For almost 25 years, the European Union has been a model of democracy, free trade, and fraternity between nations. Or, to put it another way, the EU has been a feeding trough for plutocrats and the worst kind of cronies to ever besmirch the good name of crony capitalism. It's a contentious issue, and while of course there are good and bad things about the union, it's a dead duck. Here's why.
25年以来，欧盟堪称民主政治的典范，主张贸易自由，兄弟国家之间互惠互利。但从另一方面而言，这是个备受争议的问题，当然这个联盟有好的方面和坏的方面，但是总体而言还是注定衰落，以下我们来简述一下为什么。
10.英国退出欧盟
Let's begin with the hot topic du jour. Brexit isn't just fragmenting the EU, which most British people didn't feel part of anyway—it has put splinters in the fabric of British society itself. If you voted to leave, rest assured you are probably a racist. If you voted to remain, you are a pawn of the elites.
让我们从最热门的话题开始谈起。英国的退出不是对欧盟的分化—因为大多数英国人并不这么认为—退出是对英国社会本身的一种解体。如果你投了退出的票，其余人会认为你是一个种族主义者。如果你投留下的票，你就会被认定为精英人群。
Even before the negotiations have begun, politicians across the continent are treating the topic with all the respect and gravitas of a pack of terriers encountering roadkill. Whatever goes down with old Blighty, it is fair to say that the knock on effect is going to be huge. Now that the precedent has been set, Euro-skeptic nationalist movements across the EU have been emboldened and are making hay on the idea of independence from Brussels. Even if the Brits make a mess of it, the first domino has fallen. Hold on tight.
即使在谈判开始之前，欧盟国家的政治家们就极其慎重和严肃地讨论了这个问题。无论是否随英国而去，脱欧带来的影响都将是巨大的。现在尘埃落定，持有欧元怀疑主义观点的民族主义者在欧盟国家内部备受鼓励，这无疑是在助力脱离布鲁塞尔条约的观点。尽管英国人把脱欧搞砸了，但是第一块多米诺骨牌已经倒下了，你们要抓紧了。
9.The Failure Of European Neoliberalism
9.欧洲新自由主义的失败
The average European has seen a decline in their wealth of 5 percent over the last 10 years while seeing their counterparts in Canada (50 percent growth) and Australia (100 percent growth) grow through the metaphorical roof. Politically, the people have been given the finger by a string of governments both at a federal and national level as taxes rise, yet public services decline.
在过去的10年中，欧洲人的平均财富缩减了5%，相对比加拿大和澳大利亚分别实现了50%和100%的显著增长。政策上，这些国家的国民要缴纳一系列国家的，包括联盟的税收，同时公共服务还在下降。
In the countries where conservatives are in power, the poor are demonized and oppressed, while in more socialist countries the middle classes are squeezed with high taxes. 30 percent of young Europeans are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Joblessness is rife, and there appears no recourse for young Europeans at the ballot box. So dire is the situation that an EU-sponsored survey found that more than half of young people (18–34) would actively participate in large-scale uprising against the generation in power. The sample was over half a million people. We can see from these results that the EU project is not working out for many millions more. But why?
在保守党执政的国家里，穷人被打压及边缘化，在更民主一些的国家里，中产者被高税收压榨。30%的欧洲年轻人有贫穷或被社会排斥的风险。失业现象很普遍，在投票的时候年轻人没有话语权。一个欧盟发起的调研发现，超过一半的年轻人（18-34岁）表示会积极参与对抗当权者的大规模罢工，这个调研的样本有50万人。由此我们可以得出结论，欧盟并没有保卫这些群众的利益。但原因又是什么呢？
8.移民问题
Mass immigration has been a cornerstone of EU policy for a long time. Singing from the UN's hymn sheet, the response to the troubling problem of a society that doesn't breed as much as it used to (and gosh darn it, simply doesn't die off quick enough) has been to import large numbers of migrant workers. Not a bad idea on paper when you just have to balance the financial books, but apparently for many people, the knock on effect of increased competition for work, artificially stagnated wages, and lack of integration is a problem.
大量的移民一直都是欧盟政策的奠基石，从支持欧盟的角度来说，最近由于移民导致的社会问题相较以前已经大大减少了（天呢，为什么不一下子解决掉呢）。引进大量的移民劳工从财务收支上来看是一个不错的办法，但是对于许多欧盟国家的年轻人来说这无疑增加了工作的竞争，收入停滞不前以及缺乏整合都将成为问题。
Meanwhile, the population of Africa is exploding. As we've already seen, the relative wealth and permissive societies of Europe are attractive to migrants from the Global South. Now, there are those who will suggest that this is somehow just deserts for the historical exploitation of the colonialist powers, but this perspective is sophomoric in its vindictive nature. The European Union, in any case, will be beset by an immigration problem that will not be stymied by politically correct rhetoric, and may well be met with draconian politics from the new Right.
同时，非洲国家的人口在爆炸型增长。我们已经知道，欧洲国家的相对富裕和移民准入政策吸引了大量的南半球劳工。现在有一派观点认为，这正是由于历史上对殖民地过度开拓所造成的，不过这种观点是对报复天性的一知半解。欧盟无论何时都会被移民问题所包围，无论政治上说得如何花言巧语，都将遭到右派的猛烈攻击。
As we have learned from the Brexit debate, those people are undoubtedly racist and should be bullied for wrongthink. Except...
我们从英国脱欧的辩论上就可以看到，这些人无疑是种族主义者，会被错误的思想支配，除非……
7.Bullying People For Wrongthink Doesn't Work Anymore
7.恐吓人们做错误的事情已经不管用了
For several decades now, Europe has been moving along the path of what is called equality. While there is, of course, no doubt that no one should be discriminated against for their sexual orientation or race or any other arbitrary characteristic over that they have no control, the topic in the current year is politicized like never before. To oppose the political exploitation of equality, even against one's own interest, is wrongthink.
近几十年来，欧洲都在向着平等的政治方针前行。当然，这是无可厚非的，没有人应该由于性别，种族，或者任何其他的天生特质而遭到歧视，这个观点今年在政治上比任何时候都明确。如果你反对政治上的平等，甚至是反对个人的利益，也是错误的思想。
The problem for the political left who have been the arch proponents of this tactic is that many people have no more patience for such behavior, as witnessed by the rise of right-wing, europskeptic parties in the UK, Poland, France, the Netherlands and many other EU nations.
这种策略的支持者遗留下来的潜在问题是，在见证了右翼分子，英国，法国，荷兰和很多其他欧盟国家的欧盟怀疑主义者的不断崛起后，很多人对平等失去了耐心。
It is this little-understood truth that has contributed to the election of Donald Trump in the United States. When nations operate under democracy, we cannot expect the populace to fall in line through politically expedient altruism alone. Identity politics are finished as a method of control, and the left is reaping the whirlwind.
多亏了特朗普的当选让我们了解到，当一个国家是民主国家，我们就不能期待人民和政治上的利他主义相吻合。政治身份作为一种控制工具已经结束了，剩余的将引发旋风。
6.社团主义
The ballots had barely been counted for the Brexit referendum before Germany and Britain were yelling at each other about who could be the best friend to big business. On one hand, Britain is in quite a good position to do whatever she likes with the whole leaving the EU thing. On the other, Germany is an economic powerhouse too, thanks very much, but maybe Fritz doesn't want to annoy Tommy too much, as the Brits might stiff the Germans with a big unpaid tax bill and sail away leaving the EU credit rating in ruins.
在英国脱欧公投之前，德国和英国就在为谁是欧盟最大的商业国家而争执不休。英国无论是否脱欧都处在一个绝好的立场，另一方面，德国同样也是欧盟较大的经济国之一，但是弗里茨不会因此感谢汤米，因为英国将为德国留下巨大的未支付的税款，而这些税单将对欧盟的信用评级带来毁灭性的冲击。
But then there are at least a few hundred other checks and balances to iron out as we slowly come to realize ultimately the whole palaver looks less like a negotiation between elected governments and more like an overly complicated game of dares to see who can impress Big Business and her alluringly ginormous sexual appetite. And you know what that means...
现在留下数以百计的支票需要支付，我们最终了解到这种地位的争论或协商一点用处都没有。你知道这意味着什么……
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