A big political showdown is coming soon. Brace yourselves for it. The showdown will be between the democracy camp and the central government. Leaders of the democracy camp set the wheels in motion for this showdown last Sunday when they gathered outside the chief executive's office to announce details of their civil disobedience action, which will end with the Occupy Central protest. The word "showdown" is used when there is a final confrontation between two sides to settle a dispute or disagreement. For example, triad gangs often settle a dispute with a big fight. This is called a showdown.
T
he democracy camp and the central government cannot agree on what kind of democracy Hong Kong should have. The democracy camp will not budge (move away) from it's bottom line that Hong Kong people must have a genuine choice of candidates when universal suffrage for the chief executive election begins in 2017. But the central government will not budge from its bottom line that the next chief executive must be a patriot whom the Communist Party can trust. The democracy camp will use its Occupy Central protest as a final confrontation to force the central government to allow a genuine choice of candidates. This final fight is called a showdown.
The expression "brace yourselves" means to prepare yourselves. The Hong Kong Observatory always asks people to brace themselves whenever there is a typhoon. Hong Kong braces itself for typhoons by closing schools and offices. The expression "set the wheels in motion" means to take the first step to put a plan into action. If your ambition is to be a famous singer but you do not know how to sing, you must set the wheels in motion by first learning how to sing. If the democracy camp wants to have a showdown with the central government over political reforms, it must set the wheels in motion by deciding when and where to start its Occupy Central civil disobedience protest.
大型的政治終極一戰（showdown）即將來臨，你得為此作好準備（brace yourselves），這場終極大戰（showdown）將發生於民主陣營與中央政府之間。民主派的領袖在剛過去的星期日，於特首辦外公佈其公民抗命的細節，即最終會引發佔中示威的運動，啟動（set the wheels in motion）這場終極一戰（showdown）。Showdown是用以形容兩個陣營去解決糾紛或不和的最終一戰或「攤牌」。例如，黑幫通常會以大廝殺來解決糾紛，這就叫showdown。
到底香港可享有何種民主，民主派與中央政府還未能取得共識。民主派不會在底線上讓步（budge），就是二○一七年開始普選特首時，香港人必須可以名副其實地選出候選人。但中央政府也不會在底線上退讓（budge），就是下屆特首必須是一名愛國者，是共產黨所信任的。民主派會以其佔中示威，作為最後的戰鬥，迫使中央容許港人能夠名副其實地選出候選人。這最後對壘就叫showdown。
習語brace yourselves解作裝備好自己。香港天文台就常常在颱風襲港時，叫人裝備好自己（brace themselves）。香港也會為颱風作好準備（braces itself），停課和停止辦公。習語set the wheels in motion是將計劃化成行動的第一步。若你的志向是做個知名歌手，卻不懂得怎樣唱歌，你就得首先從學唱歌這方面手（set the wheels in motion）。若民主派想跟中央政府在政改上攤牌（showdown），他們就得手（set the wheels in motion）決定，何時何地去展開其公民抗命的佔中示威。
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