Mr Osborne was also able to reach a compromise between the Lib Dem demand for a sharp rise in capital-gains tax and the strident opposition among many Tories to such a move.

ECONOMIST: Britain's emergency budget

Researchers in the field fear, though, that despite being much smaller than existing, inadvertent changes, their experiments will nevertheless become a focus for strident opposition unless there is a clear and respectable system of regulation.

ECONOMIST: Geoengineering

This is the result of increasingly strident West German opposition to replacement of the obsolescing Lance.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Public opposition has been strident, and so far most telcos have backed down.

CNN: With a Little Help From a Foe

And with recalcitrant Republicans vocal in their opposition, the Democrats, too, became more strident.

CNN: Epic failure by Washington sets us adrift

On his way up the political pole he clashed with Margaret Thatcher over (among many things) industrial policy and opposition to Europe, upset the generals over defence cuts, and appalled the Left with a strident campaign against the CND anti-nuclear group.

BBC: Lord Heseltine: a man with lots of 'baggage'

The opposition United Democratic Party, through its newspaper Amandala has been silent about the Belize Telecom controversy and strident in its attacks on Godfrey, who owns a bank that competes with Ashcroft's Belize Bank.

FORBES: Do As I Say