丘吉尔在法国战役期间在1940年的5-6月份的短时间内连续发表的三场演讲,为20世纪最具影响力的政治演讲之一。这些演讲几乎奠定了他获得诺贝尔文学奖的基础:5月13日的《Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat 》;6月4日的《We shall fight on the beaches 》以及最后在6月18日发表的《This was their finest hour 》。
1940年5月13日的题为《Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat 》的演讲,这是丘吉尔就任首相后的首次演讲,向国会和全国表明英国将誓死抵抗纳粹,并直言不讳地告诉人民战争的艰难:“我能奉献的只有热血、辛劳、眼泪和汗水。”(I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.):
“You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realized; no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, "Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength."
丘吉尔紧接着在1940年6月4日在英国议会的下议院又发表了《We should fight on the beaches 》的演讲。这是敦刻尔克(Dunkirk) 大撤退后的演讲,虽然英国成功撤回了30多万军队,但欧洲大陆几乎全面沦陷,英国正面临孤军奋战的局面。
丘吉尔用极具震撼力的排比句,表达了不屈服、不投降的决心:“我们将在海滩上战斗……我们绝不投降!”(We shall fight on the beaches… We shall never surrender!)。这些句子应该是英国中学们都熟悉的,正如世界学生熟背的林肯的Gettysburg Speech。
“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
在《This Was Their Finest Hour》(“这是他们最光辉的时刻”)的演讲中,丘吉尔提醒人们:“如果英国继续存在千年,人们仍会说:‘这是他们最光辉的时刻。’”(If the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say: This was their finest hour.)
This is totally different. Ukraine, instigated by NATO countries and US, provoked Russia and was willingly used to battle against Russia. It had its choice for peace but, fooled by the empty promise of NATO and US, would not stop. On the other hand, Britain was trying hard for peace with Hitler and Hitler did not give Britain the choice of peace.
如此一边倒的袒护俄国,一边倒的给乌克兰难堪与压力。这就不只是差劲的外交手段了。
看看川普敢痛斥泽连斯基;再看看川普对普京唯唯诺诺的样子(赫尔辛基会议,被共和党参议员骂是:“one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”)。
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.
None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.
We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.
We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.
Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.
Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”