13 If this ideal were undermined by Britain’s dissolution, and the country’s voice itself were weakened, the amour propre of Britons would not be the only victim. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a big noise in the IMF, the G7 and the European Union, Britain can make itself heard in support of values such as human rights, democracy, freedom of speech, the rule of law and clean government that are threatened by the rise of states and ideologies that do not share them. If Scotland were to push off, neither it nor residual Britain would have as much influence as they do today, and the world would be the poorer for it.
如果英国解体致使联合理念受损，英国话语权减弱，英国人的自尊心不会是唯一的受害者。英国是联合国安理会的常任理事国，在国际货币基金组织、七国集团联盟、欧盟都有很强的话语权。英国可以就自己所支持的却又因为不赞同它们的国家和意识形态的出现而受到威胁的价值观，如人权、民主、言论自由、法治和廉洁ZF等，发出自己的声音。如果坚持独立，那无论是苏格兰还是英国剩余部分的影响力都会减弱，世界也会因此更加贫瘠。
14 Although this newspaper believes that, for all these reasons, the union is worth preserving, we also think it needs changing. As a political expression of liberal values and attitudes, it would be more credible if it were not so centralised. The devolution of powers to Scotland has been a mild extortion racket; and elsewhere the flow has gone to Westminster rather than away from it. But if diverse peoples are to be bound together, they must be given plenty of slack. So instead of trying to buy Scottish votes with more cash, Mr Cameron should devolve far more power to all Britain’s cities and regions.
尽管基于上述理由，本报认为应该坚持联合，但我们也认为英国需要改变。作为自由价值观和态度的政治体现，如果英国不那么集权会更令人信服。向苏格兰分权是一场温和的敲诈骗局，至于其他地区，权利是向威斯敏斯特集中而非从此分散。如果不同的人要团结在一起，ZF就应该放松控制。卡梅伦应该做的不是用金钱收买苏格兰选票，而是更多地分权给英国各城市各地区。
15 States cannot easily split their way to happiness, and working out how to accommodate differences can improve them. It makes them more tolerant, pluralist and open, and teaches central governments how to relinquish power. When nations cannot bear to hold together, they must of course separate. But Britain has not reached that point. Scottish nationalists like to say, cheerfully, that their nation is capable of standing on its own. It certainly is. That doesn’t mean it should.
国家不可能简单地依靠解体获得繁荣，努力包容分歧才能发展进步，这使它们更加包容、多样、开放，教会中央ZF如何放弃权利。当国家在一起过不下去时，它们必须分开，这是毫无疑问的。但英国还没有走到那一步。苏格兰民族主义者热衷于满心欢喜地说，他们的国家能够独立自主。苏格兰当然可以做到，但这并不意味它应该这样做。
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