悼念女王

"Elizabeth the Great" by 肥波

因為英女皇駕崩，英國下議院今日開咗個特別會議，首相、反對黨黨魁與及部份議員輪流悼念英女皇。當中三個現任同前任首相嘅演詞各有特色，Liz Truss可能受職位所限，相對於已經卸任嘅肥波同May姐平實。不論左中右傳媒評論，支持保守黨與否，甚至唔鍾意肥波或者Theresa May也好，大多數都認為May姐嘅演詞幽默，而肥波嗰篇就最出色。

May姐，同佢近日响議會發言嘅風格一樣，黑住面咁講笑，用說話節奏分享自己做首相嘅時候同英女皇同處自己嘅趣（醜）事，去印證英女皇嘅觀察力同氣度。憶述當年响蘇格蘭Balmoral同英女皇野餐，佢幫手將食物由餐車放去枱上面。

"I picked up some cheese, put it on a plate, and was transferring it to the table – the cheese fell on the floor."

「忽然間我跌咗啲芝士落地」

"I had a split-second decision to make.  I picked up the cheese, put it on the plate and put it on the table."

「我（當時係首相）瞬間就要做果斷嘅決擇...咪鬼鬼鼠鼠執返上碟，然後扮無野放隻碟响枱面囉。」

"And I turned around to see that my every move had been watched very carefully by Her Majesty the Queen."

「但當我轉頭回望，原來女皇陛下一路都留意我嘅一舉一動。」

"I looked at her, she looked at me and she just smiled. And the cheese remained on the table."

「我望住佢，佢又帶住微笑咁望返我...而嗰舊芝士仍然响枱上面。」

肥波嗰個演詞，就可以話係呢兩日眾多悼念英女皇嘅演詞中嘅經典，

"Think what we asked of her in that moment: not just to be the living embodiment, in her DNA, of the history, continuity and unity of this country, but to be the figurehead of our entire system—the keystone in the vast arch of the British state, a role that only she could fulfil because, in the brilliant and durable bargain of the constitutional monarchy, only she could be trusted to be above any party political or commercial interest and to incarnate, impartially, the very concept and essence of the nation."

「當被問到諗起英女皇會聯想到咩：並唔只係國家歷史嘅化身，更不限於代表國家傳承同團結，而係英國整個制度系統嘅象徵，佢就等如國家嘅基石，英女皇嘅角色實現咗出色而恆久嘅君主立憲制度。只因為佢超越所有政黨政治與及商業利益嘅地位能夠令人信服，可以公正地賦予國家嘅根本概念。」

然後佢讚揚英女皇嘅天生記憶力，對歷任十五個首相比到唔少引導，佢本身就已經超越世上最好嘅政治同外交家。

更重要嘅係英女皇知道自己幾時需要提升國民嘅士氣，肥波用2012年奧運同James Bond跳傘入會場同今年登基白金紀念與Paddington Bear合演做引子，帶出英女皇分別响1940年英國差啲亡國，十四歲响廣播安撫國內嘅小朋友嘅“We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well”，對照八十年後2020年英國面對疫情嘅"we would meet again"。

"Perhaps more importantly, she knew how to keep us going when times were toughest. In 1940, when this country and this democracy faced the real possibility of extinction, she gave a broadcast, aged only 14, that was intended to reassure the children of Britain. She said then:

“We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well”.

She was right. And she was right again in the darkest days of the covid pandemic when she came on our screens and told us that we would meet again—and we did."

憑英女皇嘅堅毅、工作嘅態度、歷史同幽默感，肥波話英女皇絕對值得稱呼為「伊利沙伯大帝」（Elizabeth the Great）。

"It was that indomitability, that humour, that work ethic and that sense of history that, together, made her Elizabeth the Great."

後話：

肥波講開英女皇十四歲嗰時嘅廣播，原來自己有本書裡面附錄咗英女皇當年對小朋友廣播其中一篇嘅原稿複制版。

最後嗰句可以睇得出當年英女皇嘅意向係幾咁大，肥波真係無講錯，絕對配得上Elizabeth the Great。

"I may be your Queen and I always remember that great Queen

Elizabeth and how she lived for her People and I'm going to do my best to follow her example and l've for you.

So my deer, dear Children, Goodbye, until I see you! "