He would have handed out money, except that he knew it would create a mob scene.
The Traditional Courts Bill, proposed in 2012, would have handed greater judicial powers to male leaders.
The rollicking O'Driscoll would have handed out in the dressing room had an immediate effect.
In the end, Rennard ruled against such a count, which, according to reports of an unofficial check, would have handed victory to Huhne.
The Supreme Court ruled against his controversial anti-poverty bill, known as the Divineguma Act, that would have handed him sweeping, discretionary powers over banks and public funds.
Keeping to it throughout the election campaign, with unemployment still rising, would have handed the opposition a splendid stick with which to beat him.
In Senegal residents' organisations last year blocked a deal that would have handed a prime section of property in the centre of the capital, Dakar, to Chinese developers.
The Spaniard missed a short putt on the final hole that would have handed him victory, but held his nerve to eventually win on the third extra hole.
Instead, the board is lifting a £2.5m cap on another long-term bonus plan, a move which would have handed Wolfson another £1.1m this year.
A 4-4 split would have handed liberals a victory, since a tie automatically affirms the appeals court decision under review.
This was precisely because the Zambian authorities would have handed Mubanga over to the British security services, which could have saved him from rendition to Guantánamo.
