P2 - The Prime Minister Flashcards
What is the PM relation in government
they are the head of government
What do they direct and provide
government policy and provide national leadership, particularly in times of crisis
what are they the chair of
cabinet
what are they responsible for
setting up, reorganising and abolishing government departments
What powers can they exercise
their royal prerogative
What are the royal prerogative powers
exercised on the behalf of the monarch by the PM and the executive
what powers come under the royal prerogative
Patronage make treaties with other countries head of the civil service call and election deploy the military
Which prerogative power was removed in 2011
the power to call an election
Why did Gordon Brown apparently appoint Ed Balls as a minister
he was a former personal advisor and was a close ally
What is an example of the PM appointing a political ‘big beast’ as a minister
Boris Johnson was in David Cameron’s political Cabinet
Vince Cable was in the coalition cabinet
what is an example of an appointment based on the ability of a minister
the appointment of Lord Mandelson by Gordon Brown in 2008. He made him a lord just so he could have him in his cabinet
What is an example of a PM appointing a minister to encourage different political views
Theresa May had to manage the Brexit/remainer balance in her Cabinet very carefully so as not to upset either side
What is an example of a PM promoting political adversaries in order to silence them
Theresa May appointed Boris Johnson to silence him
Gordon Brown’s appointment of David Miliband to foreign secretary showed why it was good to bring a rival into the cabinet, CMR prevents them from being obstructive
What is an example of a PM having a socially balanced Cabinet
David Cameron promoted two women to his Cabinet in October 2011 as he was trying to increase his popularity among women voters. Theresa May made sure to have women in top jobs, appointing Amber Rudd as Home Sec in 2016
What is an example of ministers being good parliamentarians
William Hague was well known as an outstanding debater in Parliament
What is the power of the PM over the cabinet
the PM appoints, shuffles and dismisses Cabinet ministers as well as all ministers in the government
How is the PM limited in their power over the Cabinet
‘big beasts’ have to be included
both wings of the party should be represented
rivals may have to be included
botched reshuffles can cause problems
What is the power of the PM over the party
Party, cabinet and parliament are loyal to the PM as leader of the party, which usually commands a majority in the Commons
what are the limits on the PMs power over the party
loyalty is dependent on the possibility of electoral success
backbench rebellions in the commons are possible
there is a risk of a leadership challenge
How does personality limit the PM’s power
whether the PM is charismatic or not affects their ability to persuade colleagues and the electorate
how do events limit the PM’s power
even the most powerful PM can be derailed by an unexpected event, which can turn everything on its head
how does the media limit the PM’s power
a PM that is able to be an effective media performer can be seen as more powerful than one who is not
how does the opposition limit the PM’s power
a weak opposition allows the PM to be more dominant
how does popularity limit the PM’s power
if they are popular they are given more freedom by their party than unpopular ones
how does the majority limit the PM’s power
a large majority in the Commons gives PMs huge power, while the opposite is also certainly true; coalitions can work both ways
how do the Cabinet and the Party limit PM’s power
if they are prepared to give the PM a lot of leeway, this will enhance a PM’s power
How has institutional support for the PM risen
there has been a large increase in personnel to support the PM. This is known as the growth of a ‘PM’s Office’ and now includes the No.10 policy unit, press office and Cabinet office. The use of special advisers to provide the PM with additional support has also increased
what are the limits on institutional support for the PM
there is still no formally structured PM department
Power of other large, rival departments by far overshadows the size of the PM’s office (for example, the foreign office and the treasury)
The PM’s office is minuscule compared to the huge personnel available to support the US president
what are the powers of the PM over Cabinet
PMs call the chair and set the agenda for Cabinet meetings. They establish Cabinet committees, hold bi-laterals and sofa governments and use these to bypass Cabinet
what is a bi-lateral
meeting between the PM and another minister
what was the sofa government
Blair’s unique informal bi-laterals
how is collective responsibility used to limit the power of the cabinet?
it can silence cabinet members
what is it called when the executive is dominated by the PM
presidential leadership
what are the limitations of PM power over the Cabinet
requires cabinet support on major or controversial issues
big beasts have their own authority
any threat of resignation can damage a PM
Ultimately, a PM’s position is dependent on cabinet support
Who coined the term elective dictatorship
Lord Hailsham
when did Lord Hailsham coin the term elective dictatorship
in a Dimbleby Lecture in 1976
what is an elective dictatorship
when Parliament dominates the government of the day if it has a substantial overall majority. It refers to the fact that government bills virtually always pass the Commons because of this majority
what agreements were made in the coalition agreement 2010
the conservative dropped some policies that the Lib Dems didn’t like (such as abolishing the HRA) and agreed to support the policies that the Lib Dems wanted (such as holding a referendum on electoral reform)
How were the powers of patronage constrained by the 2010 coalition agreement
The PM could not appoint Cabinet members himself
Cameron could not consult Clegg on reshuffles
Cabinet committee membership was determined by Cameron in consultation with Clegg
How did the coalition lead to changes in Cabinet government
The PM had to consult coalition partners on policy and Cabinet business
The Cabinet had an additional function of setting differences between coalition partners
The PM had to consider both coalition parties views when formulating policy
What was the quad
Cameron, George Osborne, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander (chief sec to the treasury)
what was the role of the quad
to iron out contentious matters prior to Cabinet meetings. They met to discuss issues, with each considering the consequences for their party
How did James Forsyth describe the quad
their decisions were handed down to other ministers to implement
the quad decided all major matters of policy (2013 budget)
the quad was more like Blair’s sofa government than cabinet government - intimate, relational and highly political
what was Nick Clegg’s complaint about the quad
the strength of Osborne and Alexander’s relationship apparently led Clegg to complain that Alexanader’s brain had been taken over by Treasury officials
what did the coalition government do to passing legislation
it made doing so quite difficult
what were the issues with rebellions in the coalitions
The PM was more vulnerable to rebellions, both from within his own party and from his coalition partner
What happened to the Lords during the coalition
there was increased activity and activism in the Lords as they considered the coalition government’s mandate to be weak
what happened to the role of the PM during the coalition
the PM was aware of the precarious nature of his position and the possibility of a coalition breakdown
what happened to backbenchers during the coalition government
the PM had to consider backbench option as coalition makes government control of Parliament more fragile
what was beneficial about the coalition
it gave the PM a solid majority in the Commons.
how many votes did the coalition lose in the commons
they lost only six votes in the Commons during the government
what happened to policies during the coalition
policies had additional authority as they were supported by two parties who together were elected by a majority of the electorate
