For this week’s quiz questions, I thought I would pose one that I think is moderately easy and one that I suspect is not (though no doubt I will soon be proved wrong!).
Question 1
We are three peers:
Peer 1. I began my career as a tutor, lecturer and then a broadcaster before becoming an MP.
Peer 2. I have been a leader.
Peer 3. I have a particular interest in psychoanalysis.
There was a period when all three of us could use the Lords to discuss matters of common interest as we held similar positions. Who are we?
Question 2
1. I work in the House of Lords.
2. One year I won the BBC Mastermind contest.
Who am I?
Feel free to send in your answers to Question 1. There will be especial praise for anyone managing to answer both.
2) I knew this instantly, David Beamish – Who (hat tip) maintains a truly excellent site on peerage creations.
Croft: Well done. David Beamish is Clerk Assistant of the House of Lords. When the Clerks are at the Table at the start of a sitting, he is the one sat in the middle.
The first question appears to be the one that is stumping people. Some readers have clearly been trying to find out who the MPs are since some have used search terms (‘tutor, lecturer and then broadcaster…’) that have brought them back to the site. I have never known such a long gap before anyone has come up with an answer to one of the questions. My cunning plan appears to be working, even if it is not in respect of the question I expected!
Question 2, 2 probably isn’t David Lammy, though I guess he may be in Lords sooner than he anticipated
Peer 3 must be Lord Alderdice. That makes me think the link is something to do with devolved assemblies. Lord Alderdice was the speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The other two therefore must be Lord Steel of Aikwood and Lord Elis-Thomas. But which is which?
All three peers were party leaders at one time. David Steel worked for the BBC, but I can’t see that it was as a broadcaster, nor that he was a lecturer. Dafydd Elis-Thomas was apparently once a presenter on a pirate radio station, and was a lecturer, so I guess he’s Peer 1 and Lord Steel of Aikwood is Peer 2.
I thought the channel Four Political Awards did themselves justice, I think Baroness Hollis fully deserved her award. When I watched her speaking on the Pension’s Bill she was very enthralling and speaks with huge knowledge and is interesting to listen to. She was also a very good minister. Lord Adonis also deserves his award for speaking up and out for the railways. I really hope he delivers with such an over crowded network and certain parts of it namely the East Midlands have no rolling stock coming there way. I also wish him to re-open railway lines like the old midland line Matlock to Manchester. However I do wish that Baroness Trumpington got an award for being a game entertaining old bird, yet she also speaks out on important issues. I would have also liked to have seen Baroness Carnegy to receive an award for her commit to Scotland and someone who works very hard on bills. Perhaps the lords should take note of the work and commitment some of there oldest members do.
Jonathan: That sounds good.
I’d, like most I expect, thought very quickly Lord Alderdice was (3) but the others were really throwing me. I think I mislead myself as I thought of Steel because I’d decided the link was leaders of church bodies Alderdice (Presbyterian Church elder) Steel (Moderator of the General Assembly, Ch of Scotland) and Elis-Thomas is mentioned as on a body of the Church in Wales.
Sounds like I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Btw anyone who thinks of looking for peers who were MPs by the HofL’s Library on-line lists; don’t! – I now know that there have been 1044 creations since ’58-08 and 37% were MPs or MEPs and the list is enough to give any sane person a headache 🙂
Congratulations to Jonathan. Well worked out. As you recognised, peer 3 was Lord Alderdice. As you then surmised, the link was being presiding officer of a devolved body.
Lord Elis-Thomas was a tutor in Welsh studies at Coleg Harlech before becoming a lecturer at the University of North Wales. He was then a broadcaster before becoming a Plaid Cymru MP (1974-92). He entered the Lords in 1992. He has been presiding officer of the National Assembly for Wales since 1999. Lord Steel of Aikwood was, as David Steel, Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 to 1988. He was presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2003. Lord Alderice, who is a consultant pyschiatrist in psychotherapy, joined the Lords in 1996. As you mention, he too was a party leader (of the Alliance Party, from 1987 to 1998), which is why I opted for his professional background, which made him the easiest one to identify. He was Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2004.
I was able to observe all three in action when I was Chairman of the Lords Constitution Committee and we carried out a year-long inquiry into Devolution: Inter-Institutional Relationships in the United Kingdom in 2003. The committee visited Holyrood, Cardiff and Stormont. We took the view that there was a benefit in the founding presiding officers being members of the Lords, as it gave them a forum in which to meet.
Croft: As you relaised, there were various ways of approaching the question. The challenge was identifying what all three had in common at the same time. Your comments reassure me that it was not an easy question! In future, perhaps I should offer questions with different gradings of difficulty.
Tory Boy: Thanks for your comments. I take your points about Baroness Trumpington and Baroness Carnegy of Lour, both of whom contribute notably to the work of the House. They are typical of the members who devote themselves to what is in effect public service. One thought I had was to do the occasional profile of a member of the House and they would be obvious candidates. You are speaking to the converted when it comes to trains. I am a great believer in developing our rail infrastructure and I was in the House to hear Lord Adonis repeat the statement on railways on Thursday. He is aware of my enthusiasm on the issue.
Half the fun is the difficult questions – whether you get them or kick yourself when you find out the answers. Great questions!