那天，是金馬倫成為自1812年起唐寧街十號最年輕的主人後一天，紐約的SHERRY在其網上專欄裏談到英國政權交替如何漂亮。這位快要成為別人母親的香港女生寫道：

英國換首相，那套儀式是說不出的好看。沒有眼淚，沒有辱罵，沒有力歇聲嘶，沒有憤憤不平，沒有趾高氣揚。輸的好看，嬴的謙虛，一切都是平平和和。這套儀式，用了很多年，也不是年年看得到，所以有機會看到便要金晴火眼的盯著，看英國人如何表現他們的民族氣質。

這教我想起前英國首相HAROLD WILSON在其回憶錄裏，對自己帶領在野工黨贏得大選後的描寫。以下是一些節錄：

As soon as the figure of 316 seats are reached, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who until then had rightly refused to concede defeat, asked for an Audience of the Queen and tendered the resignation of his Government. I was told to stand by. A Palace car would be sent for me.

No. 10, imperturbable as ever, had made all the necessary arrangements for a change of Government. Herbert Bowden, our Chief Whip in Opposition, had been told the previous evening, before polling ended, what I must do......

On arrival at the Palace, I was conducted to the Queen's private apartment. She simply asked me if I could form an Administration. Exactly a year earlier, Sir Alec Douglas-Home......had answered the same question......

I then left for No. 10 in the official car......After saying a few words to press and television reporters on the steps of No. 10, I went along that long corridor from the front door to the Cabinet Room......I was greeted as Prime Minister by Sir Alec Douglas-Home's private secretary, as I still regarded him. Sir Alec, meanwhile, had disappeared through the back door quietly.

政權交替，本來就應該是這樣的。

讀了SHERRY的文章後，我抄錄了《泰晤士報》在保守黨跟自由民主黨成功合組政府後首篇社評的一段來回應：

“Gordon Brown gave a valedictory address in Downing Street of genuine grace and generosity that was returned in kind by Mr Cameron. The passing of power in a democracy is a strangely beautiful thing, a reminder that, for all its anxieties, this is a civilised nation, one that, in the words of the Prime Minister, may yet have its best days ahead of it.

…It is the way things are in this country and there are moments when we should pause and be thankful for that.”

How long will we need to wait so that the people in China can say the same? Not in next decades. Unfortunately.

的確，究竟還要等多久，中國人才能講出同樣的說話呢？

不過，要和平交替政權前，也許，還要來一次壯烈的政權交替，我們中國人才能夠走上一條康莊大道。