特雷莎梅的脫歐又脫不成了

After two crushing defeats in Parliament for her plan for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May nonetheless had high hopes of cajoling or threatening enough recalcitrant lawmakers to win approval in a third try this week.

儘管遭遇了議會中兩次脫歐計劃的失敗，英國首相特雷莎•梅對於哄騙或脅迫足夠多的頑固不化的立法者這一點仍寄予厚望——希望利用這一點，在本週的第三次嘗試中贏得支持。

On Monday, though, the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, stood in her way — again.

然而本週一，英國國會下議院發言人約翰•伯考擋了她的路——是又一次擋了她的路。

His weapon? An 1844 guide to parliamentary procedure that relies on rules dating back to 1604.

他的武器？是一套1844年的議會程序指南（規則可追溯回1604年）。

Mr. Bercow told the government that Parliament could not vote a third time on its plan for Brexit, as the departure from the European Union is known, unless the plan substantially differed from the one rejected last week.

伯考先生告知政府，議會不可就“英國退出歐盟”—即脫歐計劃，舉行第三次投票。除非新計劃將實質上有別於上週被否決的計劃。

As the speaker, Mr. Bercow, who is officially nonpartisan, determines whether or not critical votes are taken in Parliament. And he has angered the government by using this power, it says, to try to influence the Brexit process.

作爲發言人，無黨派的伯考先生將決定是否將關鍵選票納入議會。他也因此惹惱了政府，被扣上“試圖影響脫歐進程”的帽子。

After the speaker announced his decision, Robert Buckland, the solicitor general, said Britain was in “a major constitutional crisis.” He speculated that the government could have the Queen “prorogue” Parliament — which means ending the current session and starting a new one, allowing a vote on the old plan.

在發言人宣佈決定後，副司法部長羅伯特•巴克蘭表示，英國正處於“重大憲法危機”中。他猜測政府或將請出女王，使議會“休會”。這意味着，或將終止目前的議會，另起爐竈，從而允許對舊計劃進行投票。

For now, the speaker's unexpected decision makes it unlikely that another vote can be held before Mrs. May meets European Union leaders at a summit on Thursday in Brussels.

本週四在布魯塞爾的高層會議上，梅女士會見了歐盟領導。目前看來，發言人讓人大跌眼鏡的決定，使得下一次公投沒法在這次會晤前舉行。

She had been expected to use the occasion to request a delay to Brexit, one that she argued could be a matter of months if lawmakers had by then voted for her deal, or as long as two years if they had not.

她主張，立法者如果站在她一邊，也需耗時數月；如果得不到立法者的支持，則可能長達兩年。人們預計，她會利用這一理由要求延期脫歐。

Whatever Parliament does or does not do, a delay of some duration is almost certain at this point.

不管議會有無作爲，現在幾乎可以確定的是，一段時間的推遲是沒跑的了。

翻譯：everaining