Ask a typical British voter to design a prime minister and they might pick one with a distinguished career(杰出的职业生涯) in public service. They would probably prefer someone pragmatic(务实的、注重实效的) over an ideologue. And they would certainly prefer someone serious (if boring) rather than a showman(善于作秀的人、表演者). Out of a line-up, they might pick a moderately handsome middle-aged man in a suit.
让一位典型的英国选民设计一位首相，他们可能会挑选一位在公共服务领域有杰出职业生涯的人。他们大概更喜欢务实而非空谈意识形态的人。而且他们肯定更喜欢严肃（即使无聊）的人，而不是一个作秀者。从一排人中，他们可能会选一个相貌中等、穿着西装的中年男子。
It is not just Sir Keir Starmer’s profile that could have been designed by an opinion-poll respondent. His government has rigidly pursued the poll-derived priorities of a typical voter. The public approves of its stringent(严格的、严厉的) new regulations on private landlords, its expansion of employment rights and its tax raid on expensive homes. Rail nationalisation and minimum-wage increases have strong support in surveys. And when the government has stepped out of line(越界、行为出格) (such as cutting winter-fuel payments for pensioners), a U-turn(掉头、180度转变) has promptly followed. Voters want, voters get.
不仅是基尔·斯塔默爵士的个人形象可能由民调受访者设计，他的政府也严格遵循从民调中得出的典型选民优先事项。公众赞许其对私人房东实施严格的新监管、扩大就业权利以及对豪宅征收重税。铁路国有化和最低工资上调在调查中得到强力支持。当政府稍有出格（比如削减养老金领取者的冬季燃料补贴），便迅速掉头。选民要什么，选民就得什么。
The experiment in government-by-focus-group extends to social policy, too. By popular demand Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has squeezed(压缩、挤压) net migration down to its lowest level in years. The government outlawed support for Palestine Action, a controversial protest group, and permanently banned the use of puberty blockers for trans children, in line with(与……一致、符合) the public’s socially conservative instincts. To an uncanny(不可思议的、异乎寻常的) degree Sir Keir has moulded himself and his policies to the desires of British voters.
这种焦点小组式治国的实验也延伸到社会政策。应大众要求，内政大臣沙巴娜·马哈茂德将净移民压缩至多年来的最低水平。政府宣布支持巴勒斯坦行动（一个有争议的抗议组织）为非法，并永久禁止对跨性别儿童使用青春期阻断剂，与公众的社会保守主义本能保持一致。基尔爵士以不可思议的程度将自己及其政策塑造成英国选民所期望的样子。
The Blair pitch project
布莱尔推销计划