When Tony Blair swept to power in 1997, he was widely welcomed throughout Europe as the most pro-European British Prime Minister since Edward Heath a quarter of a century earlier. He spoke French and seemed at ease with Britain’s neighbors across the Channel; more importantly, he seemed to sympathize with European integration.
没有任何一个欧盟领导国家会对英国对这一问题的看法感兴趣。自托尼·布莱尔1997年掌权以来，他在欧洲大受欢迎，成为自约二十五年前英国首相Edward Heath之后最为亲欧的英国首相。他说法语，看起来和英国海峡两岸的邻里都相处融洽；更为重要的是，他看起来认同支持欧洲整合。但是八年之后，欧洲看得更明白了。