How much do you know about United Kingdom politics [and history]

[The Mikado]

No fair counting Walpole for longest-serving PM, IMO.

I'm embarrassed I didn't know that about David Lloyd-George (no wonder Al has a soft spot for him).  By the way, people criticize the American tendency to give people "two first names," a la Ron Paul.  David Lloyd-George has 3.

[Verily]

5 - Name 3 parties, which are have MPs, outside of the three largest parties.
"Are have"? Is this a trick question?
Plaid Cymru, SNP, DUP, SDLP, SF, APNI. Anyone else?

The Greens, of course.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A good troll answer for question 26 would be Harold Wilson. Because everyone knows that Tykes don't speak English.

[Hash]

1 - Cameron, Tory

2 - House of Commons, House of Lords

3 - Ed Miliband, Labour

4 - Tories, LibDem

5 - PC, SNP, DUP, SF, SDLP, Alliance, Greenies.

6 - Brown, Labour

HISTORICAL

7 - What was the main right-wing party in Scotland until the mid-60s?
Unionist

8 - Which office gives the holder the official residence of 10 Downing Street?
First Lord of the Treasury

9 - Who was Britain's longest serving Prime Minister?
Churchill?

10 - Since 1900, which party, under which leader, won the most seats, and, which party did he represent?
Thatcher, 1983, Tories?

11 - What was Labour's official campaign song in the 1997 election?
no clue

12 - When did Labour first enter government, under which Prime Minister?
Ramsay MacDonald, no? in the 1920s?

13 - Who made up the so-called 'Gang of 4' and what did they do together?
I once knew

14 - Which Prime Minister had a trademark smoking pipe?
Harold Wilson?

DEVOLUTION

15 - Scotland. Who was the first First Minister of Scotland?
ooh... not Jack whatevsky... Donald Dewar?

16 - Scotland. Who is the only First Minister to have won a parliamentary majority?
Salmond

17 - Wales. Who's the current First Minister of Wales?
Carwyn Jones

18 - Northern Ireland. Who's the current Deputy First Minister?
Martin McGuiness

DIFFICULT

19 - What event did Tony Blair say "wasn't a day for sound bites"?
Diana's death??

20 - Name one of the four Communist MPs who were elected.
I know there was one with an Indian name.

21 - What are the other names that the Liberal Democrats have taken, in their various forms?
Whigs, Liberals, Alliance (with the SDP), Liberal and Social Democrats, LibDems

22 - Who were the five candidates in the last Labour leadership election? [Bonus: Their current offices]
EdM, DavidM, Diane Abbott, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham

23 - What was Margaret Thatcher most famous (or, you might say, infamous) for before she became the leader of her party?
being an asshole

24 - What's the literal seat of the Lord Speaker?
His constituency? Buckingham

IMPOSSIBLE

25 - What part of Westminister Palace was the House of Commons originally?
?

26 - Who was the only Prime Minister not to speak English as a first language?
I knew this. Lloyd George?

27 - What constituency did the leader of the BNP run in and who beat him, in the 2010 election?
Barking and Dagenham, some Labour person

[Хahar 🤔]

24 - What's the literal seat of the Lord Speaker?
His constituency? Buckingham

That's the Speaker, not the Lord Speaker.

[bore]

I've actually got an interesting story about the communist mp for fife ( won't name him because might ruin the quiz), he apparently saved my great uncle, when he was a boy from going to a youth prison because his family couldn't pay the fine. So my great grandmother always liked him for helping her.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Haha, yes. Labour joined the government in 1915 and even got its first cabinet minister then (Arthur Henderson).

I don't think this is the best example if you want to mock me. I've checked out, and almost everybody (Xahar comprised) made the same mistake. Most of them didn't even get the year of McDonald's cabinet right.

[MaxQue]

Haha, yes. Labour joined the government in 1915 and even got its first cabinet minister then (Arthur Henderson).

I don't think this is the best example if you want to mock me. I've checked out, and almost everybody (Xahar comprised) made the same mistake. Most of them didn't even get the year of McDonald's cabinet right.

When they had the good PM. I said HH Asquirth, if I remember well. Well, that part of UK history is very blurry to me.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I don't think this is the best example if you want to mock me. I've checked out, and almost everybody (Xahar comprised) made the same mistake. Most of them didn't even get the year of McDonald's cabinet right.

I wasn't mocking you; technically the question-setter got it wrong as well

(question ought to have been: 'when did Labour form its first government', not 'when did Labour first enter government').

[Gustaf]

The only ones I'm proud of knowing are Walpole and LLoyd George. I'm surprised by Baldwin in 1931. My money was on Blair 1997 or Campbell-Bannerman 1906.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'm surprised by Baldwin in 1931.

Outside South Wales that was a bad election of evilness.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Some questions of my own now...

Easy

1. Which party won the 1959 General Election?

2. Who was the first Leader of the Labour Party?

3. Name the constituencies of the leaders of the three largest parties in the Commons.

4. Who is the current Father of the House?


Shouldn't be so hard

5. What was the name of the constituency represented by Harold Wilson from 1950 until 1983?

6. What do Stoke-on-Trent and Bournemouth have in common?

7. Who were the following (points for each, I suppose)... Anthony Barber, Dai Grenfell, Cyril Smith, Cecil Parkinson, Billy Wolfe and Tony Crosland.

8. What connects T. Dan Smith, Andy Cunningham and Reginald Maulding? Bonus points for knowing who Cunningham was, because most people don't.

9. Only one constituency has elected members of four separate political parties since 1945. Name it.

Maybe slightly trickier. To do with candidates.

10. In which city did the Ted Dexter (captain of the England Cricket Team) unsuccessfully stand for the Conservatives in 1964? Bonus points for naming the constituency and the candidate that beat him.

11. Which future television playwright was the unsuccessful Labour candidate at East Hertfordshire in the same election? Bonus point for naming the work he wrote based on his experiences as a candidate.

12. C.B. Fry was a frequent candidate for which major political party during the inter-war period?

13. Bob Edwards was the leader of the ILP Contingent during the Spanish Civil War and later served as a Labour MP for thirty two years. To which constituency in the Black Country was he first elected for in 1955?

Fairly hard, I guess.

14. Which sleepy Cathedral City came within 51 votes of electing a Communist MP in 1922? Possible bonus points for a couple of related things.

15. Name the last Conservative MP for a Manchester constituency.

16. Who was Austin Donohue in Our Friends in the North based on? Actually this is pretty easy question if you've seen it.

17. Which Labour MP had a brief cameo in Edge of Darkness? Again, if you've seen it...

18. Who was Sir Herbert Manzoni?

19. Which future Prime Minister ordered troops to fire on striking Yorkshire miners?

20. Who was the MP for Meirionnydd when cult TV classic The Prisoner was filmed in the constituency in the late 1960s?

21. Who represented Hunslet when The Uses of Literacy was first published?

Very Important Question

22. Pronounce 'Gala' in the context of the Big Meeting.

[Phony Moderate]

Easy

1. Which party won the 1959 General Election?

Conservative Party.

2. Who was the first Leader of the Labour Party?

Keir Hardie.

3. Name the constituencies of the leaders of the three largest parties in the Commons.

Doncaster North, Sheffield Hallam, Witney.

4. Who is the current Father of the House?

Peter Tapsell.


Shouldn't be so hard

5. What was the name of the constituency represented by Harold Wilson from 1950 until 1983?

Huyton.

6. What do Stoke-on-Trent and Bournemouth have in common?

They've never elected a Liberal MP?

7. Who were the following (points for each, I suppose)... Anthony Barber, Dai Grenfell, Cyril Smith, Cecil Parkinson, Billy Wolfe and Tony Crosland.

Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Heath Government, Not Sure, famous Liberal MP for Rochdale, prominent right-wing Tory during the Thatcher and Major years, Not Sure, Home Secretary during the Callaghan Government and the author of The Future of Socialism.

8. What connects T. Dan Smith, Andy Cunningham and Reginald Maulding? Bonus points for knowing who Cunningham was, because most people don't.

All corrupt.

9. Only one constituency has elected members of four separate political parties since 1945. Name it.

Ynys Môn?

Maybe slightly trickier. To do with candidates.

10. In which city did the Ted Dexter (captain of the England Cricket Team) unsuccessfully stand for the Conservatives in 1964? Bonus points for naming the constituency and the candidate that beat him.

He was defeated by James Callaghan in one of the Cardiff seats.

11. Which future television playwright was the unsuccessful Labour candidate at East Hertfordshire in the same election? Bonus point for naming the work he wrote based on his experiences as a candidate.

Dennis Potter.

12. C.B. Fry was a frequent candidate for which major political party during the inter-war period?

Liberal Party.

13. Bob Edwards was the leader of the ILP Contingent during the Spanish Civil War and later served as a Labour MP for thirty two years. To which constituency in the Black Country was he first elected for in 1955?

This is a guess....West Bromwich West.

Fairly hard, I guess.

14. Which sleepy Cathedral City came within 51 votes of electing a Communist MP in 1922? Possible bonus points for a couple of related things.

Errrr....Glasgow?

15. Name the last Conservative MP for a Manchester constituency.

Not sure.

16. Who was Austin Donohue in Our Friends in the North based on? Actually this is pretty easy question if you've seen it.

T. Dan Smith?

17. Which Labour MP had a brief cameo in Edge of Darkness? Again, if you've seen it...

Tony Benn?

18. Who was Sir Herbert Manzoni?

Italian?

19. Which future Prime Minister ordered troops to fire on striking Yorkshire miners?

Winston Churchill.

20. Who was the MP for Meirionnydd when cult TV classic The Prisoner was filmed in the constituency in the late 1960s?

Not sure.

21. Who represented Hunslet when The Uses of Literacy was first published?

Not sure.

Very Important Question

22. Pronounce 'Gala' in the context of the Big Meeting.

Errr....

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I make that 15 out of a possible... er... variable number. Alas 'all corrupt' is true, but more detail is needed.

I don't think I've been clear enough with question six though; it's something unique to those two places. Unless I've fycked up, which is possible.

[republicanism]

Some questions of my own now...

Easy

1. Which party won the 1959 General Election?
--- Tories

2. Who was the first Leader of the Labour Party?
--- I know that one of the very first Labour MPs elected was named Keir Hardie. Let's try it.

3. Name the constituencies of the leaders of the three largest parties in the Commons.
--- Nick Clegg is either City of Durham or City of Cambridge, I think. Don't know for Miliband and Cameron.

4. Who is the current Father of the House?
--- Is that the oldest MP? That was Ian Paisley for some time I think, but he is gone. Or is it the longest serving MP? What ever, I'll try Dennis Skinner, since he is old and long-serving.

5-22. No idea. Would only be blind guessing.

[MaxQue]

Can I get a point for effort? I'm not British, I don't know so much UK.
1. Conservative?

2. MacDonald?

3. Witney, Sheffield Hallam and Basingstoke? (big doubt on the last one).

4. An old guy whose name is very unknown to me.

5. I know, because of Al in the by-election thread. Huyton. He is the only MP who represented it, as he ran in it when it was created and was abolished in the redistricting just before he retired,

6. Having decided to opt for an elected mayor then abolishing it?

7. Cyril Smith was a Liberal politician in the 70's and 80's. He was obese and died recently (last year?). He had a scandal run by a tabloid involving young guys and a paddle, if I remember well.
Dai Grenfell is Welsh I suppose, with such a first name. Labour, logically, then.
Doesn't Crosland had an important office in some Labour Cabinet?

8. They were born in Northern Ireland, but did their political career in England?

9. Somewhere in Scotland? I don't know. Or even Wales?

10. Why not Manchester?

11. I obviously don't know any television playwright.

12. Labour? I assume than if he was Liberal or Conservative, they would have found him a safe constituency.

13. Sutton Coldfield? It is the right area, at least.

14. Cathedral Cities are cities which don't have the city status but have a Cathedral. I remember only Rochester, I'll try that.

15 to 18.

19. Churchill? I remember he was pretty bad outside wartime.

20-21. I don't know.

22. Knowing Al, it must be about Wales (dubious, it would have a Welsh name) or miners. I'll try miners, so, gay-lay, with a very thick accent?

[YL]

22. Knowing Al, it must be about Wales (dubious, it would have a Welsh name) or miners. I'll try miners, so, gay-lay, with a very thick accent?

Nope, it's Durham.  I know the answer, but won't give a spoiler.

For q9, are you excluding Northern Ireland?  East Belfast seems to qualify, and West Belfast has arguably had five.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

For q9, are you excluding Northern Ireland?  East Belfast seems to qualify, and West Belfast has arguably had five.

Like adverts on television, Northern Ireland is not included.

Yeah, should have specified Great Britain.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Can I get a point for effort? I'm not British, I don't know so much UK.

Yeah, that seems fair enough.

I make it about five or so, out of a possible... some other figure.

Good answer for question six, even though it's wrong, btw.

[Hash]

Oh dear, time to get humiliated.

Easy

1. Tories?

2. Arthur Henderson?

3. Witney, Sheffield Hallam and... Doncaster something?

4. I have no idea

Shouldn't be so hard

5. no idea

6. they're cities in England, obviously...

7. I know nota

8. I know nota

9. I don't know, but I wish I did

Maybe slightly trickier. To do with candidates.

10. I would need to know who this person was first of all

11. ?

12. Labour?

13. ?

Fairly hard, I guess.

14. Westminster?

15. probably in 1983 or something I'd guess, but no clue who or where

16. ...

17. ...

18. ...

19. It seems like a stupid thing Thatcher would do, but it can't be her

20. ?

21. ?

Very Important Question

22. Gah-lah

[You kip if you want to...]

Easy

1. MacMillan's Tories

2. Keir Hardie

3. Witney, Doncaster North, Sheffield Hallam

4. Argh, I can picture him, but his name completely escapes me.


Shouldn't be so hard

5. Huyton

6. ...no idea

7. Anthony Barber - chancellor, Dai Grenfell - ?, Cyril Smith - a fat Liberal MP, Cecil Parkinson - ?, Billy Wolfe - ? and Tony Crosland - foreign secretary in (i think) Wilson's government, i think (also, maybe, 'a leader we never had' - i remember david miliband saying something about him during the Newsnight debate).

8. Some scandal

9. Either Ynys Mon or some random constituency in the Highlands probably, possibly that one above Charles Kennedy's constituency. Wyre Forest, BriPav? This is a hard one.

Maybe slightly trickier. To do with candidates.

10. don't know

11. don't know

12. The Liberals

13. don't know

Fairly hard, I guess.

14. Greenock

15. no idea...

16. T Dan Smith

17. Haven't seen it

18. I've heard the name somewhere, no idea who he is though

19. Churchill, I think. I've heard a story or two from older relatives of how he treated some of the Liverpool strikers, so I can only assume.

20. don't know

21. don't know

Very Important Question

22. gay-lar?

[minionofmidas]

1. Which party won the 1959 General Election?
Tories

2. Who was the first Leader of the Labour Party?
Keir Hardie

3. Name the constituencies of the leaders of the three largest parties in the Commons.
Sheffield Hallam for Clegg, one of the more rural South Yorkshire seats for Ed Milliband, one of those posh commuter belt area seats named for a random village for David Cameron.

4. Who is the current Father of the House?
?

Shouldn't be so hard

5. What was the name of the constituency represented by Harold Wilson from 1950 until 1983?
Knowsley, under a different name and a different set of boundaries.

6. What do Stoke-on-Trent and Bournemouth have in common?
Both are cities in England. Of roughly comparable size, and born of mergers of several towns really (Stoke more so than Bournemouth). Otherwise, nothing.

7. Who were the following (points for each, I suppose)... Anthony Barber, Dai Grenfell, Cyril Smith, Cecil Parkinson, Billy Wolfe and Tony Crosland.
I think I've heard some of the other names. Tony Crosland was a Labour bigwig in the 60s and 70s, holding numerous ministries and I think running for leader at least once.

8. What connects T. Dan Smith, Andy Cunningham and Reginald Maulding? Bonus points for knowing who Cunningham was, because most people don't.
T Dan Smith was of course Newcastle's legendary boss. Apart from that, no idea. Who is Andy Cunningham? And who is Reginald Maulding?

9. Only one constituency has elected members of four separate political parties since 1945. Name it.
Anglesey / Ynys Mon.

The next section is ridiculous.

Fairly hard, I guess.

14. Which sleepy Cathedral City came within 51 votes of electing a Communist MP in 1922? Possible bonus points for a couple of related things.
This better be Durham.

15. Name the last Conservative MP for a Manchester constituency.
Wasn't that Winston Churchill's grandson of same name?

16. Who was Austin Donohue in Our Friends in the North based on? Actually this is pretty easy question if you've seen it.
But I have not.

17. Which Labour MP had a brief cameo in Edge of Darkness? Again, if you've seen it...
?

18. Who was Sir Herbert Manzoni?
Birmingham's chief city planner (forget the job description) for decades in the postwar area. I've dutifully read what you sent me.

19. Which future Prime Minister ordered troops to fire on striking Yorkshire miners?
Winston Churchill

20. Who was the MP for Meirionnydd when cult TV classic The Prisoner was filmed in the constituency in the late 1960s?
? (To clarify: I think that's too early for the answer to be Dafydd Elis Thomas.)

21. Who represented Hunslet when The Uses of Literacy was first published?
What is "Hunslet"? What are the uses of literacy? I can't think of any.

Very Important Question

22. Pronounce 'Gala' in the context of the Big Meeting.
Ok, done. May be totally wrong, of course. We will never know, unless you have this room bugged.
I assume you are referring to the Durham Miners' Gala.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hunslet is a working class district in south Leeds, The Uses of Literacy is an extremely influential book on working class culture by Richard Hoggart (who grew up in Hunslet). It was published in 1957.

[minionofmidas]

The Uses of Literacy is an extremely influential book on working class culture by (some brit). It was published (somewhere around that).

There is a reason I didn't put any asterisks or italics on the phrase "the uses of literacy".

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Uses of Literacy is an extremely influential book on working class culture by (some brit). It was published (somewhere around that).

There is a reason I didn't put any asterisks or italics on the phrase "the uses of literacy".

Yeah, I spotted that. Just felt like giving a clue

I was originally going to ask a question about the towns in Lloyd George's constituency after 1918, but thought better of it.