Name: 曾經的世界強國英國為何淪落為「第三世界」經濟體？ (How the UK is becoming a ‘third-world’ economy)
Uploaded: 2024-10-04T21:01:30.000Z
Duration: 15 min 36 s

London, the city of dreams and one of the wealthiest urban areas in the world.

倫敦，夢想之城，世界上最富有的城區之一。

情態副詞

Its economy is worth roughly 508 billion pounds, which equals 652 billion dollars.

其經濟價值約為 5080 億英鎊，相當於 6520 億美元。

第二類條件句型

If it were an independent state, London would rank as the 22nd largest economy in the world, precisely above Argentina and Sweden.

如果倫敦是一個獨立的國家，它將是世界上第 22 大經濟體，恰好在阿根廷和瑞典之上。

However, London's prosperity and that of South East England is atypical for the country.

然而，倫敦和英格蘭東南部的繁榮在全國範圍內並不典型。

This small area makes up nearly half the UK's GDP while having about a third of its population.

這個面積不大的地區佔英國國內生產總值的近一半，卻擁有英國約三分之一的人口。

If one were to amputate London's output, it would reduce British living standards by 14%, just enough to slip ahead of the US state of Mississippi.

如果將倫敦的產出截肢，英國的生活水準將下降 14%，僅夠超過美國的密西西比州。

The last 10 years have been particularly tough.

Real disposable income, which is income after taxes and benefits, has remained almost unchanged.

實際可支配收入（即稅後和福利後的收入）幾乎保持不變。

The cost of goods and services has gone up.

Compared to a decade ago, people can buy less with their income.

與十年前相比，人們可以用收入購買的東西更少了。

Meanwhile, productivity is low, one of the lowest of any major economy and housing has become nearly unaffordable, with the UK holding the record for the highest number of homeless people in the developed world.

與此同時，生產率低下，是所有主要經濟體中生產率最低的國家之一，住房幾乎變得難以負擔，英國無家可歸者的數量在發達國家中保持最高紀錄。

The cause for these issues is rooted in past political decisions.

這些問題的根源在於過去的政治決策。

Britain has slumbered and stumbled its way through a number of setbacks.

英國在多次挫折中沉睡，步履蹣跚。

Now, the crisis has become endemic with no quick fix in sight.

現在，危機已成為地方性問題，看不到快速解決的辦法。

The UK was the first country to industrialize.

英國是第一個實現工業化的國家。

Now, it stands to become the first to de-industrialize.

現在，它將成為第一個非工業化國家。

Seen from a larger angle, Britain's economy is on a downward trajectory.

從更大的角度來看，英國的經濟正在走下坡路。

Just recently, housing prices rose by more than £2,200 in a month.

就在最近，房價在一個月內上漲了 2200 多英鎊。

Unfortunately, this wasn't widely reported in the media.

遺憾的是，媒體並沒有對此進行廣泛報導。

Looking at things from all angles is what we do, and Ground News provides us with invaluable insights to do exactly that.

從各個角度看問題是我們的工作，而《地面新聞》正是為我們提供了寶貴的見解。

That's why we reached out to them to sponsor this video.

這也是我們聯繫他們贊助本視頻的原因。

In fact, reading this on Ground News, I can see only 10 sources covered it, which goes to show how overlooked this subject is.

事實上，我在地面新聞上看到，只有 10 個消息來源報道了此事，這足以說明這個話題是多麼被忽視。

What's more, less than 10% of the outlets were from government sources.

更重要的是，只有不到 10%的管道來自政府。

One might suppose governments don't want to talk about complications at home.

也許有人會認為，政府不想談論國內的複雜情況。

Now, our type of content is not really suitable for YouTube.

現在，我們的內容類型並不適合 YouTube。

The algorithm deems it too controversial, and so many of our videos go without monetization.

演算法認為這太有爭議，所以我們的很多影片都沒有辦法盈利。

That's why we rely on sponsors to keep producing these videos.

這就是我們依靠贊助商來繼續製作這些影片的原因。

We've personally used and worked with Ground News for years, and they've stepped up every time we needed support.

我們個人使用 Ground News 並與之合作多年，每次我們需要支持時，他們都會挺身而出。

In fact, we have our own feed on Ground News.

事實上，我們在 Ground News 上有自己的頻道。

Here, you get breaking news on geopolitics, and even blind spot stories that the media isn't covering.

在這裡，你可以獲得有關地緣政治的突發新聞，甚至是媒體沒有報導的盲點新聞。

So I encourage you to check it out at ground.news.com.

我鼓勵大家到 ground.news.com 上查看。

I recommend subscribing to the Vantage Plan.

透過我們的連結，你可以享受 40% 的折扣。

Keep in mind that by subscribing, you are directly supporting our channel.

請記住，訂閱就是直接支持我們的頻道。

Not long ago, Britain was considered one of the world's most prosperous nations and a world of skilled professionals seeking to advance their careers.

不久前，英國還被認為是世界上最繁榮的國家之一，也是技術專業人員尋求職業發展的世界。

The state is under incredible socioeconomic strain, more so than people realize.

這個國家承受著驚人的社會經濟壓力，比人們意識到的還要大。

Three back-to-back geopolitical shockwaves have left it with a colossal debt.

連續三次地緣政治衝擊使其揹負鉅額債務。

英國脫歐、COVID 和烏克蘭戰爭。

The catalyst, however, dates to 2008, when the financial crisis introduced long-lasting effects.

然而，這種催化劑可以追溯到 2008 年，當時金融危機帶來了長期影響。

Like everyone else, Britain was deeply injured, but the way it handled the fallout set it apart from the rest of the developed world.

與其他國家一樣，英國也深受其害，但英國處理危機後果的方式使其有別於其他發達國家。

After borrowing roughly 141 billion pounds to bail out British banks, the government opted for austerity measures instead of investing in fiscal and social policies.

在借款約 1 410 億英鎊救助英國銀行之後，政府選擇了緊縮措施，而不是投資於財政和社會政策。

There were no significant tax cuts or minimum wage increases.

沒有大幅減稅或提高最低工資。

There was no inflation control, no housing assistance, no job creation programs.

沒有通貨膨脹控制，沒有住房援助，沒有創造就業的計劃。

For ordinary citizens, the consequences were devastating.

對於普通公民來說，後果是毀滅性的。

Real household income dropped and then flatlined for the next 15 years.

在接下來的 15 年裡，家庭實際收入下降，然後持平。

In economic terms, this is known as a lost decade.

在經濟學上，這被稱為「失落的十年」。

For added perspective, in 2007, the average British household was 8% less prosperous than those in Norway and just 6% behind those in the United States.

2007 年，英國家庭的平均富裕程度比挪威低 8%，比美國僅低 6%。

In the years following, the deficit grew substantially.

Today, British households sit 20% behind Norway and 16% behind the US in terms of real income.

如今，英國家庭的實際收入比挪威落後 20%，比美國落後 16%。

This drop in living standards is felt vividly among the middle class.

中產階級對生活水準下降的感受尤為明顯。

Real household income is a fundamental driver of economic activity.

家庭實際收入是經濟活動的基本驅動力。

It encourages consumer spending and improves living standards, all of which contribute to economic growth.

它鼓勵消費支出，提高生活水準，所有這些都有助於經濟增長。

In Britain, however, the government prioritized corporate interests above all else.

然而，在英國，政府將企業利益放在首位。

But even here, in the corporate world, the gains were mostly short term.

但即使在這裡，在企業界，收益也大多是短期的。

The productivity rate was left on the back burner and no significant investments were made in this domain.

生產率被擱置一旁，也沒有在這一領域進行重大投資。

For context, increasing productivity is one of the most efficient ways to grow an economy.

就背景而言，提高生產率是經濟增長的最有效方式之一。

But contrary to popular belief, improving productivity does not mean working harder.

但與普遍看法相反的是，提高生產率並不意味著更加努力地工作。

Instead, the point is to boost economic output without increasing the amount of work.

相反，重點是在不增加工作量的情況下提高經濟產出。

So when an agriculture-driven economy switches to manufacturing microchips, productivity increases because the tech industry is more profitable and has greater margins.

當一個以農業為主導的經濟體轉而生產微晶片時，生產率就會提高，因為科技行業利潤更高，利潤空間更大。

Ergo, the workforce is getting more out of it for the same amount of labor.

勞動力在付出相同勞動量的情況下，可以獲得更多的收益。

That's why Japan is turning farmland into factories.

這就是為什麼日本要把農田變成工廠。

It adds to productivity and ultimately improves the economy.

它提高了生產力，並最終改善了經濟。

In the UK, productivity output per capita debilitated after the 2008 crisis due to a This chart by the London School of Economics puts things into perspective.

在英國，2008 年危機後，由於倫敦經濟學院（London School of Economics）的一張圖表，人均生產率下降了。

Before the crisis, productivity was growing at nearly 2% annually.

危機爆發前，生產力年增長率接近 2%。

After the crisis, however, it weakened substantially, changing a trend that had been in motion since the 1980s.

然而，危機過後，這一趨勢大幅減弱，改變了自1980 年代以來的趨勢。

The British workforce now has the second lowest productivity rate among the G7 economies, whereas before the 2008 crisis, it was second only to the US.

目前，英國勞動力的生產率在七國集團經濟體中排名倒數第二，而在 2008 年危機之前，英國勞動力的生產率僅次於美國。

The simultaneous effects of sluggish real household income and low productivity explain a lot about the performance of the British economy.

實際家庭收入低迷和生產率低下同時產生的影響在很大程度上說明了英國經濟的表現。

它基本上是在為自己的生命而戰。

Britain's lost decade happened so casually, so indifferently, that none of its political parties acknowledged it, let alone addressed it.

英國失去的十年發生得如此隨意，如此冷漠，以至於沒有一個政黨承認它，更不用說解決它了。

There was no political discourse on this subject that was affecting millions of households.

在這個影響千家萬戶的問題上，沒有任何政治討論。

But it was a crisis nonetheless, and so the discourse expressed itself in the form of Brexit.

儘管如此，這仍然是一場危機，是以，討論以英國脫歐的形式表現出來。

However, the uncertainty over Brexit made a bad situation even worse.

然而，英國脫歐的不確定性使糟糕的局面雪上加霜。

It had a particularly sharp effect on direct foreign investment.

它對外國直接投資的影響尤為明顯。

According to the Bank of England, Brexit reduced investment by 25%, measured from 2016 to 2021.

根據英格蘭銀行的數據，從 2016 年到 2021 年，英國脫歐將使投資減少 25%。

What's more, soon after Brexit, the onset of COVID exacerbated the economic crisis that was brewing underneath.

更重要的是，英國脫歐後不久，COVID 的爆發加劇了正在醞釀的經濟危機。

The government stepped in and borrowed an additional 280 billion pounds in its response to the coronavirus.

為應對新冠疫情，政府介入並額外借貸了 2 800 億英鎊。

This was deemed necessary to get the nation through the pandemic.

這被認為是使國家渡過疫情的必要條件。

But here's the thing, most of the COVID bailout was borrowed when interest rates were at historic lows, sitting around 0.1%.

但問題是，COVID 的大部分救助資金都是在利率處於歷史低點（0.1% 左右）時借貸的。

At the time, repayments were expected to be relatively manageable, and this might have been true were it not for the final nail in the coffin, the Ukraine war.

如果不是烏克蘭戰爭這顆最後的釘子，當時的還貸預期可能會相對可控。

The minute the Russians began their full-scale assault, access to Russian oil and gas was halted by sanctions and trade restrictions.

在俄羅斯人開始全面進攻的那一刻，由於制裁和貿易限制，俄羅斯的石油和天然氣供應就被停止了。

At the same time, an energy crisis started brewing, and the cost of living jumped across Europe.

與此同時，能源危機開始醞釀，整個歐洲的生活成本急劇上升。

British households were projected to pay three times the previous price just to heat their homes during the winter.

預計英國家庭僅冬季取暖費就要比以前高出三倍。

Much of the public was anxious, so the British government intervened again.

許多公眾感到焦慮，於是英國政府再次進行干預。

This time, it was one of Europe's most generous in financial support.

這一次，它是歐洲在財政支持方面最慷慨的國家之一。

Between 60 billion and 100 billion pounds in additional spending went straight into Britain's debt.

600 億到 1000 億英鎊的額外支出直接變成了英國的債務。

The damage to households was mild, but the bailout gave the UK its biggest increase in debt as a share of its GDP.

對家庭造成的損害是輕微的，但救助使英國債務佔國內生產總值的比重出現了最大增幅。

The synthesized pandemic crisis and energy crisis pushed inflation rates to new highs.

綜合疫情危機和能源危機將通貨膨脹率推向新高。

In response, central banks ramped up the interest rate.

作為回應，中央銀行提高了利率。

For ordinary citizens, this meant that mortgage payments went up overnight by hundreds of pounds.

對於普通百姓來說，這意味著房貸一夜之間增加了數百英鎊。

Meanwhile, for the government, the high interest rate added additional billions to the national debt.

與此同時，對政府來說，高利率使國債增加了數十億美元。

While before, debt repayments were believed to be relatively manageable, after the energy crisis, debt became increasingly expensive to pay off.

在此之前，人們認為債務償還是相對可控的，但在能源危機之後，償還債務的成本變得越來越高。

Servicing debt jumped from 40 billion pounds per year to about 100 billion pounds per year.

償債額從每年 400 億英鎊猛增至每年約 1,000 億英鎊。

That is a staggering 60 billion pound increase in spending, which is nearly the entire British defense budget.

這相當於增加了 600 億英鎊的開支，幾乎是英國國防預算的全部。

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曾經的世界強國英國為何淪落為「第三世界」經濟體？ (How the UK is becoming a ‘third-world’ economy)

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