1. Executive Flashcards
Executive
One of three branches of government which stands alongside the legislature and the judiciary. Executive executes the laws from the legislature, and makes them happen. Responsible for making policy decisions, taking actions + running country.
Junior Ministers
Executive members who assist the senior minister in running policy decisions of a government department. Appointed by PM but not part of Cabinet.
Civil Service
Permanent officials who carry out day to day running of government departments. They advise ministers and enact policy decisions made by ministers; they don’t make the decisions themselves as they don’t answer to Parliament or the people. Therefore, they act neutrally.
Cabinet Secretary
Most senior civil servant in the UK; cabinet secretary serves the PM and then the cabinet. They organise the work of cabinet and of government at the centre of power.
Example of Special Advisers (Civil Servants who advise ministers) accused on having too much power and influence
Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill were employed as Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Prime Minister Theresa May in 2016. They were employed as civil servants, but took charge of organising the 2017 general election campaign for the Conservatives, even writing and making decisions over the manifesto, much to the anger of Conservative MPs. They were forced to resign as a result of the political failure of the 2017 election, something which civil servants normally wouldn’t take responsibility for.
Prime Minister’s Main Roles
-Considered the de facto head of government
-The government’s chief policy maker
-The nation’s chief diplomat
-Appointing the cabinet and chairing its meetings
Cabinet’s Main Functions
-Approving policy and settling disputes within the government
-Determining the government’s reaction to crises and emergencies
-Determining the presentation of government policy
Ministers main roles
-Draft legislation when its needed
-Organise the passage of legislation through Parliament and speak in debates on legislation
-Take decisions as part of the powers they have under secondary legislation
-Answer to Parliament through questions and by appearing in front of select committees.
Executive role summary: Proposing legislation
Executive will develop legislative proposals for a first reading in Parliament, based on policy decisions of the ministers and the expert advice of the civil service.
It also publishes ‘green paper’, which sets out a possible course of action or a set of policies, so that MPs, peers and interested parties can make comments and suggest changes.
Executive role summary: Proposing Budgets
Has to calculate how much money it will need to run the country and carry out its proposed policies, and so how much it will make the next year through taxes, duties, investments and loans, by making educated guess about economics. The Budget can then be approved; where expenditure is allocated. It must be approved by Parliament as much is raised by public taxation, hence for democratic purposes it must be done by MPs. There is a requirement for a delicate balance between providing services people need and want, and taxing incomes and products, which will impact economic performance. If the proposed Budget fails to pass Parliament, the executive has no funds and by convention must resign, but this is rare because Executive usually has a clear Commons majority.
Executive role summary: Legislation
Makes decisions on how to enact or enforce legislation. When a piece of legislation is passed, it often contains many terms and clauses, and so executive must decide how to enact these into reality, and how to communicate this information and in some cases, whether or not to use or enforce part of the law passed. Sometimes referred to as Secondary legislation: Powers given to executive by Parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules.
Example of Executive making amends and introduce policies to prevent issues with finance and create crisis
2020 global pandemic furlough scheme.
Power Sources of PM: Traditional Authority/Prerogative
Royal Prerogative Powers handed down from the monarch who exercised these powers in the past. When the PM exercises such powers, he/she does so on behalf of the whole nation, and so effectively is temporarily head of state.
These powers include:
-Patronage: power to hire and fire
-Negotiate foreign treaties, including trade arrangements with other states or international organisations
-Commander in Chief of the armed forces and can commit them to action
-Conducts foreign policy and determines relationships with foreign powers. PM represents country internationally.
-Heads Cabinet and sets tone of economic policy alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Power Sources of PM: Party
PM is the leader of the largest party represented in the Commons. In this case, the PM authority comes from people through the leading party. If a party changes leader, the new leader will automatically become PM. The monarch will summon that leader to the palace to confirm this. No election is necessary. This does occur from time to time, usually when the existing leader loses the confidence of their party, as occurred in the following cases:
-1990: Conservative Party replaced Margaret Thatcher
-2016: Theresa May replaced David Cameron after he resigned.
-2019: Boris Johnson replaced Theresa May after she resigned.
Examples of Party Support Contributing to PM’s Power
Despite the Remain/leave divide in the Tory Party, only one Tory MP (Ken Clarke) voted against triggering Article 50, the mechanism by which the UK informed the EU of its intention to leave.
Boris Johnson removed the whip of several Remain-supporting MPs and at the 2019 general election those MPs were replaced by pro-Brexit candidates. Subsequently, not a single Conservative MP voted against the EU Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020.
