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UK Election Quiz
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02-05-2005 10:59pm#1
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Doubt it but I'll pay my tuppence anyway, wanted to give others a go before I tossed in red herrings everywhere and got them wrong anyway.Victor wrote:I await sceptre's answers, but still wonder will he get them right.
1. What is the maximum number of years there can be between general elections?
However long parliament wants it to be. Since the Parliament Act of 1911 it's ben set at five years with an exception during WW2 where they knocked it up to ten. A simple Act of Parliament could keep Labour in power until they lose a bagload of by-elections some time in the next decade as no Act of a previous parliament can bind a future one. I'll go with "infinity" then.
2. What is the third largest grouping in Parliament?
May be a trick question ("Parliament as opposed to "Commons") but Liberal Democrats if it's just Commons. Plaid Cymru and the SNP make up the fourth-largest grouping. If near-200 Lords cross-benchers can be regarded as such as they're technically a grouping, it's them (if they count as an actual grouping there are about 180 of them compared to 50-odd LD Commmons members and 70-odd LD Lords members so they'd have 60ish more). (edit: I realise the Tories have under 170 MPs but they've barely got more Lords than Labour so they're still second)
I'll go for the cross-benchers just to be contrary.
3. What geographical factor largely dictates likely Conservative seats?
Traditionally the Conservatives have done well in the beautiful south while Labour have done well in the harsh north and wet Scotland. It's a general rule that's stood while coal miners and dockers have changed sides and while working class inner city dwellers have voted for Thatcher and trendy yuppies have voted Blair. There's probably a more complicated answer involving people with over two thousand acres but I didn't really understand the question.
4. Who leads the fourth largest party in the House of Commons?
Ian Paisley
5. What is the (edit: currently) oldest legislative assembly in the British Isles?
The Tynwald's been about since at least 979. Probably longer. One could make a case for the current Westminster parliament bring the natural successor of the Witenagemot through the curia regis but in any case there was some interrupted service there. I'm assuming "continuous".
6. If the (theoretical) result on Friday is:
Labour - 206
Conservative - 350
Liberal Democrat - 50
Others & Independent -40
Who is Prime Minister on Saturday?
Whoever the Queen chooses to invite for tea, crumpets and hand-kissing on Friday. UK Prime Ministers are invited/appointed to form the monarch's government, not elected. Blair would have resigned by then (probably - Heath didn't when he lost the 74 election) but she could invite anyone from the Commons or Lords (Alec Douglas-Home resigned from the Lords to become PM in 63) she reckons will have the support of a majority in parliamentand be able to maintain that support. If she doesn't invite anyone to tea until Monday and Tony's resigned there isn't anyone on Saturday AFAIK, I've no idea whether he gets to do a Haughey'89 in the interim or not. For practical purposes, Michael Howard would be polishing his head and practising his conversation over a cup of Assam. Theoretically Tony could ask for a dissolution ten minutes after losing the election but the Lascelles Principles would come into play and Liz mign't want him for tea any more then. Note to Howard: you're not actually required to kiss her hands these days. She got embarrassed when a few people didn't know that.
Short answer: anyone with good support as long as the Queen likes the cut of their jib depending on when the invite comes.
7. What is the voting age?
18. You can register when you're 16 but don't get to spoil your vote till you're 18.
8. How many parliaments are there in the UK?
Two. The UK one and the Scottish one. Wales and Northern Ireland both have assemblies, with permanent holidays for one of those lately.
Three if you choose to recognise the Cornish Stannary Parliament - the office of Stannator is apparently recognised and the parliament has the right to veto any Westminster legislation under Henry VII's Charter of Pardon but the current supposedly revived parliament is not and has not as it needs to be a local parliament elected by local people of the Stannary Towns according to the Home Office IIRC. Two then unless you wanted three and if I guessed the third correctly. The Isle of Man isn't part of the UK, nor are the Channel Islands.
9. How many seats do the Conservative hold outside England?
It's just Peter Duncan in Galloway and Upper whatsit, innit? Obviously Duncan is chair of the Scottish Con and Un Party but he's still signs in with a regular blue pen. The SNP are preparing to hire a bus to carry 75 extra people to the ballots so it might be a solid zero again by the weekend.
10. What is the minimum age for candidates?
21 years.0 -
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A Dub in Glasgo wrote:Anyone can come up with that having nearly 22 hours to research it
banned. How dare you have the temerity to besmirch a mods good name.
We finished with this thread? Victor you can respond to clarify the correct answers if you wish. Otherwise thread getting locked.0 -
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Ah, bah humbug! Can we run it until Thursday night?uberwolf wrote:We finished with this thread? Victor you can respond to clarify the correct answers if you wish. Otherwise thread getting locked.
And Sceptre is in the running. 0 -
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Victor wrote:
And Sceptre is in the running.
am I to take it that he's not on 10/10 so? Cos I was only closing it on the premise that he'd got them all right, and seeing as I'd spammed the thread I had to make it look like I meant business
Sceptre - you're fired, showing the team up like that
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1. What is the maximum number of years there can be between general elections?
The law is currently 5 years plus the time to organize the new parliament (in 1918 this took 52 days), so my answer is 5+ years. Reference to wars, etc. are largely irrelevant, the basic statute is the Septennial Act 1715.
In practice it has been somewhat less than 5 years recently to allow a particular date be picked, but that is merely a matter of convenience and for tactical considerations.
Page 10 http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2004/rp04-038.pdf
2. What is the third largest grouping in Parliament?
"Grouping" and "Parliament" were picked deliberately here and the answer is the Cross Benchers. The Cross Benchers are independent members of the House of Lords who cooperate in administrative issues, but vote independently.
http://www.crossbenchpeers.org.uk/
3. What geographical factor largely dictates likely Conservative seats?
Conservative seats are largely rural and almost exclusively in England (excluding Cornwall). The North / South argument doesn’t quite hold water within England.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/flash_map/html/map01.stm
4. Who leads the fourth largest party in the House of Commons?
Ian Paisley, MP. "Party" was chosen deliberately.
http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/stateparties.cfm
Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are listed together, but this seem to be out of tactical strategy / cooperation. They are separate parties.
5. What is the (edit: currently) oldest legislative assembly in the British Isles?
"British Isles" was chosen deliberately. My answer is the Tynwald. Probably longer. While Westminster may be the natural successor of the Witenagemot / Curia Regis, there is no continuity – they are separate. Note: the Channel Islands also have several parliaments, but the islands are not part of the UK, they are crown dependencies.
6. If the (theoretical) result on Friday is:
Labour - 206
Conservative - 350
Liberal Democrat - 50
Others & Independent -40
Who is Prime Minister on Saturday?
Howard. An outright majority makes one PM immediately, without a vote. If “Mrs. Windsor” had anything else in mind (with an outright majority), there would have been trouble (in my hypothetical situation). A minority government would need to be voted on (and involve crumpets).
7. What is the voting age?
18
8. How many parliaments are there in the UK?
Two. Westminster and Holyrood.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/home.htm
http://www.parliament.uk/
http://www.welsh.parliament.uk/ One of those little internet jokes (think really hard).
http://www.parliament.uk/home.htm One of those little internet jokes. (think less hard)
9. How many seats do the Conservative hold outside England?
One. Dumfries and Galloway, Southern Scotland. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/flash_map/html/map01.stm
10. What is the minimum age for candidates?
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RagShagBill 2.0 A Dub in Glasgo 4.8 cdebru 2.8 (3.8 less one penalty point for copying 2.8) pete 4.5 shedseven 9.7 pickarooney 5.0 (Q9 didn't help :D) sceptre 8.5 aodh_rua - uberwolf Boo! Hiss! Wicknight 5.9 cece1986 6.9 Raskolnikov 1.0
shedseven is teh win! 0
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