英字新聞

消費税増税を避けるだけの目的で小沢さんを支援するのはいかがなものでしょうか。
小沢さんが一生懸命なのは選挙のことだけ、国民の幸せについて無頓着だと思います。
危機に陥るとすぐ逃げ出す臆病者でもあります。
とはいえ、消費税増税を回避するためには小沢さんしか頼れる人物がいないのも事実。
困りました（汗）。

スラチャイ

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jun. 23, 2012)
DPJ must act against dissenters before reform vote
小沢氏造反明言　民主は厳正処分を事前に示せ　（6月22日付・読売社説）

Ahead of a vote on social security and tax system reform bills, the Democratic Party of Japan must take a firm stand against dissenters if it hopes to extricate itself from a situation in which the ruling party can't even reach a consensus on such a crucial matter.
　政策がバラバラで、重要な方針がなかなか決まらない。民主党がこうした混迷から脱するためにも、造反には厳しい姿勢で臨む必要がある。

At a meeting Thursday, secretaries general of the DPJ and the two main opposition parties--the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito--agreed to put a set of social security and tax system reform bills to a vote in the House of Representatives as swiftly as possible, and to have them enacted before the end of the current extended Diet session.
　民主、自民、公明３党は幹事長会談で、社会保障・税一体改革関連法案を衆院で速やかに採決し、今国会中に成立させることを確認した。

　法案の衆院通過は、来週の２６日になると見られる。

Overshadowing the expected passage of the bills in the lower house Tuesday are moves within the DPJ to rebel against the party's leadership.
　採決における焦点は、民主党内の造反の動きである。

DPJ kingpin Ichiro Ozawa reiterated Thursday his opposition to the reform bills, saying he will make what he believes is the best choice after a vote is held. Ozawa also indicated he is considering forming a new party.
小沢一郎元代表は法案に反対する意向を改めて示し、採決が済めば、「最善の道を選びたい」と述べた。新党結成を検討する考えも表明した。

If he remains opposed to the bills, which Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has made a top priority, it is a matter of course that Ozawa would break away from the ruling DPJ.
　野田政権が最重要課題と位置付ける法案に反対するのであれば、離党するのが筋であろう。

===

Majority at stake

There is a possibility that DPJ legislators and others who support Ozawa's position will vote against the bills, withhold their ballot or refuse to attend the vote during a plenary session of the lower house.
　小沢氏に同調した民主党議員らが、採決時に反対または棄権・欠席する可能性がある。

In the worst-case scenario, where a large number of dissenting DPJ lawmakers secede from the party, the ruling camp could lose its majority in the lower house, just as it did in the House of Councillors.
仮に造反議員が多数離党した場合、与党が衆院でも過半数を割り込む事態さえ予想される。

Given this possibility, DPJ Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi vowed to do his utmost to stop the party from splitting, saying he would "keep the party together" even if a certain number of DPJ lawmakers vote against the bills.
　こうした事情から、輿石幹事長は造反があっても、「党をまとめていきたい」と、党分裂の回避を目指す意向を示した。

If the DPJ leadership imposes weak punitive measures against dissenters, however, it would be no more than a Band-Aid solution, temporarily covering a deeply rooted policy rift in the DPJ.
　だが、造反議員への処分を甘くすることは、民主党が内包する深刻な路線対立を一時的に糊塗(こと)するだけではないか。

The DPJ has avoided imposing severe punishments on lawmakers who dissented from the party leadership in past votes on a nonconfidence motion against a previous cabinet and a state budget.
　民主党は、内閣不信任決議案や予算案の採決時の造反に対し、厳しい処分を避けてきた。

It cannot be denied that discipline within the party has slackened and that party leadership has deteriorated.
その結果、規律が緩み、党執行部の求心力も低下したことは否めない。

Ahead of this crucial vote, we believe the DPJ executives must show their clear resolve to work out stern measures against dissenters, such as expulsion from the party or a request they leave. Such steps would do much to deter opposition to passage of the reform bills.
　党執行部は、造反すれば除名や離党勧告という重い処分を行うことを事前に明示し、採決に臨むべきだ。それが造反を思いとどまらせる上で一定の効果を持とう。

===

Manifesto proved unworkable

As one reason for his opposition to the bills, Ozawa said, "Implementing a large-scale tax increase ahead of other key tasks is a serious breach of the people's trust."
　一方、小沢氏は法案に反対する理由として、「大増税だけが先行するやり方は国民への背信行為」と語った。

He also reiterated an argument made in the DPJ's manifesto pledges for the 2009 general election that overhauling administrative bodies and eliminating wasteful spending of taxpayer money would yield significant revenue.
さらに、統治機構を変え、無駄を徹底的に省けば財源が生まれると、政権公約（マニフェスト）の主張を繰り返した。

But this insistence at the core of the DPJ's manifesto that revenue sources could be raised--eventually by as much as 16.8 trillion yen--by such measures as reworking the state budget has already been proven false. What does Ozawa have to say about this?
　だが、予算組み替えなどで最終的に１６・８兆円もの財源を捻出できる、としたマニフェストの根幹部分はすでに破綻している。それをどう説明するのか。

Three successive cabinets, led by Yukio Hatoyama, Naoto Kan and now Noda, have acknowledged that major points of the DPJ manifesto are not realizable, and have adopted a more realistic approach to steering the government.
　鳩山、菅、野田の３代の内閣は、マニフェストの主要政策が実現不可能であることを事実上認め、現実路線にかじを切ってきた。

Arrogant logic that disregards what the DPJ has learned in its policy discussions since it came to power can never be convincing.
政権交代後に積み重ねてきた政策論議を一切無視するような、身勝手な理屈は説得力を持たない。

What Ozawa needs to realize is that opposing the consumption tax rate increase, and thereby endangering the nation's social security system and government finances, is what should be condemned as an act of betrayal against the people.
　消費増税に反対し、社会保障制度や財政の破綻を招くことこそ、国民を裏切る行為である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 22, 2012)
（2012年6月22日01時28分 読売新聞）