Moreover, unlike Mr Gingrich, he has the benefit of knowing what happened after Mr Gingrich pushed his luck and led his party over a cliff.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

The serious point is that the prime minister's biggest stroke of luck has been the discombobulation of the party that opposes him.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

Tony Blair and the Labour Party can hardly believe their luck.

ECONOMIST: Tory leadership

Ever since that time, the Bush team has insisted that what happened was more good luck than hard work, that the party came to him.

CNN: Who chose George?

The Green Party held a pot-luck supper.

ECONOMIST: Seattle comes to Washington | The

But perhaps his luck changed after last week's Conservative party conference.

BBC: I'm on a train: the Welsh secretary tweets home

He'll need a divided Democratic Party, a Green Party nominee and a good deal of luck to be competitive next year.

CNN: New Mexico's 3rd District: Color It Republican Green

Obama may well have some questionable views, but if the alleged good guys in the Republican Party do their job, lots of luck to Obama when it comes to foisting his worldview on all of us.

FORBES: Documentary Review: Dinesh D'Souza Unsuccessfully Reaches With 2016

With luck the consensus-seeking Mr Simitis will now secure the party leadership and, with some able young technocrats already running key ministries, will help Greece shed the worst of his predecessor's legacy.

ECONOMIST: From the archive