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Politics UK gov & politics > Chapter 6: the Prime Minister and executive > Flashcards

Chapter 6: the Prime Minister and executive Flashcards

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1
Q

Executive definition

A

Branch of government responsible for policy making and policy implementation

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2
Q

Prime minister definition

A

the head of government and chair of the cabinet

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3
Q

Cabinet definition

A

the committee of senior ministers which is the ultimate decisions making body of government

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4
Q

Ministers definition

A

appointed by the pm specific to policy portfolios within a government

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5
Q

government departments definition

A

the main administrative units of central government, each dealing with a particular area of policy

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6
Q

What is the role of the executive?

A
  1. making policy functions: pm and cabinet set political priorities and determine the country’s overall policy
  2. proposing legislation: the executive devises and initiates legislation. Mainly primary legislation
  3. Proposing a budget: the executive makes key decision on economic policy proposes a budget
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7
Q

What are the powers of the executive?

A
  1. prerogative powers
  2. control of the legislative agenda
  3. powers of secondary legislation
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8
Q

What is prerogative powers?

A
  • powers exercised by ministers that do not require parliamentary approval
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9
Q

How does the executive control the legislative agenda?

A
  • most bills are proposed by the government and it controls the legislative timetable.
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10
Q

What are powers of secondary legislation?

A
  • delegated legislation
  • form of legislation which allows the provisions of an act of parliament to be brought into force or amended by ministers without requiring a further act
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11
Q

What is the role of the prime minister?

A
  1. political leadership: decides the political direction taken by the government
  2. appointing the government: determines the membership of the government by appointing ministers
  3. chairing the cabinet: chairs meetings of the cabinet
  4. prerogative powers: exercises prerogative powers such as deploying the armed forces
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12
Q

How powerful is the prime minister?

A
  • resources available:
    + patronage: power of the the pm to appoint someone as a life peer or to the honours system
    + authority within the cabinet
    + policy - making input
    + party leaderships
    + public standing
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13
Q

Appointing cabinet ministers:

A
  • can create a cabinet in their own image,
  • 2010 coalition cons & LD
    + required to appoint 5 LD to Cameron’s cabinet
  • May: first cabinet campaigned to remain in the EU
  • Thatcher: Thatcherites and west (one nation cons)
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14
Q

What is a cabinet reshuffles?

A
  • A series of changes to the personnel of the cabinet and the positions they occupy
  • 1962 MacMillan reshuffle - sacked 7
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15
Q

Authority in the cabinet system

A
  • pm is the course executive
  • PM;
    1. sets agenda
    2. policy making role
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16
Q

Party leadership - PM

A
  • PM is the leader of the party in the HoC
  • increased number of backbench rebellion means that the PM cannot always rely on parties support
17
Q

Public standing - PM

A
  • PM has a high public profile
  • provides poltical leadership and represents the the UK in international affairs
18
Q

Cabinet

A
  • now plays a limited role in decision making as many key policy decisions are taken elsewhere in the executive
  • Cabinet ministers: heads of gov departments
  • Cabinet meetings: Blair - lasted an hour. Recent years have fallen in length and frequency
  • Cabinet committees: most decisions made.
  • Cabinet office - provide support for the cabinet system
19
Q

What roles and powers does the cabinet have?

A
  • set out the role and functions of the cabinet
  • functions: registering and ratifying decisions taken elsewhere in the cabinet system (EEC membership), discussing and making decisions on major issues (Exchange rate mechanism), receiving reports on key developments and determining government business in parliament
20
Q

Ministerial responsibility

A

Collective ministerial responsibility:
- principle that ministers must support cabinet decisions or resign from the government
+secrecy: details of discussions in the cabinet a secret
+binding decisions: once a decision has been made and it becomes binding
+ confidence vote: gov must resign if defeated in a vote of confidence

21
Q

Expectations to collective ministerial responsibility

A
  • temporary suspension during referendums
    + rare occasions pm have suspended collective responsibility to prevent ministerial resignations
  • Coalition
    + 2010 - cons & LD - LD ministers would not be bound by collective responsibility on 4 topics
  • free votes
    + may be granted to ministers as well as backbench MPs on issues of conscience
22
Q

Strain on collective responsibiility

A
  • Leaks:
    + ministers may leak information on cabinet discussions to the media
    +e.g. Ed balls and Nick clegg in their books
  • dissent and non-resignation:
    + cabinet ministers who oppose important aspects of governemnt policy have survived in office been when their concerns have been made public
  • prime-ministerial dominance:
    + some cabinet ministers who served under Thatcher and Blair claimed that the pm had undermined collective ministerial responsibility by ignoring the cabinet
23
Q

Individual ministerial respnsibility

A

The principle that ministers are responsible to parliament for their potential conduct and that of their department

24
Q

In what circumstances do ministers resign?

A
  • mistakes made within departments
    + 1954 Sir Thomas Dugdale resigned when mistakes made by civil servants in the Crichel Down case came to light
  • Policy failure
    + resignation following policy failure include that of chancellor of the exchequer James Callaghan after the 1967 devaluation of sterling
  • personal misconduct
    + Ministers are expected to follow the seven principles of public life
  • political pressure
25
Q

Cabinet government or prime-ministerial government?

A

Cabinet gov - a system of gov in which executive power is vest in a cabinet, whose members exercise collective responsibility, rather than a single office
Prime-ministerial gov - a system of government in which the PM is the dominant actor and is able to bypass the cabinet

26
Q

When is a PM predominant?

A
  • pre-eminent - PM automatically has:
    + legal head of gov (e.g. appointing ministers)
    + leadership of governemnt (e.g. setting the policy agenda)
    + the PMs office
    + setting the political agenda (e.g. through their party and the media)
  • predominant - PM combine effective use of power and personal power:
    + leadership ability
    + association with political success
    + electoral popularity
    + a high standing within their party
27
Q

Has the PM become president?

A
  • PM has become more presidential: a de facto British presidency has emerged (presidentialisation)
  • Personalised leadership
    + PM is expected to be a dominant political personality who stamps their imprint on the gov e.g. Thatcher - political ideology set the agenda
  • public outreach
    +political leaders have become public commodities e.g. Blair and Cameron were effective communicators
  • spatial leadership
    + A sense of distance has been created between the PM and gov and party. PM relies more on inner circle e.g. Cameron - Quad
28
Q

Has the PM become more presidential?

A

yes:
+ leadership in the executive has been personalised, with the PM expected to impose personality and agenda
+ PM increasingly rely on a close circle of senior ministers and advisors
+ PM appeal to the public directly through the media and claim personal mandate
no
- PM leads but cannot command the executive, particularly in coalition and directs rather than controls
- Senior ministers have resources of their own, including support from gov departments
- PM needs the support of ministers and officials to achieve objectives
- Support from the party is not unconditional and unpopular leaders face concerted

29
Q

Government ministers

A
  • roles:
    + policy leadership: a minister does not have the time or knowledge to play a hands-on-role in all detailed policy e.g. Cameron granted ministers greater policy autonomy tan was the norm under Blair and Brown
    + representing departmental interests: ministers represent the interests of their department in the cabinet e.g. represent gov in the council of EU
    + departmental management: ministers steer bills through parliament setting objectives and shaping the internal distribution of resources
    + relations with parliament: ministers steer bills through par e.g. accountable to par for decisions
30
Q

Government departments

A
  • main administrative units of central gov
  • functions:
    + providing’s policy advice to ministers
    + managing public spending
    + fostering relationships with interested parties, such as pressure groups
    + policy implementation
  • Treasury is the most powerful department - controls public spending
31
Q

Civil servants

A
  • an official employed in a civil capacity by the Crown, responsible for policy advice or policy implementation
  • principles:
    + impartiality: civil servants serve the Crown rather than the gov
    + anonymity: individual civil servants should not be identified as the author of advice to the ministers

Politics UK gov & politics (12 decks)

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