component 2: prime minister and the executive

Question 1

pime minister and executive

Answer 1

structure of executive:
1 - prime minister (head of exec and cabinet,appoints members,organises structure of gov)
2 - the cabinet (senior ministers, dealwith particular areas of policy)
3 - government departments (each responsible for an area of policy)
4 - executive agencies (carry out some funcions of gov departments)

role and powers of the prime minister:
award honours, decalre war and authorise the use of armed forces, sign treaties, take acion to maintain order in case of emergancy, grant and withdraw passports, grant legal pardons, appoint ministers and other senior office holders.

Question 2

selection of cabinet

Answer 2

factorsinfluencing PMs selection of cabinet:
- close allies and friends: PMs choose friends and allies to ensure support e.g. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown shared office, blair appointed brown chancellor of exchequer.
- ‘big beasts’ and rivals: big beasts have a large pwoer base within the party among backbenchers and outside party, PM feels complled to appoint them. rivals due to keep your friends close but your enemies closer, to ensure there is not opposition e.g. theresa may appointed JOhnsons as he had power in the aprty.
- ability: PMs appoint people in their cabinet who have displayed exceptional ability e.g. Brown appointed Lord Mandleon 2008 due to his media communiation skills.
- balance of party opinion: PMs balance wings of their party to sensure effective management, e.g. Cameron with the lib dem coalition.
- social balance: Pms may wish to have a diverse and balanced cabinet, e.g. cameron promted 2 women to his cabinet in top positions to win support agaist women voters

Question 3

does the prime minister have power?

Answer 3

yes: 1 - control over cabinet via chairing cabinet meeting, deciding their nature and frequency.
2 - control over party: PM has power over majority party in HOC so can control parliament, still MPs so vote and sit in gov, unlikely gov membres oppose gov bills
3 - events may enhance PM’s power: PM don’t have full control over what happens e.g.Tchater initiated Falklands war and benefitef from victory.
4: control over gov relations with media: media has obsession with image e.g. Blair and Csmeron, media increases flow of politicl info.

no: 1 - needs to maintain cabinet support: cabinet resignition can famage support for PM, disagreements wiht cabinet.
2 - party support depends on electoral success: govs with small majorities will be limiited by parliament, need voter support.
3 - events may damage a PM: events can tarnish a PM’s repuation e.g. Blair and Iraq, Johnson and covid-19
4 - negative media coverage: bad news soties are recorded lareglly by media. If a PM isa bad performer, it can overshadow its premiership. e.g. Major seen as boring.

Question 4

presidential governmetns

Answer 4

Some argue that the pwoers of PM have grown to become presidential due to the PMs dominance over cabinet.
differnces between PM and president: 1 - PMs are head of gov, monarch is head of state. Presidents are head of both. 2 - presidents are elected via the people, PMs usually lected via the party. 3 - Presidential systm has a larger seperation of powers.

arguments for UK having a presidential system:
- growth of spatial leadership; tendency of PMs to distance themselves form their parties, presenting themselves as outsiders e.g. thatcherism.
- personalised election campaigns: mass media portrays elections as battles between leadersof parties.
- personal mandates; trend for PMs to claim a mandate on the basis of their electoral success.

Question 5

ministerial responsibility

Answer 5

• collective ministerial responsibility: all minisers are collectively responsible for all governmetn decisions are are expected to supprot this in public. Ministers unable to accept gov policiy are expected to resign. It is to ensure that the gov is responsible to parliament and ministers present a united front with gov taking responsibility for its actions. e.g. Robin Cooks resigned as leader of the commons in 2003 over Blair’s deicison to go to Iraw without international agreement or domestic support.
• Individual minsterial responsibility: ministersare accountable to parliament for their own personal conduct and actions and policies of their department. Ministers must answer questions in parliement about their department. If a minister commits an error, they must resign. If a minister does not meet the standards of someone in public office they should resign or be dismissed by PM.