Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 January 21

= January 21 =

Do any legislatures ever vote roughly in order of increasing likelihood of aye or nay or whichever the opposition or government wants?
2. Is there any legislature where members typically abstain unless they're willing and able to possibly affect the outcome so when they want to abstain for fencesitting/preventing people from disliking your vote selfish reasons it doesn't look as bad? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 15:11, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * I've never heard of such a thing. Can you show us where you read or heard about this concept, so we can further help you find more information about it?  -- Jayron 32 15:20, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I'm a little unclear as well. Do you mean something as described at active abstention? Or maybe something like what's described at Election boycott (though that seems more focused on general elections rather than voting within a legislative body). Matt Deres (talk) 16:19, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, there is a UK MP who has refused to vote on the Brexit debacle and has abstained in every vote so far, specifically so that she will not lose votes by having chosen the "wrong" side. Thanks.  Anton 81.131.40.58 (talk) 08:52, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * That makes sense. Do chambers ever go overboard with it though? I'm not sure how a cartel of "abstain unless X is uncontroversial among potential you-voters" (maybe even also abstain if X can't win or more than half of legislators and constituencies desire X more than you) could develop but if it exists I'd like to find out. And 1. would be voting on a bill in approximate order of desire for yea or nay, instead of some form of alphabetical. Is this done anywhere? Like picking teams in gym class. If the bill was say alcohol prohibition and there was an evangelical Protestant party they might vote first and the Libertarian party last. If it even gets to them, the bill sponsors could just resign by then right or there could be a rule that votes end when either yea or nay is mathematically eliminated? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 05:19, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

Dictionary of Irish Biography
Is here. Does anyone have access? —— SN  54129  15:19, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * WP:REX may be a better place to ask. -- Jayron 32 15:19, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Been there/done that. No joy! Cheers, ——  SN  54129  15:37, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Looks like San Francisco Public Library has a print copy (for use on premises) and an online subscription (accessible by library card holders). If they have it, other large libraries probably also have it.  I'm surprise RX couldn't help.  Is there a particular article you want? 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:4FFF (talk) 18:22, 21 January 2020 (UTC)
 * H'mmm think that's a different one I'm afraid: that's from the 80s whereas this was published c. 200X. ——  SN  54129  00:39, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * 200X? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:06, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * The X is a placeholder, meaning "sometime in the 2000s". --Viennese Waltz 09:21, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Meaning "2000 - 2009"? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:07, 22 January 2020 (UTC)

It looks to me like SFPL has several print copies from different years, plus a subscription to the online service. In the right hand column of the search results, it is listed under "Articles and databases". 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:4FFF (talk) 20:55, 22 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks everyone! Except VXfC of course. Yes, the print edition was publishe 2018 (even later than I thought, apologies), whereas the one mentioned above from the 80s, well, is not. So, has anyone got as buscruiption to the SFPL, by any chance? ——  SN  54129  16:50, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * VXFC is not editing this thread; unless you mean 2601:648 above; that IP user is not editing from the same continent as VXFC. Unrelated user.  -- Jayron 32 17:15, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * No, this was VXfc, posted but sacked earlier by VienneseWaltz. ——  SN  54129  20:01, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * SFPL doesn't have subscriptions--it is a library and you can access its databases if you have an SFPL library card, available to any California resident. If you're not in California you might be able to access the Irish dictionary db through your own local library.  Again you might ask at WP:REX and mention that the resource you want is available through (at least some) online library subscriptions including SFPL.  If there's a particular thing you want, I can try to look it up for you, but it probably isn't good for me to paste a whole article and I don't have access to WP's email system. 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:4FFF (talk) 19:39, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Cheers, .4FFF, I'd appreciate it if you could. It seems to be as rare as rocking horse shit, tbh. ——  SN  54129  12:15, 24 January 2020 (UTC)
 * What article do you want? 2601:648:8202:96B0:0:0:0:4FFF (talk) 04:22, 25 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Well, Dominic McGlinchey if possible. And I know someone else wants Michael Davitt :)  if you can help, i'll be happy to buy you a beer or five. Although this would be more apt...  ——  SN  54129  18:56, 25 January 2020 (UTC)