HE RELIES ON THEIR IDEAS, WHY NOT THEIR VOTES?:

Blair still needs Tory support, says survey (Will Woodward and Saleem Vaillancourt, March 13, 2006, The Guardian)

Ministers have persuaded, flattered and squeezed backbenchers into submission but the government is still struggling to push the education bill through the Commons without relying on Conservative support, a Guardian survey shows.

[T]he rival camps agree that at least 45 to 50 Labour MPs are ready to vote against, and more to abstain. The prime minister's working majority is 69, so the rebels need 35 votes against to force a reliance on the Conservatives. One rebel campaigner said this would leave Tony Blair running a "minority administration".

The Third Way is the majority, just spread across three parties.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 13, 2006 8:55 AM