Accountability- The Public, Civil Servants And Individual Ministerial Responsibility Flashcards
What are the potential results of elections on political parties?
- sustained or increased voter share as a reward
- loss in voter share can lead to changes in public policy
- can sanction politicians who do not represent views of the public by voting someone else in
- loss of majority in HoC, leading to a change in government
Britain is a representative democracy, rather than a direct democracy.
True or false?
True
How do elections in the UK differ between jurisdictions?
UK wide: first past the post system
Scottish elections: mixed member proportional representation
Are referendums in the UK legally binding on the government?
No. Referendums are advisory in nature.
However, significant political consequences if the UK government fails to “respect the result”.
How can the constitution of Ireland be amended?
By referendum only.
What are the advantages of referendums?
- directly engages voters on the issues
- survey of “national will”
- takes decisions out of the hands of the political elites
- usually ensures a broad base of political support for (sometimes difficult) decisions
What are the disadvantages of referendums?
- form and style of the question (is it confusing? Do people truly understand what they are voting for?)
- binding or not?
- campaign spending
- voter fatigue and lack of knowledge of the issues
- quality of discourse
What are the responsibilities of Civil Servants?
- support the government in developing and implementing its policies and in delivering public services
- “conduct themselves in such a way as to deserve and retain the confidence of Ministers”
- some limitation: not obliged to act unlawfully
What is the nature of the Civil Service in the UK?
“Civil servants are servants of the Crown. For all practical purposes the Crown in this context means and is represented by the Government of the day.” - Armstrong Memorandum
According to the Cabinet Manual, who are civil servants accountable to?
“Civil Servants are accountable to Ministers, who in turn are accountable to Parliament”.
In practical reality, civil servants are ac countable to Ministers and…
- Central Agencies (e.g the Treasury)
- Senior managers
- ordination bodies between different departments
- Prime Minister or Cabinet Office
In theory, Ministers cab dismiss civil servants at any time.
True or false?
True
What is the constitutional convention of accountability?
That Cabinet Ministers are held accountable for the actions of their departments. (These ministers must be a member of either the HoC or HoL)
If ministers knowingly mislead Parliament, they will be expected to offer their resignation.
True of false?
True
Explain the events of the Windrush Scandal.
- In 2018, many individuals living in the UK were wrongfully detained, denied their legal rights and deported from the UK.
- This occurred against the Home Office’s “hostile environment” policy, which sought to reduce the number of immigrants to the UK.
- During parliamentary questions Amber Rudd, as Home Secretary, said that she was unaware of any “specific removal targets”.
- Evidence that this was not the case was disclosed to journalists - either she had failed to read the memo, did not know the workings of her own department or misled Parliament.
- Led to the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary.
