N48 : Forty-eighth lesson S00-TITLE : On the hustings S01 : I'm the Alternative Party candidate for the borough council elections. May I come in for a chat? S02 : By all means. Go through into the front room and meet my flatmates. S03 : I'm standing so that we can have a say in who runs our city, and your vote really counts. S04 : My party, which I joined two years ago, wants to lower taxes and cut back spending on education and healthcare. S05 : Forget it. A policy like that hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of being adopted. S06 : But the party that I represent will put more money back into your pocket and let you choose how to spend it. S07 : You'll have noticed that Tory activists are thin on the ground because they reckon they've got this thing sewn up. S08 : Borough elections are usually fought on local issues like rubbish collection, street lighting and what have you. S09 : But, if we do our damnedest, we can turn this one into a confidence vote on the whole government. S10 : And, with a bit of luck, we'll force the prime minister to go to the country. S11 : Of course, everything will depend on getting a good turnout, which is why I am here. S12 : But your last term of office was - and I mean this in the nicest possible way - a total disaster. S13 : Hang on, that's unfair. I assure you we did everything we could to ensure that all went well. S14 : But it was the bureaucracy that was our undoing: we got tied up in Westminster red tape. S15 : You're missing the point. Your lot had your chance and you blew it. End of story. S16 : If you don't mind my saying so, I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. S17 : I'll admit we had a few setbacks, but all in all we didn't do too badly. S18 : No offence intended, but you're like all politicians: someone who promises to build a bridge even when there's no river. S19 : What ever makes you say such a thing? I think I'd better leave, don't you? T00-TRANSLATE : Exercise: Translate T01 : The bankers thought that the deal was sewed up, but they were badly mistaken. T02 : I hate expressions like "and what have you" and "etcetera etcetera": they're so vague! T03 : The embarrassingly low levels of voter turnout are a cause of concern. T04 : It's just a minor offence: don't make a mountain out of a molehill. T05 : Forget it: she hasn't got a snowball's chance of being elected president.