SUCH IS THE power of the Junge Union (JU), the youth branch of Germany’s ruling centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), that all the party’s big beasts feel obliged to pay it homage.(青年联盟的影响力如此之大，以至于党内所有大佬都觉得有义务向它致敬。) At last weekend’s JU congress in Bonn, each was given a prizefighter’s entrance, complete with(配有、连同) flashing spotlights and theme music selected by the organisers. Friedrich Merz, the CDU’s embattled(陷入困境的、四面楚歌的) chancellor, will have been happy with “We stay united through the storm”. Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia and a potential challenger to Mr Merz, looked a little bewildered(困惑的、茫然的) on entering to the thump of “You should know that baby you’re the best”, before delivering a dull speech. As for the congress’s slogan, “Tomorrow is loading”, it seemed either an ironic nod to information-superhighway dreams of yore or an attempt to sound vaguely digital. Either way, it was better than the toe-curling(令人尴尬的、让人脚趾抠地的) Denglish(德式英语，德语与英语的混合语) of last year’s “What the Future?!”
青年联盟（JU）是德国执政的中右翼基督教民主联盟（CDU）的青年分支，其影响力之大，以至于党内所有大佬都觉得有义务向它致敬。在上周末于波恩举行的青年联盟代表大会上，每位大佬都获得了拳击手般的入场待遇，伴随着闪烁的聚光灯和主办方挑选的主题音乐。基民盟陷入困境的总理弗里德里希·默茨想必对《我们团结在风暴中》这首歌感到满意。北莱茵-威斯特法伦州州长、默茨的潜在挑战者亨德里克·维斯特在《你应该知道宝贝你是最棒的》的震响中入场时显得有些茫然，随后发表了一场乏味的演讲。至于大会口号“明天正在加载”，它似乎要么是对昔日信息高速公路梦想的讽刺性致意，要么是想听起来带点数字感。不管怎样，它都比去年那句令人尴尬的德式英语“What the Future?!”要好。
The JU is where Germany’s ambitious conservatives come to network, drink and complain about the Mutterpartei(母党（指基民盟）) (mother party, ie, the CDU). They are a lively bunch(一群活泼的人), if not a diverse one: bar a smattering(零星、少量) of women, almost everyone seems to be called Johannes. The most important is the 34-year-old Johannes Winkel, head of the JU, who has emerged as an irritant(令人恼火的人或事) for Mr Merz. Last year Mr Winkel threatened to torpedo(破坏、阻挠) the government’s plan to raise pensions. In his speech this year he said the CDU was living in the past, passing off minor tweaks as ambitious “reforms”(把微调包装成雄心勃勃的“改革”) and risking extinction. The JU’s opinions matter because their group in the Bundestag has 20 MPs—which, as members point out, is larger than the 12-seat majority held by Mr Merz’s coalition. Mr Winkel has warned that last year’s insurrection(叛乱、起义) will pale next to(与……相比相形见绌) what will come if a new pension reform, designed to rein in(控制、约束) costs, is watered down(被稀释、被削弱).
青年联盟是德国有抱负的保守派人士建立人脉、喝酒、抱怨“母党”（即基民盟）的地方。他们是一群活泼的人，虽然算不上多元：除了零星几位女性，几乎所有人都叫约翰内斯。最重要的是34岁的约翰内斯·温克尔，青年联盟主席，他已成为默茨的眼中钉。去年温克尔曾威胁要破坏政府提高养老金的计划。在今年演讲中，他说基民盟活在过去，把微调包装成雄心勃勃的“改革”，冒着消亡的风险。青年联盟的意见之所以重要，是因为他们在联邦议院的党团有20名议员——正如成员们所指出的，这比默茨执政联盟所拥有的12席多数还要多。温克尔警告说，如果一项旨在控制成本的新养老金改革被稀释，去年的“叛乱”与即将到来的相比将相形见绌。
If these young conservatives are angry, it is because nothing hurts so much as betrayal(没有什么比背叛更伤人). It was the true believers of the JU who formed the vanguard of Mr Merz’s multiple attempts to become CDU leader, the third of which succeeded in 2021.(正是青年联盟的真信徒们组成了默茨多次竞选基民盟党魁的先锋队，其中第三次在2021年成功。) At last, they thought, a true-blooded(纯正血统的、地道的) conservative saviour to wash away the mushy(软绵绵的、糊状的) centrism of the long Angela Merkel years. (One thing the JU and Mr Merz agree on is that Mrs Merkel’s 16-year reign was an embarrassment.)
如果说这些年轻保守派感到愤怒，那是因为没有什么比背叛更伤人。正是青年联盟的真信徒们组成了默茨多次竞选基民盟党魁的先锋队，其中第三次在2021年成功。他们想，终于来了一位纯正血统的保守派救世主，可以洗刷掉安格拉·默克尔漫长岁月里那种软绵绵的中间路线。（青年联盟和默茨唯一意见一致的地方是：默克尔16年的统治令人难堪。）