The valor and fortune of Aurelian at length opened the prospect of a deliverance.

That opened the prospect of a temporary solution being found now, with the promise of a more substantial deal further down the line.

By splintering the vote beyond the mainstream parties, Sunday's polls opened the prospect of new coalitions at state level in a changing German political landscape.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has opened the prospect of conceding to the Conservatives' demand for a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.