苏纳克去了乡下：为什么是现在？

《固定任期议会法》被悄悄废除后，鲍里斯·约翰逊（Boris Johnson）为自己和他的继任者收回了（通过君主）解散议会并举行大选的权力。无论好坏，Rishi Sunak 都行使了这种权力。

Boris Johnson quietly repealed the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which allowed him and his successors to dissolve Parliament and call a general election through the monarch. Now, for better or worse, Rishi Sunak has used this power.

鲍里斯·约翰逊悄悄废除了《固定任期议会法》，该法允许他和他的继任者解散议会并通过君主召集大选。现在，无论好坏，Rishi Sunak 已经使用了这种力量。

For the pedants out there, July 4 is technically in the second half of the year, but it's not quite the autumn date that Sunak had previously mentioned. As a result, his announcement came as a surprise, especially considering the iron rule of British politics: prime ministers don't go to the country when they're more than 20 points behind in the opinion polls. This begs the question: why now?

对于学究们来说，7 月 4 日严格来说是下半年，但这并不完全是苏纳克之前提到的秋季日期。因此，他的宣布令人意外，尤其是考虑到英国政治的铁律：当民意调查落后超过 20 个百分点时，首相不会前往该国。这就引出了一个问题：为什么是现在？

The logical conclusion is that Sunak and his inner circle don't believe that things will improve, to borrow a phrase. Even if the economy recovers, inflation decreases, and interest rates drop, this feel-good factor won't necessarily translate into support for the Conservatives. The longer the Prime Minister waits to call an election amid this “time for a change” momentum, the harsher the voters' response may be.

借用一句话来说，合乎逻辑的结论是，苏纳克和他的核心圈子不相信事情会有所改善。即使经济复苏、通胀下降、利率下降，这种感觉良好的因素也不一定会转化为对保守党的支持。在这种“变革时刻”的势头下，首相等待召集选举的时间越长，选民的反应可能就越严厉。

In that case, one could argue that this election is long overdue.

在这种情况下，人们可能会说这次选举早就该举行了。

Even in 2019, when Jeremy Corbyn led Labour to its worst defeat since 1935, the party performed well in the capital, winning 49 of 73 constituencies. However, Sir Keir Starmer could still gain a few more.

即使在 2019 年，杰里米·科尔宾 (Jeremy Corbyn) 带领工党遭遇自 1935 年以来最惨重的失败时，该党在首都也表现出色，赢得了 73 个选区中的 49 个选区。然而，凯尔·斯塔默爵士仍然可以获得更多。

Labour is expected to gain Tory seats like Kensington and Bayswater, Chingford and Woodford Green, and Chipping Barnet. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats may hope to defeat the Conservatives in Wimbledon, Carshalton and Wallington, and seats in the Home Counties, known as the "Blue Wall."

工党预计将获得肯辛顿和贝斯沃特、清福德和伍德福德格林以及奇平巴尼特等保守党席位。与此同时，自由民主党可能希望在温布尔登、卡肖尔顿和沃灵顿击败保守党，并在被称为“蓝墙”的家乡县获得席位。

The issues at stake will also vary across the capital, from the Ulez extension and housing to the Israel-Hamas conflict. At the same time, all Londoners want a government that will not level down our city but instead elevate it as the wealth-creating, job-producing, and talent-exploding capital that it is. In other words, Londoners aren't all that different from voters in other parts of the UK.

整个首都面临的问题也各不相同，从乌莱兹扩建和住房到以色列与哈马斯的冲突。与此同时，所有伦敦人都希望政府不会贬低我们的城市，而是将其提升为创造财富、创造就业和人才爆炸的首都。换句话说，伦敦人与英国其他地区的选民并没有太大不同。

Our capital's now 75 seats are up for grabs — the parties ought not ignore the global city on their doorstep.

我们首都现在有 75 个席位可供争夺——各方不应忽视家门口的这座全球城市。

It's the item that's dividing Londoners: some swear by it, while others swear at those who wear it. We're talking about changing robes, specifically the Dryrobe.

这件物品让伦敦人产生了分歧：一些人对它发誓，而另一些人则对佩戴它的人发誓。我们正在谈论更换长袍，特别是干袍。

Outdoor swimming has certainly become more popular, thanks in part to the lockdown. But our writer El Hunt has noticed a strange trend: the drier the location, the more likely you are to see a Dryrobe.

户外游泳无疑变得越来越受欢迎，部分原因是封锁。但我们的作家 El Hunt 注意到了一个奇怪的趋势：地点越干燥，你就越有可能看到 Dryrobe。

The item risks becoming the Chelsea Tractor of clothing, bought not for its off-road capabilities but for what it says about the wearer. So yes, the Dryrobe is polarizing, but it might still poll better than the Conservative Party. If only the Prime Minister had thought to wear his while speaking in the pouring rain at Downing Street.

该产品有可能成为服装界的切尔西拖拉机，人们购买它不是因为它的越野能力，而是因为它对穿着者的评价。所以，是的，干衣党正在两极分化，但它的民意调查可能仍比保守党更好。如果首相在唐宁街倾盆大雨中发表演讲时能穿上它就好了。

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