Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Snap poll: On the surprise election announcement for the U.K.

Snap poll: On the surprise election announcement for the U.K.

Rishi Sunak seems to have sensed a small window of opportunity for his party

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sprung a surprise election announcement when he revealed that the United Kingdom would head to the polls on July 4. While the incumbent (पदधारी, वर्तमान) government of the Conservative (रूढ़िवादी) Party was not required to call for (मांग करना) an election until January 2025, almost since the day Mr. Sunak entered 10 Downing Street (a street in Westminster area in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer), most polls have suggested (सुझाव देना) that his party would lose the next election by a margin of over 20%, the likes of (someone/something considered as a type) which are “usually only seen at exceptionally (असाधारण रूप से) bad moments in the midterm (मध्यावधि, कार्यकाल का मध्य)”. It is possible that Mr. Sunak and his team seized upon the political capital (राजनीतिक पूंजी) that may accrue (to receive something gradually over a period of time; accumulate, gather, build up, be added) to them from the recent announcement that the U.K.’s inflation (मुद्रा स्फ़ीति) rate has dropped (decrease, decline, sink, slump, plunge, plummet) to 2.3%, the lowest in at least three years. There might have been a few other factors including a positive assessment of Mr. Sunak’s cabinet in steadying the economic ship in the post-COVID-19 scenario (परिदृश्य, पृष्ठभूमि), and a legal victory securing (protect, guard, shield, assure, confirm) the government’s plans to implement immigration (अप्रवासन) reforms that will see some asylum seekers (someone seeking a foreign country to provide protection to him/her who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to fear of persecution (harm, harassment or oppression); displaced person, exile, outcast) sent to Rwanda to have their applications processed there.

While it is true that polls suggest (सुझाव देना) voter frustration (निराशा) at the end of 14 unbroken (consecutive, continuous) years of rule by the Conservative Party, Mr. Sunak’s comment that this election will take place at a time where the world is “more dangerous than it has been at any point since the end of the Cold War (शीत युद्ध)”, is not without merit (योग्यता). Indeed (वास्तव में), the denouement (the end result of a situation; the very end of a story; outcome, consequence, end result, ending, climax) of the long-drawn (lengthy, extended, continuing, protracted, prolonged, persisting, lingering) Russian invasion (आक्रमण) of Ukraine could make or break (cause something to succeed or fail) the security paradigm (a model or pattern of something; example, prototype, standard, criterion) for Europe and the U.K., including not only serious questions regarding territorial sovereignty (jurisdiction, supremacy, authority, control, power) on the eastern front but also energy security (the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. Energy security has many aspects: long-term energy security mainly deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs. On the other hand, short-term energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance) with knock-on effects for prospects (chances, possibilities, expectations, outlook, future) for economic stability (it refers to a situation where all the essential economic resources of a country are available to its citizens, and no economic swings interrupt their daily lives. It helps achieve macroeconomic objectives like reducing unemployment, balance payments, price stability, and sustainable economic growth). Similarly, the churn (disorder/disorganization, confusion, disruption/chaos) in West Asia, including the humanitarian tragedy (humanitarian disaster/crisis; it is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area) unfolding (develop, evolve, happen, occur, transpire, emerge) in Gaza (a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt) and the strategic (relating to achieving long-term or overall goals) churn punctuated (happen or occur (at intervals)) by the threat of war in the Iran imbroglio (confused/complicated situation; difficulty/predicament), will have echoes (reverberation, reflection, reiteration, repetition) throughout the region and certainly for the U.K. Finally, it is unclear that even with the Rwanda plan (On 14 April 2022, the UK government announced that it was going to send certain people seeking asylum in the UK to the Republic of Rwanda, where the Rwandan government would decide their asylum claims. If their claims were successful, they would be granted asylum in Rwanda, not the UK. This was to address increasing numbers of people reaching the UK without authorisation by crossing the English Channel in small boats) receiving a legal green light (authorization, permission, approval, assent, consent), the Sunak government has been able to have a tangible (real, actual, solid, concrete, substantial, well defined) impact on small boat crossings at a broad level. Contrarily (conversely, to the contrary, on the contrary, if anything, otherwise, in another way), government statistics indicate that even though such arrivals dropped by around 33% during 2022 and 2023, boat crossings for 2024 are at a “record high” by comparison, and between January 1 and May 21 of this year more than 9,800 people crossed the U.K.’s border through such means (method, manner, way, technique, procedure). In this context (circumstance, condition, situation, scenario, background, backdrop), his remark that the Labour Party would want people to think “this election is over before it’s even begun” might not be wrong, but he and his colleagues would do well to ask where the opposition’s confidence in this regard (on this point, in relation/connection to something mentioned earlier) stems from.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.incumbent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पदधारी, वर्तमान
English Meaning - current, existing, present (holder, bearer or occupant of an office).

2.Conservative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रूढ़िवादी
English Meaning - (in a political context) right-wing, Tory (UK).

3.call for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - मांग करना
English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

4.suggest (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुझाव देना
English Meaning - indicate, denote, point to, signify.

5.exceptionally (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - असाधारण रूप से
English Meaning - unusually, uncommonly, abnormally, unexpectedly.

6.midterm (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मध्यावधि, कार्यकाल का मध्य
English Meaning - the middle of a period of office.

7.political capital (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राजनीतिक पूंजी
English Meaning - the advantage over a political opponent that you can get from a particular situation; public/popular support.

8.inflation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुद्रा स्फ़ीति
English Meaning - simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.

9.scenario (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिदृश्य, पृष्ठभूमि
English Meaning - situation, setting, background, context.

10.immigration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अप्रवासन
English Meaning - the act of leaving one’s countries and moving to another country of which they are not natives, nor citizens, to settle or reside there, especially as permanent residents or naturalized citizens.

11.frustration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निराशा
English Meaning - annoyance, irritation, vexation, exasperation, displeasure, dismay, disappointment, embarrassment, humiliation.

12.the Cold War (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शीत युद्ध
English Meaning - The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States and a group of countries) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and a group of countries).

13.merit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - योग्यता
English Meaning - strong point, good point.

14.indeed (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - वास्तव में
English Meaning - in fact, actually.

15.invasion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आक्रमण
English Meaning - attack, assault, onslaught, raid, act of war, incursion, offensive.

16.snap poll (noun)

English Meaning - an unexpected & sudden (early) poll/election in a parliamentary system that is called before the due date by the ruling party for some political purpose.

17.sense (verb)

English Meaning - observe, notice, recognise, identify, realize, see.

18.window of opportunity (noun)

English Meaning - a short period of time in which one has a chance to do/achieve something; chance, lucky chance, good time, golden opportunity, suitable time/moment, opportune occasion.

19.spring a surprise (phrase)

English Meaning - to do something that is not expected (or surprising).

20.Conservative Party/Tory Party (noun)

English Meaning - this is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party which is traditionally left-wing.

21.Downing Street (noun)

English Meaning - a street in Westminster area in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

22.the likes of (phrase)

English Meaning - someone/something considered as a type.

23.seize upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to take an opportunity/chance decisively.

24.accrue (verb)

English Meaning - to receive something gradually over a period of time; accumulate, gather, build up, be added.

25.drop (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, decline, sink, slump, plunge, plummet.

26.steady the ship (phrase)

English Meaning - to bring under control.

27.secure (verb)

English Meaning - protect, guard, shield, assure, confirm.

28.asylum seeker (noun)

English Meaning - someone seeking a foreign country to provide protection to him/her who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to fear of persecution (harm, harassment or oppression); displaced person, exile, outcast.

29.unbroken (adjective)

English Meaning - consecutive, continuous.

30.denouement (noun)

English Meaning - the end result of a situation; the very end of a story; outcome, consequence, end result, ending, climax.

31.long-drawn (adjective)

English Meaning - lengthy, extended, continuing, protracted, prolonged, persisting, lingering.

32.make or break (phrase)

English Meaning - cause something to succeed or fail.

33.paradigm (noun)

English Meaning - a model or pattern of something; example, prototype, standard, criterion.

34.sovereignty (noun)

English Meaning - jurisdiction, supremacy, authority, control, power.

35.energy security (noun)

English Meaning - the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. Energy security has many aspects: long-term energy security mainly deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs. On the other hand, short-term energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance.

36.ripple effect/domino effect/knock-on effect (noun)

English Meaning - an event (or a process/action) that causes several other events to happen indirectly one after the other; secondary/indirect effect, consequence/implication, chain of events.

37.prospects (noun)

English Meaning - chances, possibilities, expectations, outlook, future.

38.economic stability (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to a situation where all the essential economic resources of a country are available to its citizens, and no economic swings interrupt their daily lives. It helps achieve macroeconomic objectives like reducing unemployment, balance payments, price stability, and sustainable economic growth.

39.stability (noun)

English Meaning - steadiness, firmness, solidity, secureness, strength.

40.churn (noun)

English Meaning - disorder/disorganization, confusion, disruption/chaos.

41.humanitarian (adjective)

English Meaning - compassionate, humane socially concerned, welfare.

42.humanitarian tragedy (noun)

English Meaning - humanitarian disaster/crisis; it is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area.

43.unfold (verb)

English Meaning - develop, evolve, happen, occur, transpire, emerge.

44.Gaza (noun)

English Meaning - a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.

45.strategic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.

46.punctuate (verb)

English Meaning - happen or occur (at intervals).

47.imbroglio (noun)

English Meaning - confused/complicated situation; difficulty/predicament.

48.echo (noun)

English Meaning - reverberation, reflection, reiteration, repetition.

49.Rwanda plan (noun)

English Meaning - On 14 April 2022, the UK government announced that it was going to send certain people seeking asylum in the UK to the Republic of Rwanda, where the Rwandan government would decide their asylum claims. If their claims were successful, they would be granted asylum in Rwanda, not the UK. This was to address increasing numbers of people reaching the UK without authorisation by crossing the English Channel in small boats.

50.green light/green lighting (noun)

English Meaning - authorization, permission, approval, assent, consent.

51.tangible (adjective)

English Meaning - real, actual, solid, concrete, substantial, well defined.

52.contrarily (adverb)

English Meaning - conversely, to the contrary, on the contrary, if anything, otherwise, in another way.

53.by/in comparison (phrase)

English Meaning - when compared.

54.means (noun)

English Meaning - method, manner, way, technique, procedure.

55.context (noun)

English Meaning - circumstance, condition, situation, scenario, background, backdrop.