The United Kingdom is a nation with a split personality. We are a country profoundly divided, both economically and politically, into undeniable regional blocks. Last week's election brought this contrast into stark relief: almost the whole of England, save parts of the north-west and north-east, voted for free enterprise; while Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of the north voted for big government. According to the Office for National Statistics, London and the south-east's gross value added is dramatically higher than in areas like Wales. And public spending as a share of gross domestic product in Wales, for example, is almost twice that of London, at roughly 70 per cent. Essentially, most of England is capitalist, while most of the regions are socialist.
英國是一個人格分裂的國家。無論是經濟上，還是政治上，我們都四分五裂地歸入幾個無可否認的地域板塊。剛剛結束的這場大選，令這種分裂愈發地觸目驚心：幾乎整個英格蘭（除了西北部和東北部部分地區）都投票支持自由企業；而威爾斯、蘇格蘭、北愛爾蘭和部分英格蘭北部地區，則都選擇擁護「大政府」。根據英國國家統計局(Office for National Statistics)數據，倫敦和英格蘭東南部地區的總附加值遠遠高於威爾斯等地。舉例而言，威爾斯地區公共支出佔本地生產總值(GDP)的比例約爲70%，幾乎是倫敦的兩倍。從本質上講，英格蘭大部分地區都信奉資本主義，而其它大部分地區則信奉社會主義。