Crick's Christmas Quiz

It has been a turbulent year in politics, but as you pour another glass of mulled wine just how much of it can you remember? Test yourself with this quiz from Newsnight's Political Editor Michael Crick.

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Where in 2009 did the Conservatives hold Britain's first ever postal ballot primary to pick their Parliamentary candidate?

1. Battersea
   
2. Gosport
   
3. Totnes
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

Which contender gained fewest votes in the June election for Speaker of the House of Commons?

1. Parmjit Dhanda
   
2. Sir Michael Lord
   
3. Sir Patrick Cormack
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

Tuesday 29 December marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of which UK prime minister?

1. Lord Palmerston
   
2. Lord Rosebery
   
3. William Gladstone
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Which former Army officer was picked as Conservative candidate for Beckenham?

1. Bob Stewart
   
2. Richard Dannatt
   
3. Rory Stewart
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

Which member of the shadow cabinet said Richard Dannatt was joining the Labour government as a "gimmick"?

1. Chris Grayling
   
2. Greg Clark
   
3. Sayeeda Warsi
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

Which Westminster husband and wife team were found between them to employ four different family members on their Commons staff?

1. Alan and Ann Keen
   
2. Nicholas and Ann Winterton
   
3. Peter and Iris Robinson
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

Labour's former director of communications Peter Mandelson has been a big help to Gordon Brown. But which of the parties below does not have a former communications director now employed by Gordon Brown?

1. Conservative
   
2. Liberal
   
3. SDP
   

8.) Multiple Choice Question

Which Conservative MP raised a point of order in the Commons chamber in 2009 complaining that police had raided his Westminster office without permission?

1. Damian Green
   
2. Daniel Kawczynski
   
3. David Davis
   

9.) Multiple Choice Question

David Miliband's special adviser Sarah Schaefer announced she was leaving his office. Where is she going?

1. A job in the City
   
2. To edit The Spectator
   
3. Mars
   

10.) Multiple Choice Question

In November, which former Newsnight political reporter became "Europe's Bill Clinton"?

1. David Davies
   
2. Mark Mardell
   
3. Peter Kellner
   

11.) Multiple Choice Question

Which of these public schools does not accept childcare vouchers to pay for boarding fees?

1. Ampleforth
   
2. Eton
   
3. Wellington
   

12.) Multiple Choice Question

Which Conservative candidate in 2009 was not Bagged by our Jeremy's shooting companion?

1. Liz Truss
   
2. Louise Bagshawe
   
3. Sarah Wollaston
   

Answers

1. The primary was held in Totnes in August and some 69,000 local electors were entiitled to vote, whether they were Conservative supporters or not. One in four people voted and the easy winner was Dartmoor GP Sarah Wollaston.
2. Sir Michael Lord polled the lowest. He received nine votes and was eliminated in the first round. Sir Patrick Cormack got 13 votes and Parmjit Dhanda got 26. They too were eliminated in the first round. John Bercow was the eventual winner.
3. William Gladstone was born on 29 December 1809 in Liverpool. He went on to serve as PM on four occasions. Michael Crick presents a special edition of Beyond Westminster at 11am on Boxing Day on Radio 4 to mark the 200th anniversary of Gladstone's birth.
4. Col Bob Stewart, who hopes to become a Tory MP at the next election, was a former commander with British UN forces in Bosnia. The former head of the British Army General Richard Dannatt is advising the Conservatives on defence policy and former diplomat Rory Stewart now runs the charity Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Kabul.
5. Chris Grayling. He had been asked by the BBC about a Conservative plan to offer the former head of the Army a defence role. But, apparently thinking it was a Labour appointment, he said: "I hope that this isn't a political gimmick."
6. Peter and Iris Robinson.
7. There is no former director of communications for the Liberal party employed by Gordon Brown. Downing Street's Director of Communications Simon Lewis was director of communications for the SDP from 1986 to 1990 and the Northern Ireland Secretary, Shaun Woodward held the same post for the Conservatives from 1991 to 1992.
8. Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham, raised the issue in the Commons in January but he was later rebuked by the Speaker for rushing to make his point of order before getting his "facts together".
9. Sarah Schaefer is joining Mars plc. in the role of sustainability and science communications director.
10. Peter Kellner. He is married to Baroness Ashton who is the new EU foreign affairs chief, while Bill Clinton is of course married to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
11. Eton. Parents of children at several top private schools are allowed to use the vouchers to pay for boarding fees (though not tuition costs) - Ampleforth and Wellington College accept them.
12. Sir Jeremy Bagge, the leader of the so-called Turnip Taliban, failed in a campaign to get Liz Truss de-selected over her 18-month relationship with Tory MP and culture spokesman Mark Field. Sir Jeremy says he has gone shooting with our very own Jeremy Paxman.

Your Score

0 - 5 : Oh dear! Time to start reading Michael's blog

6 - 9 : Could do better. Watch more Newsnight.

10 - 12 : Well done. Perhaps it is time Crick was replaced.