Dear scrutineer, here is a little scrutiny geek’s quiz for you and your team.
Good luck!
WHO
1. In 1998, who said: “…making scrutiny the prime backbench function will cut the inordinate number of hours spent deliberating on committees”
2. Who, as Minster of State for Local Government, introduced what became the Local Government Act 2000 into the Commons and hence brought local government scrutiny into being?
3. Who gave their name to the UK parliamentary reforms, introduced in 2010, that made significant changes to the way that select committees worked.
4. In 1979, which US scientist said: “Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.”
5. In 2018, who said in a Best Value inspection report: “In Local Government there is no substitute for doing boring really well. Only when you have a solid foundation can you innovate.”
6. Who said in 1961: “No President should fear public scrutiny of his program. For from that scrutiny comes understanding; and from that understanding comes support or opposition. And both are necessary.”
7. In 1963, who had a hit with Can I Get a Witness?
WHAT LINKS?
8. Easy; high; push; electric.
9. Hypothetical; Comparative; Probing; Reflective.
10. Anneka Rice; Jeremy Paxman; Mariella Frostrup and Rev Richard Coles.
11. Ilene Woods (1950); Julie Andrews (1957); Gemma Craven (1976); Lily James (2015).
12. Cannot find server; Tomorrow’s people; Cards on the table; Raising the stakes.
13. Club; counter; blame; shock; cancel.
14. Milk; lizard; baby; computer.
15. A 1920 German silent horror film and a Netflix horror anthology television miniseries created by Guillermo del Toro.
Scroll down for the answers…
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ANSWERS
WHO
1. Tony Blair
2. Hilary Armstrong
3. Tony Wright
4. Carl Sagan
5. Max Caller
6. John F. Kennedy
7. Marvin Gaye
WHAT LINKS?
8. Chair – every scrutiny committee needs a good chair
9. Types of question asked at scrutiny committees (Centre for Governance and Scrutiny Practice Guide https://www.cfgs.org.uk/resource/asking-the-right-questions-a-practice-guide-to-questioning-in-scrutiny/#designing-good-questions)
10. Hosted TV programmes with ‘challenge’ in the title (Challenge Anneka, University Challenge, The Big Painting Challenge).
11. Played Cinderella in movies. Scrutiny has, of course, been referred to as the Cinderella function.
12. Centre for Public Scrutiny Report Titles (public accountability, financial scrutiny, involving young people, devolution)
13. Culture – which will largely determine whether an authority’s scrutiny function ‘succeeds or fails’ according to the English statutory guidance
14. Monitor – a role close to the heart of scrutiny.
15. Cabinet – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Cabinet of Curiosities. Ultimately we should be focussed on the cabinet (in councils with that system of course)