英国斥资170亿英镑修高铁引争议

2012-01-09 15:05

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Up to 18 trains an hour will travel at 250mph through the English countryside.

David Cameron has been warned by his chief fundraiser that he faces a backlash from grassroots Tories and donors over the Coalition's proposed high speed rail link.

Lord Feldman, the Tory co-chairman, last week held a series of tense meetings with Conservative associations in areas which the planned link will pass through, after warnings that some were on the verge of mutiny.

At one meeting with Buckingham Conservative Association, there was "fury" from veteran Tory members who said their views on the £17billion HS2 line had been ignored, one member present claimed.

Chesham & Amersham constituency association has told Conservative headquarters it will be ending its commitment to contribute £10,000 a year to central funds while Buckinghamshire Tory associations have indicated they might do the same.

One member present at the Buckingham meeting said: "The message was loud and clear. We are deeply disillusioned. We put in all the hard work putting leaflets through doors and then Cameron rides roughshod over us. We are not Nimbys. We object to this on cost grounds. It is a complete waste of money.

"Lord Feldman told us he would take a very clear message back to Mr Cameron that we are not happy."

Grassroots Tory members in areas affected by the plan say the proposed link between London and Birmingham has dented already low morale in a number of Conservative strongholds which will be bisected by the line.

While some have threatened to withhold funds if the line goes ahead, others are saying they will adopt a go-slow attitude.

At the time of the next election, hundreds of normally loyal activists could refuse to help the party campaign if the line is going ahead, activists have warned.

The proposed railway slices through sixteen Conservative constituencies – four of which are cabinet ministers' seats and six more junior ministers'.

Up to 18 trains an hour will travel at 250mph through the English countryside, cutting through the Tory heartlands of the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire.

(Read by Emliy Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

点击查看更多双语新闻

(Agencies)

英国首相大卫•卡梅伦的主要筹款人警告他说，他将因为联合政府提出的高铁项目而遭到来自基层保守党成员以及捐资者的强烈反对。

保守党联合主席费得曼勋爵上周与保守党联合会召开了一系列紧急会议，这些联合会来自计划中的高铁线路将通过的区域。此前，保守党接到警告称，有些区域的反抗一触即发。

一名与会成员称，在与白金汉宫保守党联合会的会议上，保守党的资深党员非常愤怒，他们表示针对这个耗资170亿英镑的HS2高铁项目所提出的意见被忽视了。

切舍姆-阿默舍姆选民联合会告知保守党总部，该联合会将终止其每年为中央基金提供一万英镑的承诺，而白金汉郡保守党联合会暗示，他们可能也会这么做。

在与白金汉宫保守党联合会的会议上，一位与会成员称，“我们要传达的信息一清二楚。我们彻底的醒悟了。我们努力地为保守党助选，而卡梅伦却这样欺凌我们。我们并没有邻避情结，我们是出于开销的原因而反对该项目。这是彻底的浪费。”

“费得曼勋爵告诉我们，他将明确告知卡梅伦先生，我们非常不满。”

来自受该高铁计划影响区域的基层保守党成员说，这一计划连接伦敦和伯明翰的高铁项目削弱了许多保守党大本营已低迷的士气，这些区域将被高铁线路分割开来。

一些选区威胁说，如果高铁项目继续，他们将停止资金援助，另一些则说他们将消极怠工。

活动人士警告说，如果高铁项目继续下去，下一次选举时，成百上千名原本忠心的积极分子将拒绝帮助保守党竞选。

联合政府提出的高铁项目将穿过十六个保守党选区，其中四个选区席位由内阁大臣占据，还有六个由次官占据。

该项目计划每小时最多通行18列火车，列车将以每小时250英里的速度行经英国乡间，穿过奇尔特恩斯、白金汉郡和沃里克郡等保守党最重要的区域。

相关阅读

英国人更爱说cheers不爱说thank you

三分之二英国人完全不会说外语

（中国日报网英语点津实习生唐徐进编辑：Julie）

Vocabulary:

on the verge of: 濒临于，接近于

mutiny: 叛乱，暴动

loud and clear: 一清二楚，再清楚不过了

ride roughshod over: 欺凌

Nimby: Not In My Back Yard的缩写，被称为邻避情结，强烈反对在自己住处附近设立任何有危险性、不好看或有其他不宜情形之事物（如监狱、焚化炉或无家人收容所等）

go-slow: 怠工的

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