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Mr J and Mr G

Betsan Powys | 12:43 UK time, Thursday, 11 June 2009

They came, anoraks buffed to a shine and answered four rounds of questions on a decade of devolution.

The Public Affairs Cymru annual quiz drew lobbyists, journalists and politicians - the sharpest, most competitive political brains in the Bay no less. There was some sport and general knowledge in there - real life stuff - thrown in to confuse those who haven't dared miss one First Minister's Questions since 1999. You mean you don't KNOW who the Welsh national football team manager was on the day the Assembly first met in plenary?

Which political party came out top? Victory amongst the politicians to The Lord Derbys - the Welsh Conservatives, team title harking back to the party leader back in 1859 when they last won the popular vote in Wales ... and beating the other parties for the second time in five days as they put it. It helped that Welsh Labour didn't field a team. Insert your quip here.

I'll try a couple on you as long as you promise not to resort to Google.

Name the Assembly Members who've been present for some part of all three Assembly terms. (Much debate last night but the teams and question setter eventually agreed there were 37 names, so 37 points up for grabs).

In percentage terms which Welsh Assembly seat has the biggest majority?

Name the five permanent Wales rugby managers since devolution ... and

when the Assembly was established, how many Welsh MPs and Lords became AMs?

A clue: Ieuan Wyn Jones is one of them, the one name forgotten by all three of the teams who were in the lead at that point. Shame!

No danger though of AMs on the Finance Committee forgetting Mr Jones. on what they see as his "breathtaking" refusal to disclose to them a document detailing private advice he was given by an expert panel - advice that he considered before putting together the Assembly Government's road-building strategy.

All the same hearing a Labour Assembly Member, Alun Davies, threatening to subpoena Ieuan Wyn Jones to appear before the Committee to justify why he is withholding the information caused his fellow members to sit up and press officers to finish their lunch early.

Chair Angela Burns said she'd check with officials whether such a move was possible. Mr Davies was there ahead of her. He'd done his homework. He'd checked the Government of Wales Act 2006 and was entirely clear that Committees have the right to subpoena Ministers to appear before them.

What a shame he couldn't rustle up a team to appear in last night's quiz with that sort of knowledge of procedures.

The official response suggests Mr Jones "would be more than willing to meet the Chair of the Committee to discuss this issue and to reassure the committee, once again, that due process is being followed". His refusal to make the private advice public before decisions have been taken and policies announced, it says, "is entirely consistent with the Government's Code of Practice on Access to Information."

By the way how many votes did Lord Derby and his Conservatives win in Wales back in 1859 to top the poll? The answer to that one is a whopping 2,267 votes to the Liberals' 1,585 votes. No need for Lib-Dem type local focus teams back then to knock on doors.

And that Welsh national football manager ...?

It was Bobby Gould.

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