But the impact of the EU’s unexpected budget invoice is not just financial, for it has arrived at a time when the anti-EU, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) is riding high in opinion polls. The episode reveals the arbitrary nature of EU budget setting, which puts the EU itself in a bad light – and could be the last straw for Britain’s EU membership.
伦敦—17亿英镑对英国政府来说是一大笔钱，因此拿出来需要仔细考虑吗？当它以欧盟预算要求的形式突然出现时是的。但欧盟出人意料的账单不仅仅是金融上的，因为它的到来正逢反欧盟的英国独立党（United Kingdom Independence Party）在民调中狂飙突进之时。这一事件彰显出欧盟预算规定有多么任性（arbitrary），这将陷欧盟自身于极其不利的境地，也很可能成为英国退出欧盟的最后一根稻草。