EU

This helped smooth divisions between the euro-zone “ins” and the “outs”.

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smooth sth over

• to make problems or difficulties seem less important or serious, especially by talking to people• 缓和；调解；斡旋:

»She spoke to both sides in the dispute in an attempt to smooth things over.

Context: Fans of such ideas tend to sit inside the euro zone. Until recently Britain would try to prevent the euro zone from pre-cooking such deals (the policies that Mr.Macron have intentions to make to protect its citizens) and presenting them to the rest of the EU as faits accomplis. This helped smooth divisions between the euro-zone “ins” and the “outs”.But Brexit leaves those outside the euro without a champion.

是否在欧元区是看问题角度的巨大分歧。作为欧盟中的非欧元区成员国，英国那时候能够在法国对劳工政策问题上起到一定的调节作用（smooth divisions）,但脱欧之后，非欧元区的欧盟成员国群龙无首。

Should Mr.Macron get his wishes for institutional changes to the euro zone, its political heft(重要性)could leave the gaggle of non-members looking like an afterthought(事后的想法).

强调句，欧元区的改革一旦推行，那么非欧元区成员的叽叽喳喳也就只能是马后炮了（还需要加深理解 MARK）

Context：Today a core Europe built around the euro zone could find itself collaborating on thorny non-economic issues too, such as quotas for redistributing refugees.Should Mr.Macron get his wishes for institutional changes to the euro zone, its（欧元区） political heft(重要性)could leave the gaggle of non-members looking like an afterthought. To western European countries interested in more integration, this “multi-speed” Europe holds appeal.

背景：Poland and Hungary in particular, and the eastern countries in general, have fallen out with Brussels and Berlin over refugee quotas, which the easterners reject. They also worry that in the more ‘flexible’ Europe that France and Germany seem to favour – and which may involve deeper euro zone integration – they will be left behind as ‘second class’ member-states. In addition, Poland and Hungary are in trouble over the rule of law; many member-states accuse them of eroding press freedom and judicial independence.

Many of the abusers regard criticism of their loathsome behaviour as an invitation to redouble their efforts.

生动刻画了Internet trolls 的 变态心理

But none of this diminishes the seriousness of Britain’s current problems. Its mood is darkening as that of Europe is lightening. And it is engaged in history-shaping negotiations with the European Union that can be saved from disaster only with the help of clear heads and reasoned debate.

英国社会中弥漫的愤怒和不安和欧洲普遍的乐观情绪相辉映。

Among which Brexit is a symptom as well as a cause. It has split the country and inflamed opinion.

Britain is suffering from a malign combination of economic disruption and stagnation. Smart machines are eliminating some jobs, reorganising others and spreading anxiety. Average pay has declined by some 7% since the financial crisis of 2008.（People might be willing to accept disruption if it were accompanied by improvements in living standards, or perhaps to tolerate stagnant living standards if they were accompanied by stability.） But the combination of the two is uniquely dangerous,unleashing a wave of populism that is gaining momentum.（民粹主义抬头）

Populists rage against the centrist establishment for failing to keep its promise of crisis-free growth (remember when GordonBrown claimed to have abolished the boom-and-bust cycle?).

这是对英国近几年社会问题的总结。经济停滞和混乱局面带来了anxiety，其中migrants变成了被攻击的对象，引发了脱欧，又加剧了这种不安情绪，所以说Brexit is a symptom as well as a cause.

Social media provide（注意media是复数） platforms for monomaniacs who previously raged in the privacy of their bedsits. People who might hesitate to berate 痛斥 their fellow citizens in person show no such qualms when it comes to sounding off (If someone sounds off, they express their opinions strongly and rather rudely without being asked 高谈阔论).against virtual targets.（social media是anxiety的催化剂 ）

There’s a huge difference between the abuse I get from right and left,” the New Statesman’s（尤指具有远见卓识而受人尊敬的）政治家 Helen Lewis tweets. “The right doesn’t put the hours in.” The left is more likely to use nastiness as a political tool.（左右翼的nasty各有不同）

从英国角度说，和欧盟的谈判是历史性的，如何妥善面对Post-Brexit 的种种问题，光靠争吵、分裂、恶意攻击是没有用的。需要的是清醒的头脑。

从欧盟角度看，Macron 在振兴欧盟的同时，也引发了分裂欧洲的担忧，例如“core Europe”的建立，劳工法收紧等政策对于欧元区内外，以及东西欧发展冲突的激化。

But by restoring Europeans’ hopes that there is life in their flagging project, the president is bringing to the surface tensions that lay dormant(休眠的；禁止的)during the crisis years.