Prime Minister Tony Blair has a cup of tea during a discussion with health experts about future funding for the NHS at the 'Kings Fund' in London in April 2005. (AFP)

A coffee mug held by Prime Minister Tony Blair during a newspaper interview proved to be an appropriate prop to drive homehis message about staying in power.

Speaking with The Times at his country retreat outside London, Blair defied growing pressure to set a date for his departure from office while holding a blue-and-white mug bearing the characteristics of his name, Anthony.

"Anthony, your refined inner voice drives your thoughts and deeds," it read on one side.

"You're a man who's in charge others follow your lead. You possess great depth and have a passionate mind. Others think you're influential and kind."

The other side includes more quirkyand perhaps less flattering details.

The animal associated with Anthony is the Marabou, which is a large African stork which scavenges for food. This plant associated with his name is garlic and the color is yellow.

The name's Latin origin means "priceless one", according to the words on the mug. Commentators saw it perhaps as a warning to critics that he is irreplaceable.

Under the rubric personality, Anthony is described as "humble and private, you view the world through a dreamy and reflective lens."

In the interview, Blair warned that if the party kept talking about a change in leadership, people would think the government was paralyzed and had run out of steam.

Blair promised after his party won an uprecedented third election in May 2005 that he would step down before the next general election, which must take place no later than in 2010.

His pledge has fueled endless speculation about his plans, prompting him to say in May that he would give ample time to his chosen successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, to settle in before the next general election.

(Agencies)

英国首相布莱尔在接受一家报纸采访时拿的咖啡杯成了他不想卸任的最好证据。

布莱尔在位于伦敦郊外的住处接受了《泰晤士报》的此次采访，采访中，布莱尔仍然拒绝透露自己的离职时间表，同时，他手里还拿了一个蓝白相间的杯子，上面写着他的名字--Anthony（Tony是Anthony的昵称）。

杯子的一面上写道：“安东尼，你高尚的内心愿望左右着你的言行。”

“你是一个有领导能力的人。你很深刻，并拥有一颗充满热情的心。别人都认为你是个有影响力的人物，而且又颇具亲和力。”

杯子的另外一面写着一些更奇怪的文字，但其中的吹捧成分可能少些。

杯子上与“安东尼”相伴的动物是鹳，是生长在非洲的一种体积庞大的食腐动物。而与"安东尼"相伴的植物则是黄色的大蒜。

从杯子上的文字了解到，Anthony起源于拉丁语，意思是"无价之宝"。一些评论家们认为这是布莱尔在向公众提示：他是不可取代的。

在红色的名字下面，还有一段这样的描述“你谦逊而低调，你用一种平和而爱思考的心态对待这个世界”。

布莱尔在采访中说，如果工党一直盯着换任的问题不放，英国民众会觉得政府已经瘫痪、丧失了执政能力。

2005年5月，工党在大选中第三次成功当政后，布莱尔承诺自己将在2010年下届大选前离职。

他的许诺引起了关于他离职计划的各种猜测，这使得布莱尔不得不在5月份做出回应，他说，他会让他的继任者--现任财务大臣戈登·布朗在下届大选前有充分的时间做好接任准备。

Vocabulary:

drive home:使人理解；让人明白（如：You must drive it to John that we don't have enough money.你必须让约翰明白我们的钱确实不够。）

quirky:wierd（古怪的；离奇的）

run out of steam:失去势头；此处指“丧失执政能力”