Premier Dalton McGuinty must wish sometimes that he could seek re-election next

year somewhere else than Ontario.

The Liberal premier has difficulty gaining much of a lead in the polls over his relatively new Progressive Conservative challenger, John Tory, but he has developed an unusual trait for an Ontario leader of being known and praised abroad.

A British financial magazine has named him personality of the year for help he has given industry and another publication there earlier called him a "hottie," sexy enough to win votes.

This is unusual because Ontario premiers, and politicians from any part of Canada, for that matter, rarely have been noticed outside their own jurisdictions.

Former Conservative premier Mike Harris attracted mixed reviews abroad. A British magazine dubbed him "Bomber Harris," the nickname given Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, who organized the massive air raids in the 1939-45 war that devastated many German cities and helped bring its end.

The similarity was that the premier by cutting taxes and funding left many cities with weakened services - British media have a flair for a dramatic phrase.

Harris also was recognized in the U.K. in more complimentary fashion, when its Conservatives, the successors to Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, admired his success so much they sent representatives to Ontario to study his policies and tactics, but still could not come close to dislodging Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Liberal premier David Peterson impressed powerful New York governor Mario Cuomo, often rumoured a candidate for president, to remark, "if I had that head of hair and was as young and good-looking, I would run for higher office."

But Peterson also was brought down to earth when he was introduced at a gathering of top people in the U.S. as "Premier Anderson." Few in that country, then and now, could identify any premier from Canada.

William Davis, the long-serving Conservative premier, had similarly varied reviews. He was named "North America's Transportation Man of the Year," but many wondered why.

His best-known contribution to the world of transportation had been preventing an expressway being carved through Toronto from its north to the waterfront, hoping this would make him seen as an environmentalist

Davis impressed Roy Jenkins, a senior British minister and president of the European Commission, so little he described him in his memoirs as "Joe Davis," a billiards player and household name in Britain.

Monte Kwinter, when industry minister, was welcomed warmly to the U.S. by vice-president Dan Quayle, who said "good to see you again."

But the two had not met before and the embattled Quayle may merely have felt relieved

to find anyone who seemed friendly.

Premiers can be consoled that even Canadian prime ministers have been little noticed abroad. This writer covered Canada for almost all major British newspapers for more than two decades and about the only time they got interested in a Canadian politician was when Margaret Trudeau left husband Pierre to go partying with the Rolling Stones.

Almost the only media attention Brian Mulroney got in Britain was when he visited and its media reported his attractive wife Mila had "legs as long as all of Canada."

All Britons knew about Paul Martin was a magazine there called him "Mr. Dithers" and Jean Chrétien was known mainly because he refused to allow social climbing Conrad Black to retain Canadian citizenship if he became a British lord.

The British media do not always get it right. When this writer interviewed Prince Andrew starting school near Peterborough, one paper inserted in his report a warning the prince risked being killed by bears, when he had more chance of being hit by a bus in London.

But they are more accurate in the case of McGuinty, who has given industry money.

The premier is not as famous overseas as Celine Dion or Bryan Adams, but he will find it some help in the election to remind voters that he has impressed people in far-away places.