2006年VOA标准英语-Scandals Involving Blair's Cabinet Members

By Michael Drudge 1
London
27 April 2006

The government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been battered 2 this week by allegations of incompetence 3, scandal and corruption 4 that have stirred voters' anger just a week before important local elections.

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Tony Blair leaves 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister Questions at Houses of Parliament, London, Wednesday, April 26, 2006
  

Three senior members of the Blair cabinet have been stung by controversy 5 on what the British media are calling the prime minister's "Black Wednesday."

The day began with an admission by Mr. Blair's deputy, 67-year-old John Prescott, of a long affair with a secretary 20 years his junior. A Blair spokesman was forced to respond, saying the prime minister stands behind Prescott.

Then, a few hours later, Mr. Blair appeared in parliament for his weekly turn to answer questions from the opposition 6. The Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, came armed with new data that more than 1,000 foreigner-convicts had been released from prison without considering their deportation 7. Cameron called for the resignation of Home Secretary Charles Clarke - the minister responsible.

"This home secretary has presided over systemic failure. He's failed to deal with it and he has misled people about the scale of the problem," said Cameron. "Isn't it clear that he cannot give the home office the leadership it so badly needs?"

Clarke appeared in parliament a short while later, vowing 8 to stay in office, but admitting his mistake.

CLARKE: "It was a failure. I've acknowledged it's a failure and it must be got right. And as part of that …"

UNIDENTIFIED MP: "Apologize!"

CLARKE: "Apologize, the honorable gentleman shouts from a sedentary position. I do apologize. I have apologized and I continue to do so."

As Clarke wound up his appearance in parliament, embarrassment 9 befell another Blair minister when Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt was jeered 10 and heckled at a convention of nurses who are upset about job cuts and stagnant 11 wages.

"We can listen to each other or not. It's entirely 12 up to you. I would like to listen to you and I hope you'll listen to me," said Hewitt.

Commentators 13 say the controversies 14 could hardly come at a worse time for Mr. Blair, who himself faces potential questioning into allegations his Labor 15 party took secret loans from rich benefactors 16 in exchange for seats in the House of Lords.

"The broader, longer term view on this is the danger of people out there thinking that this is a government that is beginning to creak at the edges, the wheels are falling off, choose any phrase you like, where everything just goes wrong and it's buffeted 17 by incident after incident: you've got prisoners on the loose, you've got a health secretary being heckled by nurses, you've got a financial sleaze scandal over cash-for-honors, you've got a minister being caught with his trousers around his ankles," summarized James Landale, a political editor for BBC television.

The government faces a key test of voter sentiment May 4, when local elections are held in the major cities across England, including all 32 boroughs 18 in London.

Latest polls show Mr. Blair's Labor party slightly behind Mr. Cameron's Conservatives, but political scientists expect a low turnout and say many voters will be more influenced by how their local council is run than by the big national issues.

Still, the experts say, a poor showing by Labor could increase the pressure on Mr. Blair to resign and hand over power to his heir apparent, Treasury 19 chief Gordon Brown.