The Hindu : International : "Untrustworthy,'' but still the best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 01, 2005

International

International

"Untrustworthy,'' but still the best

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: "Untrustworthy'', "slippery'', "unworthy of respect'', and a "liar'', but still more "charismatic'' than his rivals and best-suited to be Prime Minister.

That is the contradictory verdict of voters on the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as Britain's general election campaign entered its final phase on Saturday amid accusations that his Government fudged the Attorney-General's legal advice over the Iraq war.

Even as the row over the issue deepened following fresh doubts about the legality of the invasion, Mr. Blair's image as a strong and decisive leader remained unaffected — and his personal poll ratings were way ahead of the tough-talking Conservative leader, Michael Howard. Opinion polls in The Times and The Guardian indicated that despite the apparent success of the Conservatives' campaign on immigration and the Liberal Democrats' focus on Iraq, the Labour Party remained set to win a historic third term, though with a heavily-reduced majority.

The findings were seen as a snub to Mr. Howard who has been urging voters to turn the election into a referendum on Mr Blair's "character''.

"The Conservatives' aggressive campaign to impugn Mr. Blair's personal integrity is in fact fuelling a sharp rise in his popularity as the campaign goes into the final seven days,'' said The Guardian.

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