What's Left
  • Blog

Scottish Political Quiz- A festive test for long and short political memories

29/12/2014

0 Comments

 

1. Who was the odd one out in 1963 - William Rushton (Private Eye journalist), Arthur Donaldson (SNP Leader) and George Younger (Conservative)?

2. Who was Nye Bevan's politician wife from Lochgelly in Fife?

3. The SNP candidate in Ayr in 1987 was Colin Weir who came last but made a bigger political impact more recently. Why?

4. Which side of the referendum question received celebrity endorsement from the following: John Barrowman, Sharleen Spiteri, Allan Bisset, Kermit the Frog, Gerard Butler, David Tennant, Hardeep Singh Kohli and Elaine C Smith?

5. Who launched Labour's 'Ethical Foreign Policy' in 1997?

6. What is the title of former Glasgow MP, Maria Fyfe's autobiography?

7. Name the four Council areas who voted Yes in the Referendum.

8. Who is the current President of CoSLA?

9. How many Scottish women MPs are there?

10. Jim Murphy announced new Shadow Cabinet with no one in the same position - Who is the new Shadow Health Secretary?

11. Keir Hardie was an MP for 2 seats - name them?

12 Name the two former SNP MSPs who are now members of the Green Party?

13 Who once co-wrote an anti devolution pamphlet called 'Don't Butcher Scotland's Future' and with whom?

14 Who recently published a diary called 'Alex Salmond, my Part in his Downfall'?

15 Which former Cabinet minister went to school with John Reid, worked for Robert Maxwell and wrote a novel called 'Elite'?

Scroll down for answers: 25 points maximum ...........
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Answers

1.    George Younger. They were all candidates for the Kinross and West Perthshire by election but George Younger stood aside to allow newly appointed Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas Home (Lord Home) take a seat in the House of Commons. (1 point)

2.    Jennie Lee. (1point)

3.    He and his wife won £161m in Euromillions lottery 2011 and bankrolled the SNP and the Yes Campaign. (1 point)

4.    Yes - Allan Bisset, Gerard Butler, Hardeep Singh Kohli and Elaine C Smith: No - John Barrowman, Sharleen Spiteri, Kermit and David Tennant. (4 points)

5.    Robin Cook. (1 point)

6.    'A Problem Like Maria: A woman's eye view of life as an MP'. (2 points)

7.    They were Dundee City 57%, West Dunbartonshire 54%, Glasgow 53% and North Lanarkshire 51%. 

(4 points)

8.    Cllr David O'Neill (North Ayrshire). (1 point)

9.    13. (1 point)

10.  Jenny Marra MSP. (1 point)

11.  West Ham South and Merthyr Tydfil. (2 points)

12.  John Finnie and John Wilson (2 points)

13.  Jim Sillars with Alex Eadie (both Scottish Labour MPs at the time) (2 points)

14.  Alan Cochrane, Scottish Editor of the Telegraph. (1 point)

15.  Helen Liddell (Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke). (1 point)

Scores

20-25 Get a life!

15-20 Informed!

10-15 Got a life!

Under 10 Mmmm!


0 Comments

Letter from Nicholas to Nicola

3/12/2014

1 Comment

 
Dear Nicola

Thank you for your letter which I received earlier this week listing what you would like for Christmas.Let me take your list one at a time.
  • I do not accept your accusation of bias against traditional Christmas Songs. It would just not sound right to change ‘the First Noel’ to ‘the First Yesel’ and as for the Irn Bru version of Walking in the Air – it doesn’t look the least bit like Jim Murphy to me. And I certainly don’t appreciate your threat to organise a boycott of all Santa’s grottos until your demands are met.
  • You ask for a copy of Alice in Wonderland so you can look up your favourite quote to describe the Record’s Leaders’ Vow. The quote is actually from Through the Looking Glass when Humpty Dumpty says "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less." Anyway, I think you should probably stay away from books this Christmas until your pals have learned not to play with matches.
  •  No – you can’t have a new bike without stabilisers. You’ve got a perfectly good bike with stabilisers and you’ve made no effort to learn how to go it properly – and don’t keep asking Christmas after Christmas. The one you’ve got should do you for at least a generation.
  • You have asked for a game called ‘Corplunk – setting the rate of Corporation Tax’. I don’t think it is a very nice game for you to play with, involving as it does a race to the bottom. If I do have one to spare I am thinking of giving it to that nice boy, Peter, from Northern Ireland.

Anyway, Nicola – as you know, presents are for boys and girls who have been good – not naughty. I have asked all my elves about your behaviour and a majority, 45%, tell me you have been very naughty, so you are getting nothing at all this Christmas.


1 Comment

    Author
    ​Alastair Osborne

    Labour activist, internationalist and polemicist

    ​Ebook version of blog
    ​click here


    ​Archives

    December 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.