PM And Cabinet Flashcards
Power of the PM
Prerogative powers
Deciding policy
Commander-in-chief
Patronage
Media profile
Largest party in the commons
Use civil service
Mandate
What is patronage
Choosing cabinet and promoting, demoting and reshuffling members as appropriate
Quote to suggest that PM is dominate over cabinet
Elective dictatorship
What are cabinet committees
Groups of ministers that take collective decisions
Composition decided by PM
Example of a cabinet committee comprising of several related departments
The Social Reform Committee
Secretaries of education, health, work and pensions and social care
Examples of Cabinet committees in 2021
National Security Council
European Union Exit and Trade Committee
Covid-19 Strategy Committee
What does the National Security Council do
Forum for discussion and consideration of government objectives for national security
What does the European Union Exit and Trade Committee do
Overseas the UK’s exit negotiations with the EU
What does the Covid-19 Strategy Committee do
Overseas the government’s response to the pandemic, and plots the direction for the recovery strategy
Example of a PM with a clear policy agenda
Boris Johnson
‘Get Brexit Done’
Example of a PM with a catchy strapline
David Cameron
‘Big Society’
Example of the Civil service helping delivery a policy
The 2012 London Olympics
Example of a clear slogan that helped the conservatives get into power
‘Get Brexit Done’
Why can cabinets disagree
Broad-based leading to factions
Contain ‘big beasts’ (Boris Johnson in Theresa May’s cabinet)
High ambitions and egos
What is individual (ministerial) responsibility
Each minister is personally responsible for the actions and outcomes in their department
