“For years from afar I have respected the Lib Dems for their Socratic(苏格拉底式的) dedication to doubt(对怀疑的执着).” That declaration by Emily, a new member of the Liberal Democrats addressing the party’s annual conference in Brighton this week, sums up the appeal of the outfit(团体，组织)—and its problems. The party wins seats. Its “dedication to doubt” is attractive in an age of misplaced certainty. But that is not an agenda for power(执政纲领).
“多年来，我虽远在他方，却一直敬佩自民党那种苏格拉底式的、对怀疑的执着。”这是自由民主党新党员艾米丽本周在布莱顿举行的该党年会上发言时所说的话。这番话既概括了这个党派的魅力所在，也点出了它的问题。这个党能赢得议席。在一个充满错位确定性的时代，它对“怀疑的执着”颇具吸引力。但这并不是一份执政纲领。
Two years ago the Lib Dems regained their position as the third-largest grouping(党团，集团) in Parliament. The 72 seats that they captured, under the leadership of Sir Ed Davey, was their best result ever. It was a welcome relief for a party which in 2015 had teeter(摇摇欲坠，濒临)ed on the edge of extinction(濒临消亡). They were left triumphant—yet irrelevant. Labour’s large majority in the House of Commons means that whether Lib Dems vote with or against the government matters not a bit(无关紧要). Meanwhile populist insurgent(叛乱者，新兴势力)s, Reform UK(英国右翼民粹政党) on the right and the Greens on the left, dominate the online discourse. A Londoner named Hannah told a recent focus group organised by More in Common(英国民调与智库机构), a pollster: “I think my algorithm has decided that I don’t need Ed Davey in my life because he just has not come across my screens at all.”
两年前，自民党重新夺回议会第三大党团的位置。在埃德·戴维爵士的领导下，该党斩获72个议席，创下历史最佳战绩。对于一个曾在2015年濒临消亡的政党来说，这无疑是令人欣慰的转机。然而，他们虽然胜利了，却无足轻重。工党在下议院拥有巨大多数优势，这意味着自民党无论投票支持还是反对政府，都无关紧要。与此同时，民粹主义新势力——右翼的改革英国党和左翼的绿党——主导着网络舆论。伦敦市民汉娜在民调机构“更多共识”最近组织的一次焦点小组中说：“我觉得我的算法已经认定，我的生活里不需要埃德·戴维，因为他压根就没出现在我的屏幕上。”
And because the Lib Dems are irrelevant, they are getting antsy(焦躁不安的). In Brighton MPs and activists grumble(抱怨，发牢骚)d about the failure of the party to make waves(掀起波澜，引起轰动). “Stability is good, but you have to do something with it and we haven’t, so it’s dull,” one MP complains. Members hailing from areas outside the party’s electoral heartland(选举票仓，核心选区) in the south of England ask why it is not benefiting from the general unpopularity of Labour, as it did in the past.
正因为自民党无足轻重，党内开始焦躁不安。在布莱顿，议员和活动人士纷纷抱怨该党未能掀起波澜。一位议员抱怨道：“稳定是好事，但你得利用稳定做点什么，而我们什么都没做，所以很乏味。”来自该党传统票仓——英格兰南部——以外地区的党员则质问：为什么自民党没有像过去那样，从工党的普遍不受欢迎中获益？
Davey, Davey, give me the answer do
戴维，戴维，请给我答案