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Politics > P2 - The Prime Minister > Flashcards

P2 - The Prime Minister Flashcards

1
Q

What is the PM relation in government

A

they are the head of government

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2
Q

What do they direct and provide

A

government policy and provide national leadership, particularly in times of crisis

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3
Q

what are they the chair of

A

cabinet

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4
Q

what are they responsible for

A

setting up, reorganising and abolishing government departments

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5
Q

What powers can they exercise

A

their royal prerogative

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6
Q

What are the royal prerogative powers

A

exercised on the behalf of the monarch by the PM and the executive

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7
Q

what powers come under the royal prerogative

A 
Patronage
make treaties with other countries
head of the civil service 
call and election
deploy the military
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8
Q

Which prerogative power was removed in 2011

A

the power to call an election

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9
Q

Why did Gordon Brown apparently appoint Ed Balls as a minister

A

he was a former personal advisor and was a close ally

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10
Q

What is an example of the PM appointing a political ‘big beast’ as a minister

A

Boris Johnson was in David Cameron’s political Cabinet

Vince Cable was in the coalition cabinet

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11
Q

what is an example of an appointment based on the ability of a minister

A

the appointment of Lord Mandelson by Gordon Brown in 2008. He made him a lord just so he could have him in his cabinet

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12
Q

What is an example of a PM appointing a minister to encourage different political views

A

Theresa May had to manage the Brexit/remainer balance in her Cabinet very carefully so as not to upset either side

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13
Q

What is an example of a PM promoting political adversaries in order to silence them

A

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

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14
Q

What is an example of a PM having a socially balanced Cabinet

A

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

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15
Q

What is an example of ministers being good parliamentarians

A

William Hague was well known as an outstanding debater in Parliament

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16
Q

What is the power of the PM over the cabinet

A

the PM appoints, shuffles and dismisses Cabinet ministers as well as all ministers in the government

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17
Q

How is the PM limited in their power over the Cabinet

A

‘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

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18
Q

What is the power of the PM over the party

A

Party, cabinet and parliament are loyal to the PM as leader of the party, which usually commands a majority in the Commons

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19
Q

what are the limits on the PMs power over the party

A

loyalty is dependent on the possibility of electoral success
backbench rebellions in the commons are possible
there is a risk of a leadership challenge

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20
Q

How does personality limit the PM’s power

A

whether the PM is charismatic or not affects their ability to persuade colleagues and the electorate

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21
Q

how do events limit the PM’s power

A

even the most powerful PM can be derailed by an unexpected event, which can turn everything on its head

22
Q

how does the media limit the PM’s power

A

a PM that is able to be an effective media performer can be seen as more powerful than one who is not

23
Q

how does the opposition limit the PM’s power

A

a weak opposition allows the PM to be more dominant

24
Q

how does popularity limit the PM’s power

A

if they are popular they are given more freedom by their party than unpopular ones

25
Q

how does the majority limit the PM’s power

A

a large majority in the Commons gives PMs huge power, while the opposite is also certainly true; coalitions can work both ways

26
Q

how do the Cabinet and the Party limit PM’s power

A

if they are prepared to give the PM a lot of leeway, this will enhance a PM’s power

27
Q

How has institutional support for the PM risen

A

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

28
Q

what are the limits on institutional support for the PM

A

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

29
Q

what are the powers of the PM over Cabinet

A

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

30
Q

what is a bi-lateral

A

meeting between the PM and another minister

31
Q

what was the sofa government

A

Blair’s unique informal bi-laterals

32
Q

how is collective responsibility used to limit the power of the cabinet?

A

it can silence cabinet members

33
Q

what is it called when the executive is dominated by the PM

A

presidential leadership

34
Q

what are the limitations of PM power over the Cabinet

A

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

35
Q

Who coined the term elective dictatorship

A

Lord Hailsham

36
Q

when did Lord Hailsham coin the term elective dictatorship

A

in a Dimbleby Lecture in 1976

37
Q

what is an elective dictatorship

A

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

38
Q

what agreements were made in the coalition agreement 2010

A

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)

39
Q

How were the powers of patronage constrained by the 2010 coalition agreement

A

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

40
Q

How did the coalition lead to changes in Cabinet government

A

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

41
Q

What was the quad

A

Cameron, George Osborne, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander (chief sec to the treasury)

42
Q

what was the role of the quad

A

to iron out contentious matters prior to Cabinet meetings. They met to discuss issues, with each considering the consequences for their party

43
Q

How did James Forsyth describe the quad

A

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

44
Q

what was Nick Clegg’s complaint about the quad

A

the strength of Osborne and Alexander’s relationship apparently led Clegg to complain that Alexanader’s brain had been taken over by Treasury officials

45
Q

what did the coalition government do to passing legislation

A

it made doing so quite difficult

46
Q

what were the issues with rebellions in the coalitions

A

The PM was more vulnerable to rebellions, both from within his own party and from his coalition partner

47
Q

What happened to the Lords during the coalition

A

there was increased activity and activism in the Lords as they considered the coalition government’s mandate to be weak

48
Q

what happened to the role of the PM during the coalition

A

the PM was aware of the precarious nature of his position and the possibility of a coalition breakdown

49
Q

what happened to backbenchers during the coalition government

A

the PM had to consider backbench option as coalition makes government control of Parliament more fragile

50
Q

what was beneficial about the coalition

A

it gave the PM a solid majority in the Commons.

51
Q

how many votes did the coalition lose in the commons

A

they lost only six votes in the Commons during the government

52
Q

what happened to policies during the coalition

A

policies had additional authority as they were supported by two parties who together were elected by a majority of the electorate

Politics (56 decks)

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