Some 50 winters ago, the UK home secretary Reginald Maudling gave up on the outright defeat of Irish Republican terrorism. What might be feasible, he said, almost spoofing the British art of managing decline, was to keep the bloodshed down to “acceptable” levels. What was at the time a quite sensational gaffe went unmarked on its semicentennial last month. This was a sheepish admission that he had not been callous or defeatist, but prescient.
大约50年前的冬天，英国内政大臣雷金纳•麦德宁(Reginald Maudling)放弃了彻底击败爱尔兰共和军恐怖组织的想法。他以近乎搞笑的方式祭出英国管理衰落的艺术，称也许可行的做法是将流血事件控制在“可接受”的水平。当年引起舆论哗然的这一食言事件，在上月风平浪静地度过50周年纪念日。这相当于一种羞怯的承认：麦德宁并非冷酷无情，也不是失败主义者，而是有先见之明。
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