Last month, they publicly rebuked Saudi Arabia, OPEC's (and the world's) leading producer, for reducing exports in August, thus causing an unpopular rise in American petrol prices.

ECONOMIST: OPEC��s oil shock | The

So, to be sure, a prime minister could not wake up one morning and decide to hold an election - but it is far from impossible to engineer such a stalemate, thus causing an election.

BBC: Farewell, Lords reform?