March 23
[ 2007-03-23 08:00 ]
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| President Ronald Reagan
says his only purpose is to avert nuclear
war |
| 1983: Reagan launches Cold War into
space |
England have
President Reagan has unveiled plans to combat nuclear
war in space.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposes a
defensive shield, using laser or particle beam technology to "intercept
and destroy" incoming missiles as they travel through the stars.
< Defense analysts have described it as the first
major attempt to move away from the 30 year-old Cold War strategy of
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) - where the threat of nuclear attack
acts as a deterrent .
In a televised address from the White House the US
leader said: "We seek neither military superiority nor political
advantage. Our only purpose - one all people share - is to search for ways
to avert the danger of nuclear war."
Speaking just half an hour after the House of
Representatives (H0R) had rejected the Republican Party's demands for 10%
increases in defence spending, President Reagan attempted to justify his
$2 trillion, five-year military spending plans.
In the first major congressional revolt against Mr
Reagan's economic policies the HoR have voted in Democrat proposals to
reduce the Republican budget by more than half.
The President said: "They're the same kind that led
the democracies to neglect their defences in the 1930s and invited the
tragedy of World War II."
Senior White House aide Michael Deaver reported a
positive reaction to Mr Reagan's scheme: "He has had the most favorable
response to any speech since he was elected President."
Critics argue SDI contravenes the Soviet-American
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972.
Article V of the treaty states: "Each party undertakes
not to develop, test or deploy anti-ballistic missile systems or
components."
President Reagan has stressed SDI does not entail the
actual development of a defensive shield, but is a programme for research
and development. |
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| Mr Major said the
charter would help improve public
services |
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1991: Tories launch 'citizen charter'
| Artificially 1969:
The
Failing public service providers will be forced to offer customers cash
refunds or face government budget cuts, the Prime Minister announced in
his keynote speech to his party.
John Major, addressing the Conservative Central
Council in Southport, outlined plans for a "citizen's charter" to maintain
standards and improve ''every part of the public services''.
''People who depend on public services - patients,
passengers, parents, pupils, benefit claimants - all must know where they
stand and what service they have a right to expect,'' he said.
Lambasted by critics
He pledged the government would promote and extend
competition and privatisation to improve public services as well as create
new watchdogs for consumer protection, transport safety and pollution.
The "citizen's charter" has been lambasted by critics as being a clone of
policies muted by Labour and the Liberal Democrats to improve public
services.
It is one of Mr Major's 'five great principles' for
the country which include devolving power to people through, for example,
privatisation of British Coal, British Rail, and the remainder of British
Telecom.
A stable and strong economy including greater property
ownership and a wider distribution of wealth was also on Mr Major's
blueprint for Britain along with a pledge to fight for the country's
interests from within Europe.
The fifth principle, however, described Conservatives
as the unionist party, "drawing together in partnership the rich
traditions of four great nations".
The Prime Minister's speech, trailed as his most
important domestic statement since succeeding Mrs Thatcher last November,
has aroused Opposition criticism branding it vacuous and without purpose.
But it was an important speech for the new prime
minister who is forced to appeal to Thatcherite supporters but also carve
a new philosophy for himself and the party.
His outline of a party manifesto, and relentless
criticism of Opposition parties, has led many political observers to
predict the prime minister could be planning to call a General Election
within months. |
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| Vocabulary:
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deterrent: something that
deters（威懾）
lambaste : To scold sharply;
berate（嚴責，訓斥）
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