P3 - Executives Compared Flashcards
how do the US president and the UK PM differ
the US president has separate powers and a separate mandate, while the UK PM has power only because their party is the leading party in the House of Commons
how do the role of the PM and the president differ
the UK PM is head of government whilst the US president is head of state and head of government
how does the mandate differ between the PM and the president
in the UK, they have the party mandate from being the leader of the largest party in Commons and can serve any number of terms, whilst the US President has a personal mandate from a direct election, but can only serve two terms
how does the sovereignty of the President and the PM differ
in reality, the PM acts as sovereign as a leader with a majority (in theory, this is the queen), whilst both in reality and in theory, the president is sovereign with constitutional powers.
how do the executives of the US and the UK differ
in the UK, it is a collective executive as primus inter pares (first among equals) within the Cabinet, whilst the US is a singular executive but appoints a Cabinet and EXOP to support him.
how does commandership of the US and UK differ
the UK is commander-in-chief through royal prerogative, whilst in the US they are the commander-in-chief of the US armed forces according to the constitution
how does the legislative agenda of the UK and the US differ
in the UK, the legislative agenda is drawn up and written in the Queen’s Speech each year. In the US, the president delivers the state of the union address which serves as the legislative agenda but has no power t force it through congress
how does the veto change between the UK and the US
in the UK, the PM has no need to veto legislation due to having a majority; however, has an effective veto through the majority. On the other hand, the PM has the veto, according to the Constitution.
what does executive power depend on in both the US and the UK
their control of, and majority size in, the legislature
how is the role of the legislature similar in both countries
their role is to scrutinise policy proposals, and in both countries, the legislature has made notable changes to government proposals.
what power do both legislatures have that they haven’t exercised for centuries
they both have the power to remove the government, but both haven’t exercised this for centuries
how does the power of Congress and Parliament differ
constitutionally separated powers give Congress a final say on many issues such as approval of cabinet ministers. While Parliament is in theory sovereign, the executive dominance means Parliament is often subservient to the government
how does the power of removing government differ in the UK and the US
government in the UK can be removed with a vote of no confidence and has been so twice in the 20th century. Impeachment proceedings have only been brought three times against a president, and none successfully.
how does the power to initiate legislation differ in the US and the UK
while the state of the union is a suggestion of what the president would like achieved, the separated powers mean he has little muscle to force Congress to act upon it, unlike the UK government, which writes the Queen’s speech as the legislative agenda for the coming year.
