Is The PM To Powerful- Constraints On Pm Power And Are They Effective

Question 1

Party power- too powerful

Answer 1

-if have large majority
Blair 1997 had a majority of 178 seats
Never lost a vote- greater at enacting policies
Can cope with rebellions
-commons superior to HoL
-amount of new mps
May depend on whips more
-backbenchers can place pressure- cameron to call brexit

Question 2

Party power- not too powerful

Answer 2

-announcing not running again- weakens authority eg. Blair and may
-when minority gov- may- 28 defeats
-coalition undermines mandate
Compromise and share manifestos
No one vote for coalition
-even blair faced pressure from his party and cabinet- brownites- to step down
-1997- major, conservatives divided over europe
Maastriacht treaty- eec (trading) to eu
Kicking out opposition in cabinet

Question 3

Cabinet power- too powerful

Answer 3

-pm can bypass cabinet
Boris did before covid19
May did- eg. Chancellor and her ‘clashed horns’ , ignored experience of osbourne
Thatcher- more sucessful
-decrease influence- less frequent meetings
Pm controls agenda and length of meeting
-cabinet committes- ‘rubber stamps’
=increase in bilateral decision making- kavanagh ‘sofa gov’
Pm and one minister- blair

Question 4

Cabinet power- pm not too powerful

Answer 4

-‘supreme decision-making body’
-pm needs cabinet support to remian in power - check on pm
Thatcher lossed support from her cabinet over controversial poll tax
-cabinet more powerful in coalition
Eg. 2010
-holds important roles
Eg. Approves decision making elsewhere- such as covid19 decisions- lockdowns
Ministers run their own department, influencing policy of pm
May take on emergency powers- war crisis such as iraw war

Question 5

Events and public opinion- pm too powerful

Answer 5

Falklands war 1982
Strengthened thatcher position further- public image improved

Question 6

Events and public opinon- not too powerful

Answer 6

-if fail, pm not as powerful as negatively reflect on them
-boris- covid and partygate
Undermine and led to downfall
Covid meant cant focus on brexit as much- even though slogan ‘get brexit done’
-iraq- arguably undermined blair as reforming pm- lost public support
-brown dityhered to call snap election after 2007- ‘bottled brown’
2008 economic crash worsened

Question 7

Overall judgement- is pm too powerful

Answer 7

No their not- power depends on circumstances
Eg. Party power, cabinet power (Decision making), events and how they impact public opinion