金融時報:法國新總理是誰

法國新總理是誰

由于在地方選舉中慘敗，法國總統(tǒng)奧朗德決定換總理以求變，出生于巴塞羅那的內(nèi)政部長馬努埃爾·瓦爾斯(Manuel Valls)成為新總理。這篇文章是五個關(guān)于瓦爾斯的有趣事實。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

uncharacteristically [,?n,kærikt?'ristikli] 不典型的，非同尋常的

audacious [??'de???s] 無畏的，有冒險精神的

Blairite ['blε?ait] 布萊爾主義，布萊爾派

founder ['fa?nd?(r)] 沉沒，失敗

dour ['d??; 'da??] 嚴厲的，不愛講話的

run-off 決勝

Five things to know about Manuel Valls（444 words）

By Ben Hall, FT's world news editor and a former correspondent in Paris

French President François Hollande has made an uncharacteristically audacious decision in appointing Manuel Valls, an economic reformer and Socialist party moderniser, as his new prime minister. Here are five things you need to know about the new premier:

1) Mr Valls, 51, is about as rightwing as you can be in France's Socialist party. He is about as close as you can get in France to Britain's New Labour(championed by Tony Blair), which is regarded by the French left as a toxic brand. He was fond of Blairite mantras. “We must change or die,” he argued in 2009, when the Socialist party was foundering under the leadership of leftwinger Martine Aubry. He even suggested ditching “Socialist” from the party name. At one point he was threatened with expulsion from the party for speaking out.

2) He made his mark as the slick spokesman for the dour Lionel Jospin, prime minister from 1997 to 2002. He saw up close Mr Jospin's disastrous bid for the presidency in 2002 when the National Front's Jean-Marie Le Pen beat the Socialist candidate to make it through to the second, run-off vote (Jospin came only third in the first round voting, therefore Chirac and Le Pen entered into the second round, before Chirac got reelected). But Mr Valls' formative political years were as mayor of Evry, a gritty, multi-ethnic newtown in the southern suburbs of Paris. His “tough on crime” message endeared him to working-class voters – and to Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Hollande's rightwing predecessor, who once tried to recruit him to join his government.

3) He was born in Barcelona to a Catalan artist father and a Swiss-Italian mother and only became a French citizen in 1982. But in spite of his immigrant roots, he has been a controversial advocate of tough curbs on immigration as interior minister since 2012. His push to deport of a 15-year Gypsy girl with a bad school attendance record prompted a backlash from the left and left Mr Hollande looking indecisive and weak.

4) Mr Valls was against the 35-hour maximum working week (championed by Ms Aubry). When running for the Socialist nomination for the 2012 presidential election, he opposed the reinstatement of retirement at 60(lifted up to 62 by Sarkozy, and then brought down by Hollande) and the creation of hundreds of thousands of state subsidised jobs for the young (both promised by Mr Hollande). Mr Valls argued for tough fiscal discipline and higher sales taxes in return for lower social security charges.

5) In the 2011 Socialist presidential primary, he won only 6 per cent of the vote. But as interior minister, he was regularly ranked as France's most popular politician.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.Valls wanted to ditch the name “Socialist” from his party, why?

A.He was disappointed by his party and wanted a fresh start.

B.He got into a fight with the left wing of the party.

C.He, a moderate, thought “socialist” was too leftward.

D.As a Blairist, he wanted his party also named “New Labour”.

答案(1)

2.What drew him support from the working class?

A.His multi-ethnic family background.

B.His toughness on crime.

C.His experience of being spokesman for prime minister Jospin.

D.His opposition to cap weekly working hours to 35.

答案(2)

3.Why Hollande's appointment of Valls is “uncharacteristically audacious”?

A.Valls is clearly a risky choice for the president.

B.Hollande had a reputation of being irresolute.

C.The president choses one who had challenged him.

答案(3)

4.Who would be upset to see Valls' becoming PM?

A.French Retirees.

B.The European Union

C.French government-bond investors.

D.Businesses operating in France.

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：C.He, a moderate, thought “socialist” was too leftward.

解釋：作者在第一點中，不厭其煩地介紹他“is about as rightwing as you can be in Socialist party”，以及布萊爾主義“is regarded by the French left as a toxic brand”.即使你不了解布萊爾以“中間路線”著稱，或法國社會黨（原意是社會主義黨）以強烈左傾著稱（比如75%富人稅），也可以很容易判斷出來。

(2)答案：B.His toughness on crime.

解釋：快速介紹一個政客和政治家，需要關(guān)注的重點自然是他的年齡出身、政治陣營、重要的過往職位、主打形象，和支持度等。來自多民族的移民家庭，Valls卻主張限制移民；他反對低退休年齡和35小時最高工作時間，這一般不受工人階級歡迎，他嚴厲打擊犯罪的主張endeared him to working-class voters. （簡直是薩科齊的翻版）

(3)答案：B.Hollande had a reputation of being irresolute.

解釋：uncharacteristically audacious，也就是說他典型的形象是不無畏、沒有冒險精神的。

(4)答案：A.French Retirees.

解釋：結(jié)合倒數(shù)第二段瓦爾斯的經(jīng)濟主張，他反對將退休年齡退回60歲（薩科齊將之提升至62）并希望減少社會保障費用肯定得不到退休者的支持。但親商姿態(tài)對企業(yè)主和失業(yè)者，和歐盟來說是好消息，他argued for tough fiscal discipline,這對國債投資者來說是降低他們風險的好事。