EXTRA-Prime Ministerial or Cabinet government? Flashcards
Who’s premiership provided a renewed impetus in the debate about whether we have a ‘government by Prime Minister’?
Margret Thatcher’s
What humiliating defeat did Tony Blair face in 2005?
his plan to allow the police to detain suspected terrorists for up to 90 days without charge
What 4 things to the PM and US President have in common?
- substantial powers of patronage
- opportunities to manipulate media
- substantial control over policy making support
- act as a national leader
How is the PM different in the fact that Britain have separated the ‘pomp from power’ as a separate head of state?
in the US, the President combines the roles of head of executive and head of state
What is the difference of the US to the fact that the PM can be brought down such as Margret Thatcher in 1990?
the president has more security of tenure having a fixed term
How is the US different to the UK from the fact that in the UK we have a plural executive, with the PM and cabinet both responsible to the Commons?
The US has a single executive and the US Cabinet is not a significant body in policy deliberations and policy making
What did those who detected presidential qualities in Tony Blair point out
(5)
- large apparatus in Downing Street
- his pre-eminence in shaping policy
- priority of the presentation of policy and manipulation of media
- staged key announcements
- the quality which Michael Foley called spatial leadership
What has the PM’s Office became under the development of Tony Blair?
It has become a de facto if not formalised PM’s department
Who do Presidents rely on as opposed to the backing a PM gets from the Cabinet?
upon an array of advisers and consultants many whom are located in the Executive Office of the President
How did Tony Blair display presidential quality in his pre eminence in shaping policy?
After consultation with his political advisers, he decided what needed to be done and imposed his inclinations upon Cabinet colleagues
What did Tony Blair and his advisers understand about television as a medium, which alikens him to presidential qualities?
television likes to dwell on personalities and broad theme which are easier to portray than complex matters of policy
Who was Alister Campbell?
he was a key member of the Blairite kitchen cabinet
What suggested that Tony Blair had little interest in parliamentary proceedings?
his record of attendance and voting in the chamber
What is the technique used by PM’s, a quality which Michael Foley has called spatial leadership?
PM’s like to appear ‘above the fray’ of battle, sometimes talking about the government and what it must do as thought they were not the key force in shaping its direction and politics
What label was given to Tony Blair to draw attention to his ability in the early years to retain an aura of dignity and authority, unsullied by the events that happened to his ministers
Teflon Tony
