The first point to note is that this was a defeat inflicted primarily because Lib Dem peers rebelled or abstained - their normally solid voting bloc split into 39 voting with the government, 26 against and 26 not voting.

BBC: A bad omen for ministers

The nine or ten others were roughly split between voting McCain or sitting it out.

NEWYORKER: The Hardest Vote

Institutional Shareholder Services said it supports a split and recommended against voting for three directors.

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Belgian political parties divided along French- and Dutch-speaking lines four decades ago, and most voting districts are split the same way.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

The MIT study does show that American voters, however, are deeply split on Democrat proposals to make voting and voter registration easier.

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Last year it failed to get passed with just 40% voting in favor of the split.

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And the crossbenchers, often a key factor in government defeats, split more or less evenly on this occasion, with 41 voting with the government and 38 against.

BBC: A bad omen for ministers

Having turned Florida Republican in 1992 by voting for George Bush by a margin of two to one, the Cuban-Americans roughly split their vote between the parties in 1996.

ECONOMIST: All about a boy

The SEC commissioners reportedly split down party lines in approving the Goldman charges, with three Democrat appointees led by Chairman Mary Schapiro voting in favor and the two Republican appointees voting against, perhaps enough of a smoking gun for Issa.

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