The Great Goose Quiz

Iolanthe takes us to parliament. How much do you know about the peers and commoners?

1. The trouble started when some one invited the participation of commoners in Parliament. Who was it?
2. The Lords Spiritual used to be a majority. How many bishops are there currently eligible to sit in the House of Lords?
3. It seems every modern parliament tries to cull the house. How many Lords are left in total?
4. When did the House of Lords lose its judgement?
5. Airs and graces have we none, but titles aplenty. What is the full title of a Law Lord?
6. The power of the Lords is much constrained since Gilbert's day. Which is now the only sort of Bill the House of Lords can veto?
7. In Iolanthe, a female fairy takes control of the House but she still has to send a man in as proxy. How many years after Iolanthe was first performed were women finally permitted to take their seats in the Lords?
8. The woolsack is the seat of The Lord Chancellor. It's apparently not that comfortable. When was the woolsack last re-stuffed?
9. Her Majesty the Queen has her own throne in the House of Lords but she doesn't go to the other place. who was the last monarch to visit the commons?
10. Moving to the other place; until 1706, the speaker of the House of Commons was allowed to take his chair with him on retirement. That perk has vanished and the current Speaker's chair looks a bit too heavy anyway. What is it made from?

Answers in the next edition of GanderS...