BRUSSELS -- Europe's most successful, charismatic and internationally recognized center-left leader steps down Wednesday, but there will be little mourning for British premier Tony Blair in London and most continental capitals. An opinion poll carried out for the Financial Times newspaper last week reveals just how divisive a figure Blair remains. Asked whether he would make a good first president of the European Union -- a post created at a June 21-23 EU summit in Brussels -- 64 percent of Germans, 60 percent of Britons and 53 percent of French respondents said nein/no/non. Few Europeans would deny that Blair oozes charm, bubbles with energy and is one of the last great orators on the EU stage. But many on the continent also regard the former Labour leader, who handed over the reins of the party to finance minister Gordon Brown Sunday, as a politician who promised so much on Europe but delivered so little.
Tony Blair’s Legacy: The View From Europe’s Contintental Capitals
