And the former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has renewed his attack on the government over family policy.

BBC: Parties in fight over the family

Under his presidency, the divide between the conservative and liberal elements of the US government has grown wider, not narrower.

FORBES: BREAKING NEWS��A Series of Excerpts from A Powerful New Book

But Mr Aznar's reliance on conservative regional parties, both Basque and Catalan, to prop up his government in Madrid has a worrying price.

ECONOMIST: Spain

Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, who runs Conservative-held Kent County Council and also chairs the bipartisan Local Government Association, says his council has to provide the government with information on over a thousand performance indicators.

ECONOMIST: Local democracy

Whether on tactical or moral grounds, Mr Ahern has privately told the pro-referendum camp, including four conservative independents who usually vote with his government, of his understanding and sympathy.

ECONOMIST: Ireland’s sad and confusing secret | The