Blair weakened Britain's influence in world, poll finds
Regional-UK, Politics, 5/21/2007

Public opinion in major western countries have an overwhelming negative view of Prime Minister Tony Blair's international legacy, largely attributed to the Iraq war, a poll conducted in France, Germany, Italy Spain, the US and UK has found.

An Financial Times - Harris poll published in the Financial Times today delivers a damning assessment of both Blair's domestic and foreign achievements since he came to office in 1997.

Overall, some 61 per cent said that the outgoing British premier had weakened or somewhat weakened Britain's role and level of influence in the world.

Only 15 per cent of UK respondents, 18 per cent of French and 22 per cent of Germans thought he had had a positive impact on foreign policy. Even in the US, with which Britain joined to invade Iraq, the figure rose to only 37 per cent.

On European policy, only 14 per cent of French respondents and 19 per cent of Germans said that Blair had a positive impact on the continent.

Domestically, the survey found that 80 per cent of Britons believed that hospitals were either no better or worse than they were a decade ago, despite government spending. This was also the view of over 60 per cent averaged in the six countries.

The most positive opinion was with regard to his government's economic record, especially among the French, who responded more favorably than Americans.

In France, 52 per cent believed Blair had a positive impact on the economy, and 53 per cent thought he has done well on employment. These ratings were almost twice as high as in the UK.

But the admiration for Britain's prosperity and low unemployment did not translate into personal support for the British premier, with only 17 per cent of French people saying they would vote for him if he were running for office in France.

Previous Stories:
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