Only eight of 44 amending referendums over the past 97 years have succeeded, all on non-contentious issues.

ECONOMIST: The republican rumble down under

The Scottish Grand Committee, which had a Labour majority but operated in a House with a Tory majority, was allowed to discuss purely Scottish issues, but on non- contentious matters.

ECONOMIST: Not so swamped

Two weeks ago, the estranged brothers called off their long-running feud and scrapped a contentious non-compete agreement, setting the stage for the revival of a potential transaction.

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This last point was contentious to non-programmers but trivial to people who make computers.

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Indeed Mullah Nazir was also believed to have formed a non-aggression pact with the Pakistani government and analysts say his death could be a contentious issue between Washington and Islamabad because the Pakistani military views commanders like him as key to keeping the peace internally.

BBC: Obituary: Mullah Nazir