About a decade ago, the financial crash was almost a decade old. Unrelatedly, my kids were under 10, so I was spending a lot more time in arcades(游乐场). There’s a particular game involving a metal claw – it goes by the name of(名叫，被称为) claw-game. You put in a pound, and try to manipulate(操纵，控制) the claw to grab a toy that is worth nothing like(完全不，远非) a pound. You would take that as the price of a bit of family fun, except the claw never grabbed a toy.(你本会把这当作一点家庭乐趣的代价，可问题是，爪子从来就没抓到过玩具。)
大约十年前，金融危机已过去近十年。说来也巧，我的孩子当时不到十岁，所以我花了很多时间泡在游乐场。有一种特别的游戏，里面有个金属爪子——它就叫抓娃娃机。你投进一英镑，试着操纵爪子去抓一个根本不值一英镑的玩具。你本会把这当作一点家庭乐趣的代价，可问题是，爪子从来就没抓到过玩具。
The frustration for a six-year-old was immense(巨大的), every lost pound making the probably flammable stuffed hamster more urgently desirable. But it was way worse for me, because I was clinging on to(紧紧抓住；固守) some residual(残留的) 80s idea of arcade-honour. Surely, after pound #7, the machine would just give you a sodding toy? That would represent an astronomical return, lessen the possibility of an adult kicking the machine to death and assure a returning market of maybe 10% of the dumbest or most spineless parents.(那将意味着天文数字般的回报，减少成年人把机器踢死的可能性，并确保大约10%最愚蠢或最没骨气的父母成为回头客。) But no, nada(西班牙语“什么都没有”). No toys, ever.
对一个六岁孩子来说，那种挫败感是巨大的，每损失一英镑，那只可能易燃的毛绒仓鼠就变得更加迫切地令人渴望。但对我来说更糟，因为我还抱着某种80年代残留的游乐场荣誉感。按理说，投到第7英镑之后，机器总该给你一个破玩具了吧？那将意味着天文数字般的回报，减少成年人把机器踢死的可能性，并确保大约10%最愚蠢或最没骨气的父母成为回头客。但是没有，什么都没有。永远没有玩具。
So it wasn’t a good game, but it was starting to feel like a really good metaphor(隐喻) for the economy. This was in the twilight period(暮色时期，衰落期) between 2015 and Brexit, after which politics stopped troubling itself with day-to-day liveability(宜居性). Previously, if you studied hard you got a job, then if you worked hard, you could afford to live; and in the fullness of time, if you met another person who worked hard, you could have a family and afford to feed them – this was basically the honour-code of capitalism.(从前，如果你努力学习就能找到工作，然后如果你努力工作就能负担生活；假以时日，如果你遇到另一个努力工作的人，你就能组建家庭并养活他们——这基本上就是资本主义的荣誉准则。) But it was breaking down and nobody wanted to admit it.
所以这游戏并不好玩，但它开始感觉像是经济的一个绝佳隐喻。那是在2015年到脱欧之间的暮色时期，此后政治不再费心关注日常生活的可居住性。从前，如果你努力学习就能找到工作，然后如果你努力工作就能负担生活；假以时日，如果你遇到另一个努力工作的人，你就能组建家庭并养活他们——这基本上就是资本主义的荣誉准则。但它正在崩塌，却没人愿意承认。