UKREP triumphs in trivia test

Date: 05/12/1996

Now it can be revealed: the UK government always gets its way in Europe because it fields more officials than any other country.

It's so obvious when you think about it, but nobody did until last week's European Trivia Quiz, which was won by a team from the UK representation to the EU.

The indefinite article in the previous sentence is important because the UK representation also had four other teams in the contest.

Now don't think this is sour grapes because the European Voice team was pushed into third place, but if you have five entrants out of 60 the chances of victory are considerably higher than for those with just one.

To establish the exact odds for UKREP, Entre Nous tried to contact the Institute of Chartered Accountants, but there was no reply because staff were still in mourning for their team, which finished last in the pecking order.

Just for the record the European Voice team was leading at the halfway stage, but was pipped by the Brussels Gastronaughts, who came second, and the aforementioned Brits. It has to be admitted through gritted teeth though that all five UKREP teams came in the top 16.

It was the third year of the quiz, organised by Arthur Andersen, and it raised about 12,500 ecu for the BBC television Children in Need appeal.

The questions were asked by former British ambassador to Belgium Sir John Gray, who popped back for the occasion, and Entre Nous' favourite poser was: “What are the three missing words in The Guardian headlines?” The best answer was: “It depends which day you read it”, but it turned out there were three specific cuttings which required the blanked-out word filling in.