Yet none of the latter has led to prosecutions in the last decade (unless you count repeat offender Harold Nicholson, whose original 1997 sentence was extended eight years when he tried to resume spying by tasking his own son from his jail cell).

WSJ: Michelle Van Cleave: Russian Spies Haven't Gone Away

They were due to be held on 5 May 2011, but Scottish ministers heeded the advice of the Gould Report and split the Holyrood and local government elections - in order to avoid a repeat of the 2007 count fiasco.

BBC: Local government elections 2012 debate

"Every time you stop at a red light, contract your abs for a count of five and then let go and repeat, " she says.

WSJ: Before Outer Space, He Conquers Continents