Once hailed as a "new dawn" for his country, Tony Blair's premiership has been darkened by the war in Iraq, a Chinese commentator said yesterday as the British prime minister stepped down.

Blair burst onto the political stage aged 43 in 1997, becoming Britain's youngest prime minister of the 20th century - the first born after World War II and full of the energy needed to take the nation into the 21st century.

He has had his triumphs: revitalizing the Labor Party and leading it to three consecutive election victories, and brokering peace to Northern Ireland after decades of bloodshed, said Yu Sui, an expert at Beijing's Contemporary World Research Center.
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But despite his triumphs Blair's promised health and education reforms remain incomplete, while soaring house prices combined with increasing personal debt threaten to widen the divide between Britain's haves and have-nots.

And no matter what else he has accomplished, the long shadow of the Iraq War will hang over his legacy, Yu said.

Blair's decision to stand should-to-shoulder with US President George W. Bush by committing troops for the invasion has divided his party and the country, Yu said. With almost 150 British troops dead in Iraq, the war is more unpopular than ever.

His only hope for restoring some luster to his reputation would be a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process after he became a special Mideast Quartet envoy, added Yu.

The change of prime minister won't bring much change to China-UK relations, Yu said.

The pragmatic approach toward China adopted by Blair played a positive role in fostering and promoting bilateral relations, the expert said, adding that there is no reason for Gordon Brown, Blair's finance minister and successor, to make any substantial changes to the relationship.

(China Daily June 28, 2007)