The U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union has dominated debates here in Parliament,

英國脫歐這項決定主導了議會的辯論，

discussions at work, dinners with friends, and much of the media coverage.

工作討論，與朋友共進晚餐，以及大部分的媒體報導。

The Brexit vote has shaken modern politics forever, with the U.K. set to be the first country to leave the Union.

英國脫歐的投票結果已經長久動搖現代政治，英國將成為第一個離開歐盟的國家。

But after more than 40 years of membership, how did we get here?

但有著超過 40 年以上的會員資格，我們是怎麼走到這一步的？

We need to rewind back to 1961 when the U.K. applied to be a member of the European Union for the first time.

我們得回到 1961 年，當時英國首次申請加入歐盟會員國。

Back then, the block was called the European Economic Community, otherwise known as the common market.

在當時，該區域稱為歐洲經濟共同體，也稱作共同市場。

Its aim was to bring about economic integration.

其目的是實現經濟整合。

But the U.K.'s inclusion in the common market faced some opposition from within the group, mainly from the French.

不過，英國加入共同市場時，遇到不少集團內部的反對，主要是來自法國的反對。

President Charles de Gaulle vetoed the U.K.'s application in 1963 and again in 1967.

夏爾．戴高樂總統在 1963 年否決英國的申請，在 1967 年又再一次反對。

He doubted Britain's commitment to the union's political objectives

他懷疑英國對工會政治目標的承諾，

and believed its economy wasn't compatible with those of its six existing members.

也不相信英國的經濟能與現存的六個會員國相容。

The U.K.'s “special relationship” with the U.S. was also a concern for him,

英國與美國的「特殊關係」對他來說也是一大擔憂，

worrying the partnership would get in the way of building a strong Europe.

他擔憂彼此間的合夥關係，將成為建立強大歐洲的一大阻礙。

But in 1969 France elected a new president and the U.K. succeeded in joining the group in 1973.

不過法國在 1969 年選出了新總統，而英國也在 1973 年成功加入組織。

But just two years after joining, the U.K. held a referendum on whether it should remain in the European Economic Community.

但就在加入的兩年後，英國舉行了一場公投，就是否繼續留在歐洲經濟共同體為由。

Back then, 67% of voters favored continued membership.

當時有 67 % 的人支持維持會員資格

In the years that followed, the European Union transformed from a trade arrangement to more of a political alliance, giving Brussels increasing influence over other areas of policy.

在之後的幾年，歐盟從貿易安排轉變為更像一個政治聯盟，使布魯塞爾對其他政策領域產生更大的影響。

But the U.K. was still able to negotiate with the European Union on the terms of its ongoing membership.

但英國仍然能夠以其現存的會員資格與歐盟談判。

In 1984 Margaret Thatcher managed to broker a deal, commonly referred to as the rebate,

1984年，瑪格麗特．撒切爾設法達成了一項協議，通常指的是回扣，

which reduced the U.K.'s financial contribution to the European budget by billions.

讓英國對歐盟預算的財政貢獻減少了數十億元。

This arrangement was exclusive to the U.K. and is still in place today.

這種安排是英國特有的，至今仍在。

The U.K. has also benefited from so-called opt-outs,

英國也受惠於所謂的選擇退出，

which essentially means the U.K. does not have to participate in certain European policies.

基本的意思就是，英國不必參與某些歐洲政策。

For example, the U.K. didn't join the Schengen Area in 1985, maintaining a border that has passport controls.

舉例來說，英國在 1985 年沒有加入申根區，維持在有護照管制的邊境。

The U.K. also opted out of a monetary union in 1992, keeping its currency, the pound sterling, instead of the euro.

英國也在 1992 年選擇退出貨幣聯盟，維持其貨幣英鎊，而不是歐元。

The introduction of the euro was part of a wide-ranging agreement called the Maastricht Treaty.

引進歐元是一份廣泛協議「馬斯垂克條約」中的一部分。

Signed by the U.K. along with 11 other member states, it expanded the EU's remit as an economic community to include foreign affairs, justice and policing.

由英國和其他 11 個成員國簽署，擴大了歐盟作為經濟共同體的職權範圍，包括外交、司法和警務。

Ultimately it was the framework for the modern EU, but for Eurosceptics,

最後，這就是現在歐盟的體系，但對於疑歐派來說，

it was an unacceptable transfer of powers from the U.K. parliament to Brussels and threatened further divisions in the Conservative government.

這不可接受的權力轉移是從英國議會到布魯塞爾，並威脅到保守黨的進一步分歧。

However, a long period of economic growth under pro-European Prime Ministers maintained enough support for the EU and the single market,

然而，在親歐派總理的領導下，經濟長期增長，仍為歐盟和單一市場提供足夠的援助，

meaning that calls for another EU referendum were put on the backburner for nearly 20 years.

意思就是，要求進行另一次歐盟公投已被擱置將近 20 年的時間。

Nonetheless, there was growing dissatisfaction with the level of bureaucracy in Europe.

儘管如此，歐洲的官僚水平出現越來越多不滿。

In 2004, the entry of 10 new countries into the EU also led to more questions in the U.K. about the country's level of immigration.

有 10 個新國家在 2004 年加入歐盟，對英國移民水平也引發更多的問題。

In the 10 years that followed, the number of EU migrants living in the U.K. almost doubled.

在之後的十年中，住在英國的歐盟移民人數幾乎多了一倍。

This, along with the fall in household incomes after the 2008 financial crash, has been seen by some as contributing to a groundswell of resentment toward European migrants,

這一點，加上 2008 年金融危機後，家庭收入的下降，部分人認為這加助於引起對歐洲移民的不滿，

something that the major political parties were slow to recognize and respond to.

這是主要政黨遲遲不肯承認和回應的問題。

As a result, support for the anti-European party UKIP and its leader Nigel Farage started to grow rapidly.

因此，反歐盟的英國獨立黨及其領導人奈傑．法拉吉的支持度開始迅速成長。

By 2014 some surveys suggested that the party was being supported by up to 16% of the electorate.

在 2014 年，有些調查指出該黨獲得多達 16 ％ 選民的支持。

Many Conservative party candidates were concerned about their supporters switching allegiance to UKIP

許多保守黨候選人擔心他們的支持者轉而相挺英國獨立黨，

and pleaded with Prime Minister David Cameron to promise an EU referendum in his campaign manifesto.

並懇求首相大衛．卡麥隆在競選宣言中承諾舉行歐盟公投。

To avoid the risk of defections from within his own party,

為了避免自己黨內倒戈的風險，

he did and the Conservatives won the election with an overall majority.

他照做了，而保守黨的選舉也大勝。

As divisions within the party started to become more evident, Cameron promised a referendum by the end of 2017.

隨著黨內的分歧開始日漸明顯，卡麥隆承諾會在 2017 年底前舉行公投。

But first, he tried re-negotiating with the EU some of the terms of Britain's membership.

但首先，他得先試著與歐盟重新談判會員國的一些條款。

He emerged from the talks with a deal, but that wasn't enough to convince Eurosceptics.

他從談判中脫穎而出，但這不足以說服疑歐派人士。

For many, the process gave the impression that Brussels was inflexible and unwilling to make big concessions to keep Britain in the union.

對許多人來說，這個過程給人的印像是，布魯塞爾不願變通，不願讓英國留在歐盟，而做出重大讓步。

So Prime Minister David Cameron had to deliver on his manifesto promise and set a date for a referendum,

因此，首相首相大衛．卡麥隆必須履行諾言並確定公投的日期，

the 23rd June 2016 with a simple question, whether to remain in or leave the European Union.

2016 年 6 月 23 日，英國去留歐盟，就這個簡單的問題。

And I will go to Parliament and propose that the British people decide our future in Europe.

我將前往議會，並建議英國人民對未來歐洲的決定。

Hi guys, thank you so much for watching.

大家好，謝謝你們的觀看。

If you want to see more of our videos, then check out these.

如果想看我們更多影片，那就來這看看。

And do let us know your thoughts on Brexit by commenting below the video.

記得在影片下方留言，讓我們知道你對英國脫歐的想法。

And don't forget to subscribe.

然後也別忘了訂閱。