Vocable All English – 18 Octobre 2018

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EnjeuxI Politique I ROYAUME-UNI I  B2-C1

N

icola Sturgeon came bearing good

news. Support for independence

was edging up, declared Scotland’s first

minister and leader of the Scottish National

Party, to applause from her MSPs gathered

in Holyrood, [early in September]. But their

joy was constrained. The reason? Alex Sal-

mond, the party’s previous leader, who faces

allegations of sexual misconduct during his

time as irst minister in 2007-14. 

2. Mr Salmond denies the allegations and
   rejects “any suggestion of criminality”. The
   case has dominated Scottish politics since
   the accusations emerged in late August. Mr
   Salmond quickly jumped from the party to
   cut off demands that he be pushed. He has
   also launched legal proceedings against the
   Scottish government over its handling of
   the probe. 

THE ECONOMIST

POLITICAL FRIENDSHIP

3. Ms Sturgeon was Mr Salmond’s protégée
   and their relationship one of few examples
   of a successful political friendship. Now, for
   the irst time, there is a rift between the two.
   Talk of a civil war within the SNP is over-
   blown, insist party insiders. Mr Salmond
   holds no ofice. While still popular among
   older members, he has less pull over the
   swathes of youngsters who locked to the
   party after the failed independence vote in


4. But Mr Salmond is more than an em-
   barrassing uncle who can be ignored. For
   decades, he personiied the push for inde-
   pendence. 

REVIVAL OF THE INDEPEN-

DENCE MOVEMENT

4. The allegations against him come just as
   Scotland’s lagging independence movement
   shows signs of revival. SNP membership now

outstrips the Conservative Party’s across the

whole of Britain. Brexit, which 62% of Scots

voted against, is being bungled, stoking de-

mands for freedom from Westminster. A poll

in September found that after Brexit, 47% of

Scots would back independence, compared

with 43% who would vote to stay in the union. 

5. Yet the pitch to break away from Britain
   has become trickier, too. About a third of SNP
   voters backed Leave in the Brexit referendum.
   And the economic case has weakened. In May
   a report commissioned by the Scottish gov-
   ernment admitted that spending would have
   to come down as a proportion of GDP if
   Scotland went it alone. Ms Sturgeon’s job is
   made no easier by the renewed prominence
   of Mr Salmond. l


6. to bear, bore, borne to carry / to edge up to increase
   little by little / MSP = Member of the Scottish
   Parliament / to gather to bring together / Holyrood
   (Parliament) seat of the Scottish Parliament / to
   constrain to limit, to inhibit, to restrain / allegation
   accusation.


7. case here, arguments / to cut, cut, cut of to stop /
   demand insistent request, call / to push to force out, to
   ire / handling management, dealing / probe enquiry,
   investigation.


8. rift break in relations, division / SNP = Scottish
   National Party independence party for Scotland /
   overblown exaggerated / insider member / to hold,
   held, held oice to have a ministerial portfolio / pull
   here, inluence / swath large quantity / youngster young
   person / to lock to go in large numbers to a place / failed
   unsuccessful / decade period of ten years / push
   campaign, efort, movement.


9. lagging declining /

to outstrip to surpass, to exceed / to bungle to do ineptly

and ineiciently, to mismanage, to mess up / to stoke to

provoke / poll survey / to ind, found, found to reveal,

show / union here, United Kingdom.

5. pitch sales talk, argument to persuade sb to buy/do sth
   / tricky diicult / to back to support, here, to vote for / to
   weaken to become less strong / to commission to
   oicially ask sb to do sth / spending expenditure / GDP =
   gross domestic product / to go, went, gone it alone to
   become independent, to do sth by oneself / prominence
   state of being the focus of media attention, here, notoriety.

ALEX SALMOND

IS A DISTRACTION

Accusations against Alex

Salmond divert attention away

from the real issues for the

Scottish National Party

As the Brexit negotiations reach their

inal stages, and with a no deal exit a real

possibility, the Scottish National Party,

led by Nicola Sturgeon, will be

considering a new referendum on

independence. Meanwhile a scandal

implicating Alex Salmond, former party

leader, could be a problem. Nevertheless,

the Scottish independence debate is

back on the table.

Alex Salmond has been accused of sexual misconduct. (Scott Heppell/AP/SIPA)