下议院首相质询（Prime Minister's Questions）是英国政治最有趣也最受瞩目的一面。
每周三中午12点，在例行的下议院会议上，在野党领袖可以向时任首相提出6个质询问题。
在野党领袖可以质疑首相的领导和政府的政策，并证明如果自己执政会做得多么好，而首相则在回答中进行驳斥，并证明自己的工作做得多么出色。
正如迈克尔·道格斯在小说《纸牌屋》（House of Cards）中所描绘的：
「事实上，质询现场极为混乱和“血腥”，每个人都在争相“逃生”，简直可以和古罗马暴君尼禄及克劳狄的斗兽场相比。反对党寻求的就是狠狠的批评，给首相搞破坏。类似的，首相给出的回答也很少包含有效的信息，而是报复和回敬刚才受到的侮辱和痛苦。而首相总是最后一个发言的人，这样一来他们就在争锋中占了优势，就如同被允许最后一击的角斗士。这也是首相基本上都会赢得舌战的原因。」
2015年，BBC纪录片《探秘英国下议院》（Exploring the House of Commons）揭秘下议院最激烈、最火爆的环节——"每周相声大会"英国下议院首相质询！
工党议员感慨：首相质询存在的意义，就是要把首相往土里捶！
而时任首相卡梅伦现场解说，如何玩转套路，互相折磨见招拆招！
探秘首相质询！套路好深来自乐活英伦00:0007:22
中英全文
The highest profile event in the House of Commons each week is Prime Minister's Questions, often called PMQs. For half an hour in the House of Commons chamber, the Prime Minister answers questions from MPs on any subject.
英国下议院每周关注度最高的传统项目，便是首相质询环节，简称PMQs。逢周三，时任首相会在下议院议事大厅，接受来自议员长达30分钟不限主题的质询。
It's meant to be an MP's best chance to hold the Prime Minister to account. But some think that PMQs has become little more than a platform for political slogans from both sides.
这是议员向首相问责的最佳契机。但有人认为，如今的首相质询已成为执政党与反对党两派高喊政治口号的舞台。
How effective is Prime Minister’s Questions as a form of scrutiny?
作为一种审议问责形式，首相质询是否行之有效？
Every Wednesday, the Prime Minister sets off from Downing Street to his office in the Commons. He clutches his file, known as the Plastic Fantastic, with Post-it Notes marking subjects he thinks will come up.
每周三，首相从唐宁街府邸出发，前往下议院办公室。夹着一摞备好的文件，美名其曰"塑料狂想"，上面贴着很多便利贴，标出他认为可能会出现的问题。
Former Prime Minister David Cameron:There isn't a Wednesday that you don't feel total fear and trepidation about what is about to happen. Normally, I'm sitting here preparing for Prime Minister's Questions. About five minutes beforehand, you think, "Oh," you know, have I got to do this again?" And I think prime ministers have always felt that.
前首相戴维·卡梅伦：作为首相，不存在哪个周三 是不会感到心神不宁、恐惧不安的。平时我都是坐在这里备战首相质询。每次临开场前5分钟。我开始恐慌，"天呐，为啥我要再受一次煎熬？" 相信所有首相都深有同感。
House of Commons Officer:The Prime Minister will be entering very shortly and then we will be kicking off.
下议院工作人员：首相即将入场，之后就正式开辩。
The big beasts of the Commons jungle arrive just before noon, hoping for the smell of blood.
下议院这群"嗜血猛兽"在正午前赶来。渴望嗅到一丝血腥之气。
House of Common Officer:Here comes a late member. Everything is done now, so all we are doing now is just waiting for it to start.
下议院工作人员：抓到一个迟到的！一切准备就绪，现在就等着好戏开场。
Mr Speaker:Questions to the Prime Minister!
议长先生：首相质询开始！
Every week, the Leader of the Opposition gets to ask the Prime Minister six questions. This is the best-known aspect of PMQs and normally the rowdiest.
每周，反对党领袖按惯例向首相提出6个质询问题，这是首相质询最受关注的环节，通常也最为激烈火爆。
Former Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband:Mr Speaker, can he tell us whether the number of people having to wait more than the guaranteed two months for cancer treatment has got better or worse?
前工党领袖艾德·米利班德：议长大人，首相能否说实话，排队等待公费治疗的等待时长超过法定最长等待周期两个月的癌症患者数量，是上升还是下降了？
Cameron:There are 7,000 more doctors... there are 4,000 more nurses... there's over 1,000 more midwives.
卡梅伦：我们已经多聘请了 7千名医生，多雇佣了 4千名护士，还有1千多名助产士。
Miliband:The NHS is getting worse on his watch and there's only one person to blame, and it's him.
米利班德：在他任期内，医疗系统变得越来越糟，罪魁祸首只有一个人，就是他！
Cameron:Honestly, if he can't do better than that even on the NHS, he really is in trouble.
卡梅伦：说实话，就连他们工党搞出来的全民医疗他都处理不好，他才是真的麻烦大了！
As well as the Leader of the Opposition, backbenchers, who are more junior MPs from all parties, can also ask a question of their choice. But there is a great deal of competition among MPs to be called at Prime Minister's Question Time.
除了反对党领袖，后排议员通常为级别较低的各党派成员，也可向首相提出质询。不过 普通议员要想在首相质询环节提问，竞争是非常激烈的。
So Tracey Jessup, a Commons clerk, organises a selection system as nearly 300 backbenchersapply most weeks. To have a chance, MPs have to put in an application form. Tracey Jessup puts the names of all the MPs who have applied into a computerised ballot. The 15 MPs whose names come up are guaranteed to be called at the following week's PMQs.
下议院书记员特蕾西·杰瑟普负责人员筛选工作。每周几乎都有近300名后排议员申请参与。想提出质询的议员，必须提交申请表。特蕾西·杰瑟普将所有申请者的姓名放入电脑随机抽签，随机抽中的15名议员可在下周的质询环节向首相提问。
Jessup:It literally is completely random. It doesn't know what party people are from, it's not seeking to achieve party balance.
杰瑟普：这是完全随机的，不会参考议员所在哪个政党，不会寻求所谓的党派平衡。
For MPs who aren't lucky in the ballot, there's another way to ask a question. They can bob, meaning stand up to try and catch the Speaker's eye. The Speaker of the House who presides over the chamber, chooses who can ask a question. He will alternate bobbers with questions from the ballot. It might seem unruly in the chamber, but behind the scenes, the political parties are at work carefully seeking to orchestrate proceedings.
对于那些没被抽中的议员，还有一种方式能有机会提问，学名叫"此起彼伏"，即议员站起身以引起议长关注。下议院议长负责主持议事程序，他有权挑选提问者，并让电脑抽中的议员和议长选出的议员轮流发问。看起来确实有些秩序混乱，但其实在背后，各党派都做出了精心安排和策划。
Labour MP Sarah Champion:Before each PMQ, if we either have a question or want to bob, we have a team strategy meeting because PMQs are different from any other questions because we try and have an orchestrated team approach to it. I mean, more than anything else, it's our only chance to hold the Prime Minister accountable. So if we all go off on different tangents, it's a bit chaotic, so I think it's more about making it... focused, strategic, sort of on target, giving him as much of a bashing as we can, basically.
工党议员萨拉·钱皮恩：每次首相质询开始前，如果我们想对首相提问，就会组织团队会议进行战略谋划。因为首相质询有别于其他质询环节，我们必须做好准备工作，团队精心策划，至少比其他议程准备充分。这可是我们唯一能向首相问责的机会啊！要是大家偏离不同方向，一切就会乱了套。我们要做的是给首相以精准打击，刀刀见血，直切要害，基本上就是要把他往土里捶。
The government side is just as organised. Every week, the Prime Minister David Cameron's parliamentary private secretary, Gavin Williamson MP, sends an e-mail to Tory backbenchers encouraging helpful questions.
政府方面也同样做好提前安排。每周，时任首相卡梅伦的议会私人秘书盖文·威廉森议员会给保守党后排议员发一封邮件。
Conservative MP Andrew Percy:Ahead of PMQs, we get an e-mail, it's just come through at 11.06, and these are some suggested topics that would be helpful... the Prime Minister would be happy to receive a question on. This is an e-mail from the Prime Minister's parliamentary private secretary suggesting questions from Conservative MPs.
保守党议员安德鲁·珀西：首相质询开始前我们会收到邮件。这是11点6分收到的，邮件建议我们提出哪方面的问题会有所助益，而首相也会非常乐意回答这些问题。这封邮件是首相的议会私人秘书发来的，对保守党议员的质询问题给出建议。
Percy:So let's see what we've got today. Suggested free hits are... we've got "The OECD has joined the IMF in forecasting that the UK will have the fastest-growing economy in the developed world." So obviously the question will be "Does the Prime Minister agree this proves our long-term economic plan is working?" Question suggesting we talk about being pro-business, pro-jobs. So what they want is, "Does the Prime Minister agree with me that our long-term economic plan" - there's that phrase again - "is giving more people who want to work hard the security of a regular pay packet?"
珀西：来看看今天说了些啥。这里建议提出正面问题："经合组织与国际货币基金组织共同做出预测，英国将成为发达国家中增速最快的经济体。" 于是质询问题就是："请问首相是否赞同，这证实了我们政府的长期经济计划有效可行？" 建议我们提出关于支持商业、支持就业的问题，他们希望听到的是："请问首相是否赞同我们的长期经济计划..." 这个词又出现了，"为更多努力工作的人获得稳定收入提供了保障？"
Some on the Tory benches follow the suggested script.
某些保守党议员会依照建议的脚本行事。
Conservative MP Stephen McPartland:Stevenage continues to lead the economic recovery and unemployment figures today show our long-term economic plan is working.
保守党议员史蒂芬·迈克帕特兰：斯蒂夫尼奇将继续引领经济复兴，当前的失业数据表明，我们的长期经济计划十分奏效。
Cameron:Our honourable friend is right. In Stevenage, unemployment has fallen by 24% over the last year, which shows that our long-term economic plan is working.
卡梅伦：这位尊敬的伙伴所言极是。斯蒂夫尼奇的失业率较去年下降了24%，这正体现了我们的长期经济计划切实有效。
Conservative MP Andrew Selous:Does the Prime Minister agree that the building of vital roads like the A5-M1 Link Dunstable Northern Bypass will create even more jobs and that continued infrastructure investment like this is a key part of our long-term economicplan?
保守党议员安德鲁·塞卢斯：首相是否赞同对于重要路段的建设，如A5至M1北邓斯特布尔旁道的高速路段，将会创造更多就业机会，且此类对于基础建设的投资正是我们长期经济计划的关键所在？
Liberal Democrat MP Charles Kennedy:It's always so obvious when somebody has just been handed, you know, "Read this out," and it's pathetic. I mean, I just can't understand how anybody wants to get elected to a parliament... to any representative body, but least of all,to the House Of Commons and then just be handed out a couple of sentences written by somebody else and say, "Read this out". "Doesn't the Prime Minister agree he is doing a great job this week and he will do an even better one next week?" What is the point?
自民党议员查尔斯·肯尼迪：如果议员是照读别人给的稿子，是能明显看出来的。这真的很可悲。我真心不懂，一个经过民选而进入议会或其他任何代表机构的人，尤其是进入下议院的议员，在被要求"把这段读出来"的时候，竟会如此心甘情愿地照做无误。"首相难道不同意嘛？他这周做得也太棒了，下周他还会做得更棒！" 这有任何意义吗？！
Cameron:In politics, you've got to try and have a clear message and my team... There are some messages we want to get across. We want to explain we've got a long-term economic plan, we want to explain that we are on the side of people who work hard and if you are saying it's appalling that Tory MPs should possibly use any of these phrases, I would say, well, politics is about the team putting across a team message and so people shouldn't be too worried about that happening in Prime Minister's Questions.
卡梅伦：在政治上，你必须必须传达明确信息，我们团队必须传达相关信息。首先要解释清楚，我们实施了长期经济计划，也要解释清楚我们全力支持努力工作的劳动人民。你要是觉得保守党议员重复这些语句特别刺耳，那我只想说，政治就是这样，就是要向自己的团队传递团队信息，这样人民才不会整天担心首相质询会不会闹腾得天翻地覆。
End
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