatcher never privatized them (they forever need subsidy).
http://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/are-eu-rules-really-a-barrier-to-reuniting-the-railways-under-public-control
One worrying point - how will competition effect the railways? Can a re-nationalized BR compete with the German Deutsche Bahn on British rails?
不是真的，铁路已经且将总是一个亏本的企业，铁路甚至在它辉煌岁月里也亏钱，大概这就是撒切尔为何从不私有化它们（它们永远需要补贴）－－此句似乎说反了，撒切尔是铁路私有化的推行者－－译注
令人担心的一点－－竞争将如何影响铁路？再国有化的英国铁路公司能与德国人的联邦铁路公司在英国的铁路上竞争么？
RandomAccountant dsmith9
22 August 2013 6:14pm
Recommend 88
Why does it need to compete ?
为何它需要竞争？
ninfan thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 6:19pm
Recommend 20
Agreed - I'm hoping that Caroline will continue the process towards direct action, perhaps the image of her standing in front of a train would be the spur towards the rest of the left to do the same?
同意－－我盼望着卡罗琳将继续这个直接行动的程序，也许她站在列车前面的形象会鼓舞其它的左派也这样做？
SWRural2 dsmith9
22 August 2013 6:27pm
Recommend 14
You must be very young -which do you call the glory days?
你一定非常年轻－－你称呼何时为辉煌岁月？
GeoffTr ninfan
22 August 2013 7:02pm
Recommend 8
Let's hope the train doesn't stop!
让我们期待火车不要停下来！
thunderstorm percentages
22 August 2013 7:04pm
Recommend 25
green has been the new red for a long time.
if their rail strategy is as effective as their energy strategy, commuters will be pushing the trains.
think green, think stone age.
绿党很久以来就是新红了（此句意思不明－－译注）
如果他们的铁路战略与他们的能源战略的效果一样，通勤者们将要去推火车。
想想绿党，想想石器石代。
Cynical007 dsmith9
22 August 2013 7:23pm
Recommend 88
Can a re-nationalized BR compete with the German Deutsche Bahn on British rails?
Since the privateers currently get three times the public subsidy that British rail got (not to mention the massive fare increases since privatisation) I think running the railways as a public service could work quite well.
After all, the example you give of an effective competitor, Deutsche Bahn, is owned by the German government.
再国有化的英国铁路公司能与德国人的联邦铁路公司在英国的铁路上竞争么？
自从私营业者们最近接受了三次对英国铁路的政府补助后（别提因为私有化造成的大幅票价上涨了），我认为把铁路作为公共服务来经营会运作得很好。
毕竟，你举出的实际竞争对手的例子，联邦铁路公司，是属于德国政府的。
Smollett dsmith9
22 August 2013 7:48pm
Recommend 95
BR was the most efficient railway in Europe with the highest proportion of high speed routes. All its R&D and manufacturing was done in-house and/or UK-based. All that's been lost as well.
英国铁路公司曾是欧洲最有效率的铁路部门，高速线路比例最高，它的所有研发和制造在内部和/或以英国为基地完成，所有这些也都已失去了。
铁路私有化, initiative, disaster, Caroline, solution
RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:34pm
Recommend 1293
Agreed, along with Gas and Electricity.
赞同，燃气和电力也要一起来（此评论点赞的最多，1293次，看来英国的燃气和电力也是私营的－－译注）。
Zakida RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:38pm
Recommend 319
And money creation
还有货币发行
RandomAccountant Zakida
22 August 2013 5:42pm
Recommend 54
State money already is.
Whether it should guarantee bank money or not is another question.
国家的货币已经是了。
是否它应该对银行资金作担保，或不会出现另一个问题。
madasballoons RandomAccountant
22 August 2013 5:48pm
Recommend 402
And water of course.
当然还有供水。
thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:35pm
Recommend 49
So brave.
如此勇敢。
percentages thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:50pm
Recommend 899
Privatising the railways was a disaster. It's time to renationalise
It seems Caroline Lucas & the Greens are now the true party of the Left since Ed Milliband is busy trying to be a true Tory. Well done.
铁路私有化是一场灾难，是把它重新国有化的时候了。
自从米利班德忙于试图成为一个真正的保守党人开始，卡洛琳.卢卡斯和绿党看似就是左翼的真正一员了，干得好。
jonniestewpot thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 5:57pm
Recommend 65
So brave.
Well it's a start.
如此勇敢。
好，这是一个开始。
dsmith9 thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 6:05pm
Recommend 7
Not really. The railways have and always will be a loss making enterprise. The railways lost money even in the glory days. Probably why Thatcher never privatized them (they forever need subsidy).
http://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/are-eu-rules-really-a-barrier-to-reuniting-the-railways-under-public-control
One worrying point - how will competition effect the railways? Can a re-nationalized BR compete with the German Deutsche Bahn on British rails?
不是真的，铁路已经且将总是一个亏本的企业，铁路甚至在它辉煌岁月里也亏钱，大概这就是撒切尔为何从不私有化它们（它们永远需要补贴）－－此句似乎说反了，撒切尔是铁路私有化的推行者－－译注
令人担心的一点－－竞争将如何影响铁路？再国有化的英国铁路公司能与德国人的联邦铁路公司在英国的铁路上竞争么？
RandomAccountant dsmith9
22 August 2013 6:14pm
Recommend 88
Why does it need to compete ?
为何它需要竞争？
ninfan thefivefingerman
22 August 2013 6:19pm
Recommend 20
Agreed - I'm hoping that Caroline will continue the process towards direct action, perhaps the image of her standing in front of a train would be the spur towards the rest of the left to do the same?
同意－－我盼望着卡罗琳将继续这个直接行动的程序，也许她站在列车前面的形象会鼓舞其它的左派也这样做？
SWRural2 dsmith9
22 August 2013 6:27pm
Recommend 14
You must be very young -which do you call the glory days?
你一定非常年轻－－你称呼何时为辉煌岁月？
GeoffTr ninfan
22 August 2013 7:02pm
Recommend 8
Let's hope the train doesn't stop!
让我们期待火车不要停下来！
thunderstorm percentages
22 August 2013 7:04pm
Recommend 25
green has been the new red for a long time.
if their rail strategy is as effective as their energy strategy, commuters will be pushing the trains.
think green, think stone age.
绿党很久以来就是新红了（此句意思不明－－译注）
如果他们的铁路战略与他们的能源战略的效果一样，通勤者们将要去推火车。
想想绿党，想想石器石代。
Cynical007 dsmith9
22 August 2013 7:23pm
Recommend 88
Can a re-nationalized BR compete with the German Deutsche Bahn on British rails?
Since the privateers currently get three times the public subsidy that British rail got (not to mention the massive fare increases since privatisation) I think running the railways as a public service could work quite well.
After all, the example you give of an effective competitor, Deutsche Bahn, is owned by the German government.
再国有化的英国铁路公司能与德国人的联邦铁路公司在英国的铁路上竞争么？
自从私营业者们最近接受了三次对英国铁路的政府补助后（别提因为私有化造成的大幅票价上涨了），我认为把铁路作为公共服务来经营会运作得很好。
毕竟，你举出的实际竞争对手的例子，联邦铁路公司，是属于德国政府的。
Smollett dsmith9
22 August 2013 7:48pm
Recommend 95
BR was the most efficient railway in Europe with the highest proportion of high speed routes. All its R&D and manufacturing was done in-house and/or UK-based. All that's been lost as well.
英国铁路公司曾是欧洲最有效率的铁路部门，高速线路比例最高，它的所有研发和制造在内部和/或以英国为基地完成，所有这些也都已失去了。
铁路私有化, initiative, disaster, Caroline, solution
中国铁路也在朝这路子狂奔
青春就应该这样绽放 游戏测试：三国时期谁是你最好的兄弟！！ 你不得不信的星座秘密