He has been able to get into bed with Mr Blair because in most seats where the Lib Dems have good chances they are fighting the Tories, and therefore an alliance with Labour is helpful.

ECONOMIST: Local elections

After his party's meeting with Dr Reid, Alliance leader Sean Neeson said the Good Friday Agreement could be saved if all of the parties had the will.

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Rob Bookman, counsel for the New York City Hospitality Alliance, said Ms. Quinn "did a really good job in coming up with a bill that is more palatable" to the business community.

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Leading a global alliance of good against evil might strike him as a worthier challenge than running Britain, what with its tedious political conferences at seaside resorts, and its carping about trains.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

Many of the central elements of the Good Friday Agreement, such as a local assembly with shared responsibility between the two communities, have been Alliance policy for years.

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