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GOV/POL Revision > Core Exectuive > Flashcards

Core Exectuive Flashcards

1
Q

Core Executive

A

Derives from the latin ex sequi which means to follow out/carry out
Core would suggest that :
- key institutions, people and practices
- heart of government

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2
Q

Who is in the core executive and what is the executive’s role?

A
  • PM
  • Cabinet Committees
  • PM/Cabinet office

The role of the executive is to make laws/policies

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3
Q

Who is included as part of the pinnacle of decision making process

A
  • Government’s law officials
  • Security intelligence services
  • Senior ministers and civil servants
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4
Q

What are the people in the core executive said to be in?

A

A power network with other influential people and organisations in Whitehall and Westminster

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5
Q

What changes with regards to the core executive and it may occur with circumstances?

A

Membership of the core executive

  • During the build up and up to invasion of Iraq, it included members of intelligent services and leaders among military
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6
Q

What is the British executive system like?

A

Executive leadership and political direction provided by the cabinet however, Prime Minister is more important than any of the ministerial colleagues

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7
Q

What is the core executive meant to showcase?

A

That the government is an activity that constantly responds to new problems and changing circumstances

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8
Q

Moran (2005)

A
  • No fixed agenda of business for the Core Executive
  • Demands for decision flow in
  • Government is a fluid process whereby a lot of people are involved
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9
Q

Cabinet

A
  • Most senior members as chosen by PM
  • Collectively empowered to make decisions on behalf of government
  • They hold the title of secretary of state
  • Drawn from either chamber of parliament
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10
Q

Traditional Constitutional Theory

A

Cabinet was key for formal decision making body of the Executive as they would direct the work of government and ensure that individual departments were working

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11
Q 
Walter Bagehot (19th Century) 
"Efficient secret"
A

Described as “core of British Constitutional System” however, in the current age and day, we could argue that he cabinet has less of a role in decision making

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12
Q

Cabinet Membership

A
  • Most drawn from HOC and run departments such as Education, Skills, Health, Home Office
  • Non-departmental such as Lord Privy Seal and Chancellor of the Dutch of Lancaster
  • Normally more than 20 members
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13
Q

Denis Kavanagh (1994)

A

Cabinet size and composition has to balance needs of decision making and deliberation against those of representativeness.

  • Small enough to allow effective decision making/communication yet big enough to include heads of major departments
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14
Q

Cabinet meetings

A

Senior ministers will have more of an influence as opposed to others:

PM- Chancellor of Exchequer- Foreign secretary- Home Secretary

Relationship between PM and Chancellor of Exchequer is crucial as they are unified and have to agree with each other

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15
Q

Who else attends cabinet meetings?

A

Chief Whip: advise cabinet ministers of the feelings of the back benchers

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16
Q

Gender and the cabinet?

A

Blair’s cabinet was noted for the number of women they included:

  • five in the first one
  • October 2002: reshuffle lead to 6
  • Jan 2007: final reshuffle which lead to 8/23
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17
Q

Who is a well known female cabinet member?

A

Margaret Beckett, Foreign Secretary

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18
Q

What did the first ever Brown cabinet have?

A

22 members and further 7 weekly meetings

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19
Q

Role of Cabinet

- Decide on major policy to be followed at home and abroad

A

Although government includes what they wish to legislate on and make policies on in their manifesto, when they are in office, priorities for action has to be decided in a legislative programme

  • Decisions will depend upon current situation
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20
Q

Role of Cabinet

- Dealing with unforeseen major problems

A

Former premier Harold Macmillan stated that the problem for government concerns events. Events cannot always be predicted

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21
Q

Role of Cabinet

- Coordinating policies of different departments

A

For a government to be effective and successful in implementingpolicy, there needs to be cooperation between government departments

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22
Q

Role of Cabinet

- Planning for long term

A

Government more preoccupied by the here and now whereas cabinet think long term

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23
Q

Role of Cabinet secretariat and Cabinet secretary

A

Main tasks of cabinet office:

  • support PM as leader of govt
  • support cabinet in its transaction of business
  • Lead and support the reform/delivery programme
  • Coordinate security + intelligence
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24
Q

From whose premiership has cabinet become a permanent machinery to cope with threats and emergencies?

A

Major

  • Civil Contingencies Unit: Mixed committee of ministers, officials, policy security services with home secretary in chair
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25
Q

Why was Tony Blair’s premiership seen as dynamic centre?

A

There was more power to the PM’s office which would closely work with the cabinet office

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26
Q

What did Tony Blair say in 1998 with regards to Cabinet?

A

That the role of a cabinet office has been to help PM and govt. reach collective decisions. However since the election of his own office, cabinet office and treasure have been working closely together

(Closer fusion between PM’s office and cabinet office)

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27
Q

What specialised unit did Tony Blair create?

A

Social Exclusion Unit and Performance and Innovation Unit

- Given specific tasks/had to report to him via cabinet secretary

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28
Q

How does cabinet office to intend to help/support cabinet secretary?

A
  • government delivers priorities

- department headed by Minister of cabinet office (close access to PM)

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29
Q

What do Minister of cabinet office do?

A
  • Chase across department
  • Reports directly to PM
  • Answer department duties to HOC
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30
Q

Where does the Prime Minister’s power derive from?

A

Royal prerogative and rest on convention rather than the law:

  • Head of Executive branch of government
  • Chairman of cabinet
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31
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Leader of his party in the country and parliament

A
  • use leadership power to keep party united
  • leader of the majority party means he has parliament support
  • If the majority was small, the government would remain vulnerable
  • Manage the party and ensure connection with party maintained
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32
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Leader of government at home and abroad

A
  • answers q at PMQ
  • acts as a country’s voice on occasion
  • Represents Britain at summer conferences
  • appear on TV and directly address nation
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33
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Chairman of cabinet as well as appointing and dismissing government members

A
  • hire, fire and reshuffle cabinet committees

- agree with minutes after cabinet meeting

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34
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Responsible for appointments and exercises powers of patronage

A
  • once appointments made by monarch (depends on advice of PM)
  • appoints people from bishops to peers to chairman of BBC becoming Lord Privy (members of Lord Privy Council)
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35
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Determines date of next election

A
  • PM may chose a time whereby they are more likely to be victorious
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36
Q

Chief tasks of PM

Exercise power under royal prerogative

A
  • Decision to go to war
  • issuing and withdrawal passports
  • appointment and dismissal of ministers
  • granting of honours
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37
Q

What have some argued about cabinet?

A

Cabinet exists to serve cabinet, many have argued that it follows a prime ministerial lead

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38
Q

Prime Minister’s Office
(Permanent Civil Servants and Political advisers)

  • Private Office
A

PM’s official engagements as well as relationship with parliament and governmental department

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39
Q

Prime Minister’s Office

Policy Unit

A

Outside specialists brought into advice on specific aspects of governmental policy

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40
Q

Prime Minister’s Office

Political unit

A

Bridge between the party (its MPs and member in the country) and PM

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41
Q

Prime Minister’s Office

Press Office

A

handle relations with media, a role of major importance in Blair era given the importance attached to policy presentation and image

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42
Q

Prime minister’s Office

Strategic Communications Unit

A

there to spot pitfall and coordinate Ministerial announcements, ensuring that Downing street is ahead of the game and in control of the overall direction of government

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43
Q

What does Primus Inter Pares?

A

First among equals

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44
Q

Finish the sentence: Despite the fact that the Prime Minister exercises power which id denied to other minister,,,

A

Cabinet reaches its decisions collectively and on majority basis

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45
Q

Since 20th century, the power of the Executive has however it has increased significantly.

What did Lord Oxford say in 1982?

A

The office of Prime Minister is what the holder chooses to and is able to make of it

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46
Q

Constraint to the British Parliament

Cabinet

A

Major issues, Prime Minister will want to keep their cabinet united behind him/her. The relationship between PM + Colleagues depend on issues/ problems they are faced with

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47
Q

Constraints to the British Parliament

Party

A

Strong premiers are hard on party backbencher and they expect loyalty. When ministers are going through difficult periods of fear for their seat, they might find support melts away

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48
Q

Constraints to British Parliament

Parliament

A

Need to retain support in parliament to have their legislation passed through chamber. Primarily getting parliament support means keeping government happy

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49
Q

Constraints to the British Parliament

Events

A

Harold MacMillan, conservative PM, of 1950s and 1960s saw events as his greatest danger. Prime Minister will not be able to know which hazard is round the corner and these issues ad threaten or derail administration

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50
Q

COnstraints to the British Parliament

A

Electorate

Hostility in media

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51
Q

What are central element in prime ministerial power today that are well known however difficult to measure

A
  • Power of appointment/dismissal of cabinet + other ministerial offices
  • Power over structure and membership of cabinet committees which PM chair
  • Central, overseeing non-departmental nature of office
  • Leadership of the party
  • Single party government
  • Distribution of patronage
  • War time leadership (for some)
  • Wartime leadership (for some)
  • Bureaucratic support from PM’s
  • High degree of public instability which has been increased due to tendency of mean
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52
Q

How did Crossman (1976) explain the thesis of prime ministerial government?

A

The postwar epoch has seen the final transformations of cabinet government into Prime Ministerial government with the effect that “the cabinet now joins dignified elements in the constitution”.”

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53
Q

What did Professor John Mackintosh (1997) state?

A

Cabinet became a clearing house and court of appeal

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54
Q

Why do some say that Crossman’s thesis is overstated and often over generalised?

A

How can our government be seen as having prime ministerial dominance when there is so many limitations to the prime minister’s power

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55
Q

Why can we not say that some Prime Ministers are stronger than others?

A
  • It is inevitable that during he course of the premiership, some may be more powerful than others
  • The PM may not be able to sustain this throughout his or her premiership
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56
Q

Summarise Blair’s premiership

A

The last 18 months was filled with difficulties which began in November 2005 whereby there was a larger than expected defeat over allowing the policy to detain suspected terrorists up to 90 days without charge

  • difficulties over loans for peerages
  • on going problem concerning occupation of Iraq
  • Faith in labour eroded away
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57
Q

What checks are placed upon prime ministerial dominance especially when it comes to retaining party support and backing of cabinet colleagues?

A

Government is going well = Prime Minister is effortlessly in charge

Policy in disarray = chance of losing leadership

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58
Q

Presidential Government

Kavanagh and Seldon

A

Every president (no pm) from Gladstone onwards has been accused of being “dictatorial” or “presidential”

  • True for Thatcher
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59
Q

Tony Blair// Presidentialism

What apparatus did Tony Blair equip himself with?

A

Prime Minister’s office which has become de-facto, if not formalised PM’s office/department

Presidents use advisers, consultants who are located in the executive as they lack a cabinet

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60
Q

Tony Blair// Presidentialism

Pre-eminence in shaping policy especially oversea issues

A

After consultation with his political advisers, he decided what needs to be done and imposed his inclinations with cabinet colleagues

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61
Q

Tony Blair// Presidentialism

Priority attached to the presentation of policy and the manipulation of the media

A

In order to get his ministerial message across to the people directly. Both him and his advisers saw the importance of personalities and broad themes, therefore they emphasise in his personal characteristics

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62
Q

Who was Alistair Campbell?

A

Worked on the PM’s image, communicating government views and controlling news agenda.

  • Key member of Blair’s kitchen cabinet
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63
Q

Tony Blair// Presidentialism

Tendency to make political announcements at staged and televised public events

A
  • Not in HOC. His record of voting and parliamentary attendance suggests lack of interest in parliamentary proceedings
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64
Q

Tony Blair// Presidentialism

Quality of what Michael Foley has called spatial leadership

A

Technique whereby some PM’s like to appear “above the Fray” of battle. They talk about government and what it must do as though they were not the key force in shaping in directions and policy

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65
Q

Teflon Tony

A

Applied to Tony Blair to draw his attention to his ability in his early years to retain an aura of dignity and authority however during the Iraq war, the term no longer applied.

66
Q

Foley 2000

A

Prime Minister such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair became presidential in a British way. Tony Blair was not the head of state nor did he derive his powers directly from the people.

“He cannot ignore cabine even if it sometimes by-passed on individual policy matters, fundamental difference between presidential/parliamentary government”

67
Q

Civil Service

A

Governmental bureaucracy. Departments run by minister who are elected politicians, but they are administered by professional and permanent paid officials.

68
Q

What can civil servants be referred to as sometimes?

A
  • Mandarins

- Higher civil servants

69
Q

What are senior officials based in Whitehall ministers usually known as?

A

Departments

70
Q

What do top civil servants often become?

A

Cabinet secretary

71
Q

What is a typical civil servant department?

A
  • Permanent Secretary
  • Deputy secretaries
  • Under secretaries
  • Assistant secretaries
  • Senior principals
  • Principles
72
Q

Where do the majority of senior civil servant staffs work?

A

Executive agencies

They are separate operational organisations which prefer separate operational organisation which report to a particular department

73
Q

Government Departments

A

Ministerial departments lead by government ministers and cover matters that require direct political oversight

74
Q

What can a minister be referred to as?

A

Secretary of state

Member of cabinet, supported by a Junior minister

75
Q

What do executive agencies have a degree of?

A

Autonomy to perform an operational function.

  • Her Majesty’s Prison service: look after prison services for home office
  • DVLA deals with vehicle licensing for Department of Transport

Chief executives of agencies responsible for efficient management of the organisation

76
Q

What do non ministerial department cover matter on?

A

Political oversight judged unnecessary or inappropriate and headed by senior civil servants

  • Assets Recovery Agency: Charity commissioner for England and Wales
  • Export Credits Guarantee department
77
Q

Ministerial Department under the Brown Administration

A
  • Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
  • Cabinet Office
  • Children, School and Families
  • COmmunities/Local Government
  • Culture, Media and Sport
  • Deference
  • Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Foreign/Commonwealth Office
  • Health
  • Home Office
78
Q

Civil Service

Size

A

All government departments and executive agencies in Great Britain which includes diplomatic service.

  • Numbers fallen from peak in 1976 (3/4) due to privatisation and outsourcing only 459,600
79
Q

On 1st April 2004, how many permanent civil servants and non-industrial staff as well as industrial staff?

A
  • 523,580 permanent civil servants
  • 503, 550 non-industrial staff
  • 20,030 industrial staff
80
Q

Ministry of Defence is the largest employer in the civil service, how many does it employ?

A

80% of the total

81
Q

How many senior civil servants are there?

A

750-800 leading officials and they are the only group that are truly involved in working with ministers on policy

82
Q

What do permanent secretaries become?

A

head of civil service who work with deputy and assistant secretaries

83
Q

Who else will civil service work with?

A

Agencies who are detached from the policy making process and involved in offering guidance to chief executive

84
Q

How do people become higher civil service?

A

Based on meritocracy which has been the passing competitive exam since 19th century

  • Those selected are the brightest and best graduates from prestigious universities however they lack experience
85
Q

What did the 1968 Fulton report call for?

A

Changes for the movement away from this “cult of the amateur” for greater professionalism

86
Q

Which government hired more people outside of London to work in the civil service?

A

Blair government

87
Q

How has the recruitment process broadened?

A
  • Increased recruitment from non-oxbridge
  • Moving away from art subjects
  • More women and ethnic minorities

All of this aimed to improve representation

88
Q

Has the fulton report been effective?

A
  • Many higher civil servants are still public school/oxbridge educated
  • More young people ar einterviewed as they are well spoenhave experience
89
Q

What is savoir faire?

A

Know what to say in any situation

90
Q

What is the role of the higher civil servants in whitehall?

A
  • prepare legislation: draw up answers to parliamentary questions and brief ministers
  • administration, oversee and carry out day to day work of the department and some parts of it such as meeting up with representatives of PGs or dealing with difficult non-routine casework
  • Help to develop department’s attitudes and work Look at alternative views of policy, measuring advantages and disadvantages
  • Policy implementation/management
91
Q

Permanent secretary

A
  • highest grade of civil service, leading official in department
  • responsible to minister
  • direct/supervise departments normal work (85-90%)
92
Q

Principle that civil servants work to

  • permanence
A

Civil servants are career officials ready to serve any party. It is associated with continuity and experience so that an inexperienced government can rely on them

93
Q

Principle that civil servants work to

  • Neutrality
A

Politically impartial and cannot let their political leanings affect their action. They must carry out a policy even if they personally disagree with it. They cannot be involved in any partisan activity

  • some argued that British political system too politicised due to increase use of special advisers
94
Q

The prime minister is meant to have the final say over appointing senior appointments and permanent secretaries as well as cabinet secretary however, what is the restriction?

A

PM has to choose from a handful and not based on political consideration

95
Q

Principle that civil servants work to

  • Anonymity
A

Ministers answerable for what happens in their departments, civil service/servants offer confidential advice if officials become public figures then this damages neutrality as they become identified by a certain policy which may be unacceptable with new administration

  • Identification prevents giving frank advice
  • Anonymity may conceal poor advice
96
Q

Ministers

A
  • 100 government members
  • Cabinet ministers
  • Ministers of state
  • Parliamentary under secretary
97
Q

By convention, what are ministers?

Which prime minister challenged this and how?

A
  • Members of parliament or peers of HOL
  • GOrdon Brown by placing 5 new members:

Sir DIgby Jones (former director of CBI) minister or state for Trade and investment

98
Q

What is the route to becoming a government minister?

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

A
  • Cabinet and other members accountable to it
  • Politicians have to prove themselves in HOC before getting ministerial office as junior ministers and then cabinet
  • Ministers have no training, just given a brief to work on
  • Some ministers are peers with no experience in HOC
  • Only occasionally ministers appointed for specific purpose
99
Q

How can ministers advance?

A
  • Ambition
  • Talent
  • Loyalty
  • Skill
  • Skill in debate
100
Q

Where do members of the government work?

A

In departments of state or ministries which are headed by non-cabinet ministries and only 17-18 headed by cabinet ministers

  • Treasury
  • Home office
  • Department of innovation
101
Q

How many junior ministers are there?

A

30 or 50 ministers of state and under secretaries

102
Q

How many private secretaries?

A

40-50 general assistants of ministers

103
Q

If there are more important government ministers, what will they have more of?

A

Ministers and junior ministers

104
Q

Department of Health (Brown administration)

A

One cabinet minister supported by three other ministers

105
Q

Below minister, hierarchy of civil servants

A

Cabinet minister deal with these via private secretary or permanent secretary

106
Q

Ministers rely on civil servants who work in their department, what do they do?

A
  • organise minister’s day
  • arrange appointments
  • write letters
  • draft replies to parliamentary questions
  • arrange meetings
  • offer advice
107
Q

Do ministers choose their civil servants?

A

No

They work with whoever is there. Ministers rely on junior ministers and political advisers for personal support in dealings

108
Q

What are the main two roles that a minister has?

A
  • Politicians with duties in cabinet and parliament

- Administrator of a large whitehall department

109
Q

Politicians

A
  • Ministers have normal constituency duties as MPS, speak in HOC in debates, appear before select committees and take turns in despatch boxes during PMQs
110
Q

Are ministers in cabinet?

A

If they are senior party figures
- argue the case for their department on any issue that arises and takes place in discussion of general government policy

111
Q

Head of whitehall department

A

Role to supervise and be interested in the work being done. They have to ensure that their department is effectively managed. They make key decisions and take responsibility for their action

  • Listen to advice presented to them and provide judgement (theory)
  • ensure that they have a unified front
112
Q

Next step programme

A

Separated fro efficiency and it has reduced the ministers direct responsibility for what happens in the whole government as chief executive will take a share of responsibility

113
Q

Limitation on the power of ministers

A
  • outnumbered by senior officials (6/7:1)
  • lack permanency (2 years) and frequently move
  • non specialists: rarely passes defined objective
  • have multiple demands (cabinet, parliament and department~) 65% work on non-departmental
  • difficult to get info as they are dependent upon officials
  • difficult to implement policies as decisions carried out as officials
114
Q

Who detected the four theories between the minister and civil servants?

A

Kevin Theakston (1999)

115
Q

Traditional public administration model

A

Ministers decide issues in the light of the advice given by civil servic. Civil servants will advise whilst ministers decide and this is reinforced due to the individual ministerial responsibility

116
Q

Adversarial model

A

Adopted by critics on the left and concentrates on social backgrounds and attitudes of powerful civil servants who use their connections and so on to frustrate left wing ministers who wish to change policy and challenge status quo. Based on power struggle between ministers and officials due to differences in agenda

117
Q

Whitehall community model

A

Minister/officials relationship is an alliance above anything else. According to this view, civil servants favour strong rather than weak ministers due to the fact that they recognised that they have a common interest with elected politicians

civil servants- expertise and link to group interests
ministers- political judgement and ideological commitment

118
Q

Public choice model

A

Bureaucracies tend towards inefficiency and needless growth, based on empire building immune as they are from market pressure that influence people in business and commerce

119
Q

Ministers will decide whilst civil servants advise

A

Officials remain non-partisan and impartial and have to serve any government and allowing ministers to make decisions as ministers accountable for whatever goes wrong

120
Q

Ministers are transient

A

They come and go. They may serve a full administration or move after a couple of years. Officials staying in one department would gain expertise. They will adopt a departmental view

121
Q

Departmental view

A

Familiar with realistic range of policy choices and know advantages of others

  • Good office experience and gain experience as well as expertise
122
Q

What is mandarin power?

A

Close and regular contact with ministers. Radical commentators and Mps are wary of mandarin

123
Q

Civil servant ministers

A
  • Vast no.
  • Relative permanence
  • Experience and expertise
  • network of inter-departmental committees or officials
  • control of administrative power
  • involvement in security and intelligence
  • powers in patronage
124
Q

What is the theory of Individual Ministerial Responsibility ?

A

Responsibility of each government minister for the work of his/her department. They are answerable to parliament for what happens within it.

  • MPs know that they can direct their questions and anxieties about policies to someone in the committee as well as debates
  • However, civil servants kept out of the political arena and are shielded from controversy
125
Q

What did Brazier note in 1988?

Individual ministerial responsibility

A

It concerns the private conduct as well as the departmental conduct of the department and the acts done and left undone in the department

126
Q

What did Brazier say about whether ministers take individual ministerial responsibility ?

A

The principles which have developed are at best elastic and in testing how far they will stretch the personal determination of a particular minister can be crucial, especially when they are trying to defend themselves against demands for their resignations

127
Q

Individual Ministerial Responsibility is a convention meaning it is not bounded by statute

A

Vital aspect of accountability and democratic parliament government

128
Q

“Responsible”

A
  • Ministers are required to inform parliament about works and conducts of their department and explaining amendments
  • Take praise as well as blame
  • Liable to lose office if fault is sufficiently serious
129
Q

Erosion of the doctrine

Practice

A

It has become unusual for resignations concerning political, administrative and misjudgement to occur

  • Crichel DOwn AFFAIR// fALKLANDS OCCUPATION ONLY ONES since WW2 whether or not ministers resign
130
Q

Whether or not ministers resign depends on

A
  • his or her support from party, PM and Cabinet colleagues
131
Q

Convention resignation does not normally apply if:

  • MPs rally behind ministers on difficulty
  • Commentators are sympathetic
A

Ministers In political trouble over an episode that they had no direct involvement in

132
Q

Convention resignation does not normally apply if:

- Home Office

A

Deals with controversial issues which create public anxiety, The volume of mail received everyday is massive unreasonable to believe minister would read it all

133
Q

Convention resignation does not normally apply if: :

- Next Step Agencies

A

Blurred responsibility as they have a degree of autonomy. For example, if a mass prison break happened, who would we blame? head of prison agency (responsible for administrations and operations) or home office secretary (broad lines of policy)

134
Q

Parkhurst Gaol Break (1995)

A

Michael Howard and Sir Derek Lewis did not want to accept responsibility. Areas of confusion over which areas the ministers are personally accountable to and which the constituency is accountable.

135
Q

Merits of the doctrine

A 
- someone is always accountable
someone will always answer q's
- Keep civil servants on their toes
Handle issues with care
- Facilitates work of opposition
- have to justify decisions
136
Q

Why do ministers resign?

A
  • sexual and financial impropriety
  • political misjudgement mistakes
  • policy differences with govt
137
Q

Civil service elitism was criticised

  • Civil service was seen as a barrier to radical change
A

Especially on the left which was wary of social composition and structure of organisation. Would improve the quality of personnel within civil service and improve quality of advice given to minister

138
Q

Members of civil service seen/ thought to lack the necessary qualities for running of modern state

A

Civil servants were insufficiently innovative and business minded

139
Q

Fulton Report (1968)

A

Report was accepted by Labour government and tackled some issues including:

  • need for improvement and recruitment
  • Training personnel

Thatcher Government most profound modern reforms of civil services

140
Q

Thatcher Impact

  • Suspicion
A

Margaret Thatcher suspicious of the civil service and culture traditionally associated with it

  • She curbed the civil service which was urging/pursuing misguided power
141
Q

Thatcher Impact

- Suspicion of power

A

Suspicious of the power and the type of senior civil servants who might use their permanence and expertise to carry out their own views instead of helping the needs of the government of day

142
Q

Thatcher Impact and beliefs about the civil service

A
  • Excessively powerful
  • Poor managers that were il equipped to run a large department
  • Lacked training in management skills
  • Many general all rounders rounders and did not have experience
143
Q

Thatcher and the civil service

A
  • substantial cuts in personnel
  • tried to bring in people who were “one of us”: a number of early retirements enabled her to sweep away long serving officials
144
Q

What else did margaret Thatcher change?

A
  • Challenged outlook of many senior officials and responsible for cost-conscious policies and efficiency savings

Sir Derek Ibbs to run efficiency unit. Influential report “improving management in government: the next ses” argued for a creation of slimmed down better managed civil service.

145
Q

Increasing management in government in government: the next steps

A
  • New agencies responsible for “blocks” of executive work (operational matters)
  • Smaller “core” civil service work in departments to sponsor the agencies and to service ministers with policy advice and help
146
Q

New Labour Impact

A

Whitehall in a state of continuous upheaval. Hierarchical departments staffed by permanent officials had long gone.

Incoming administrations accepted the idea of executive agencies

147
Q

What did Tony Blair wish to deliver in terms of effective public services?

A
  • cutting waiting lists in hospitals

- cutting class sizes in infants school

148
Q

What was the intended purpose of performance and innovation unit in cabinet office?

(1)

A
  • Improve policy coordination and implementation and get away from short terminism of Traditional government
149
Q

What was the intended purpose of performance and innovation unit in cabinet office?

(2)

A

Examine cross-governmental policies and sorts out governmental disputes.

Before: Lord Falconer became Departmental secretary. PM used him and others to ensure that officials planned for the future and worked with those in other department

150
Q

What was the intended purpose of performance and innovation unit in cabinet office?

Change the culture of senior civil servants

A

Suspected that many were resistant to new thinking and doubted their quality. He feared “departmentalism”

He brought people from outside the service

151
Q

Departmentalist

A

Idea that civil servants tended to adopt a policy view and to keep it no matter what party was in power

152
Q

What was the intended purpose of performance and innovation unit in cabinet office?

Made extensive use of political advisers

A

38 major years
80 Tony Blair

Advisers add a political dimension to the opinions gained from civil servants and are there to help ministers who may be too susceptible to official advice

153
Q

What did the former minister, Mo Mowlam feel that the political advisers give?

A

Strong central support and political focus

154
Q

How long are advisers appointed for?

A

Lifetime of administration and they create opposition during that time within whitehall as Civil servants may feel that they are trespassing

155
Q

What did the Neil Committee recommend in 2000?

A

Numbers should be limited to maximum of 1000. Rejected the idea that they had broken Whitehall rules or that there had been an unhealthy politicisation of civil service. He wanted to ensure that they operate to the code of conduct

156
Q

What does the code of conduct set out?

A

Relationship between special advisers, officials and ministers as well as the media

157
Q

What did the Tory Critic , MP and former special adviser Andrew Tyrie claim?

A

Effectively unelected ministers people running the country and I don’t think it’s acceptable.

158
Q

Name a conflict between special advisers and members of civil service?

A

Martin Sixsmith + Jo Moore
(11 SEPT 2001)

Worked for Stephen Byers when he was Transport secretary

159
Q

What did defenders of Blair acknowledge and defend?

A

The upward trend in number of special adviser but argued this was occurring before Labour came into office.

160
Q

What did the total number of special advisers amount to?

A

More than 3/4 individuals in each ministry

161
Q

What did the select committee enquiry in 2002 conclude?

A

Heard from civil servants that said advisers “protect civil servants by carrying out work that may raise doubts about civil service neutrality”

GOV/POL Revision (4 decks)

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