不能允许政治影响力变现

Sir Malcolm Rifkind has faced up to the inevitable and stood down as chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee. To seasoned Westminster watchers, the circumstances appear wearily familiar: a hidden camera, a bogus foreign company, an MP (and former foreign secretary) boasting of services he can provide for money. Before this particular sting, which also ensnared former Labour cabinet minister Jack Straw, there have been many others, catching parliamentarians of every stripe appearing to trade influence for cash.

马尔科姆•里夫金德爵士(Sir Malcolm Rifkind)已经正视了不可避免的后果，卸下了英国议会情报与安全委员会(ISC)主席职位。在经验丰富的英国政坛观察家看来，这种场景似乎熟悉得令人感到厌倦：一台隐藏的摄像机，一家虚构的外国企业，一名吹嘘对方交钱后自己能提供服务的国会议员（也是前外交大臣）。这次“钓鱼”行动还“钓”出了前工党内阁大臣杰克•斯特劳(Jack Straw)，而此前的多次类似行动则“钓”出了似乎在用影响力交换金钱的形形色色的国会议员。

Both senior statesmen deny improper conduct and have referred themselves to the parliamentary standards commissioner to determine the extent of any wrongdoing. But even if Sir Malcolm is exonerated, he showed a dismaying lack of judgment that warranted resignation from his important role. An apparent willingness to offer diplomatic contacts to an unknown Chinese firm raise justifiable concerns. These will not have been quelled by Sir Malcolm’s claim to have acted as a former cabinet minister and not a current MP.

两位资深政客均否认存在不当行为，并把自己交由国会标准事务专员(The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards)来裁定任何不当行为的程度。但是，即便里夫金德爵士被宣布无罪，他令人失望的缺乏判断力的表现，也足以导致他从重要位置上辞职。他为一家不熟悉的中国公司提供外交领域人脉关系的明显意愿，引起人们的合理担忧。里夫金德爵士声称，自己是以一名前内阁大臣而非现任国会议员的身份来行事的，这种说法也不会消除人们的顾虑。

This is a tawdry end to a distinguished political career. Sir Malcolm’s experience and heft were valuable on the ISC, which is tasked with grilling politicians and intelligence officers on matters of national security. But the integrity and independence required for the role is also why perceived conflicts of interest cannot be ignored. He also appeared to forget his £81,936 taxpayer-funded salary, describing himself as “self-employed”. This will have done little for Tory party attempts to appeal to the ordinary voter, and helps to explain Sir Malcolm’s decision not to stand again in the upcoming election.

对于里夫金德爵士杰出的政治生涯而言，这是一个不光彩的结束。对于ISC这样一个以就国家安全问题盘问政客和情报官员为己任的机构来说，里夫金德爵士的经验和影响力是宝贵的。但是，这样一个角色所必需的正直和独立，也是一丝一毫的利益冲突都不能被忽视的原因。他把自己形容为“自由职业者”，似乎忘了纳税人支付的81936英镑的薪水。这将丝毫无助于保守党吸引普通选民的努力，能更好地解释为何里夫金德爵士决定不再参加即将到来的选举。

This episode will inevitably resurrect questions about the relationship between British MPs and outside work. On one side are those who see representing a constituency as a full-time job, with a basic £67,060 salary that is more than twice the national average. Allowing MPs to moonlight elsewhere short-changes constituents and inevitably risks conflicts of interest. Labour leader Ed Miliband has called for an outright ban on MPs acting as paid consultants or directors and a cap on earnings from outside parliament.

这段插曲势必将使英国国会议员与外部工作的关系问题被重提。一方面是选民把代表某一选区视为一项全职工作——这份工作基本薪水为67060英镑，是全英平均水平的两倍以上。允许国会议员在其他地方兼职是对选民的欺骗，也会不可避免地产生利益冲突。工党领袖埃德•米利班德(Ed Miliband)呼吁彻底禁止国会议员担任有偿顾问或董事，并且对议会外工作的收入设定上限。

Those taking the opposing view include prime minister David Cameron, who warns against stuffing the House of Commons with professional politicians lacking experience of the outside world. There are stringent rules requiring parliamentarians to list outside interests for all to see. Had Mr Straw or Sir Malcolm ended up working for a real Chinese firm, this would have been open to public scrutiny, without any need for hidden cameras.

对此持反对意见的人包括英国首相戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)，他告诫不能让下议院充斥着缺乏外界经验的职业政客。英国有着严格的规则，要求议员公示议会外收益。如果斯特劳和里夫金德爵士真的为一家实实在在的中国公司工作，这也会公开接受公众监督，不需要隐藏的摄像机偷拍下来。

On this topic Mr Cameron is right to hold firm. The role of MP has indeed become ever more of a full time occupation but this makes more urgent the task of drawing candidates from a varied pool. It also provides an argument for better pay — just not one that any politician has the courage to make.

在这一议题上，卡梅隆坚守立场是正确的。国会议员的角色确实变得日益全职化，但这也使从多元化的群体中吸引候选人的任务变得更加迫切。这也为更丰厚的薪资待遇提供了一条理由——只是并非所有政客都有勇气引用这一理由。

Since salaries are unlikely to rise, other ways of making the job of MP attractive must be given full rein. This week provides the latest reminder that political careers can end as suddenly as they begin. Allowing outside interests encourages more candidates to chance their luck on what is inevitably a risky career move.

既然薪水不太可能增加，就必须充分利用其他方法，提高国会议员工作的吸引力。本周的事情提醒了人们，政治生涯的结束可能会像开始时一样突然。允许国会外收益的存在，鼓励着更多候选人以难免会造成职业风险的举动碰运气。

Maintaining another vocation outside politics is acceptable. Trying to monetise political influence is not. Monitoring the distinction is never easy. Sir Malcolm’s departure is a reminder of how the system operates: through transparency, an intrusive media and pressure from restive voters. It appears to work well.

在政治领域外维持另一份工作是可以接受的。但试图将政治影响力变现则不可接受。监督两者的区别绝非易事。里夫金德爵士的离开提醒了人们这个系统是如何运行的：通过透明度、媒体的干预和选民不满的压力。它似乎运行良好。