PM and Executive Flashcards
Who are the executive?
The executive (known as the government) consists of approximately 100 ministers (who must be MPs or Lords), as well as the civil servants who support them.
What does the PM do in the executive?
Appoints all ministers, chairs the Cabinet, organises the structure of government departments.
What do Cabinet ministers do in the executive?
Approximately 25 ministers - each heads a government department.
What do Junior ministers do in the executive?
Approximately 75-100 ministers who work under Cabinet ministers in specific government departments. Each department is responsible for an area of policy.
What is the role of the executive as a whole?
Proposing legislation
Proposing a budget
Running the country
What is the role of the Cabinet?
Making formal decisions
Coordinating government policy
Providing a forum
Managing parliamentary business
Managing emergencies
Importance of the Cabinet
- Discusses the governments general strategy and goals.
-It is the Cabinet which deals with emergencies or crises, not the PM alone - Cabinet is much more significant under a coalition
- The Cabinet can overrule the PM or even remove them
- No PM can survive without Cabinet support
Unimportance of the Cabinet
- PMs rely less on their Cabinet for policy advice, preferring to use special advisers
- PMs decide the number and nature of Cabinet committees
- A Cabinet united behind its PM gives a PM enormous power
What is a Cabinet Committee?
Groups of Cabinet ministers designed to allow discussions and decisions to take place with fewer ministers than in the full Cabinet - the PM has the power to set up Cabinet committees and is responsible for appointments
Since the 1950s, the number and duration of cabinet meetings has steadily declined…
…from about 100 a year to 40 a year (rarely lasted over an hour)
Senior civil servants and special advisers, based at 10 Downing Street, who give policy advice and support with communications is the…
Prime Minister’s Office
Government department, with over 2,000 civil servants, responsible for supporting the Prime Minister, Deputy PM, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees is the…
Cabinet Office
What is Collective Ministerial Responsibility (CMR)?
Extends to all members of the government.
The convention requires that they all STICK TO AN AGREED POLICY and do not question it in public
Why is CMR necessary?
- Ensures ministers present a united front against opposition
- Binds the government together as ministers collective shoulder responsibility for their actions and policies
- Can enhance prime ministerial power by silencing critics within the government
Any member of the Cabinet who won’t accept these restraints is expected to resign
What is Individual Ministerial Responsibility (IMR)?
Ministers have a responsibility for their own conduct in office as well as to Parliament, comes in two strands - legal and political
What is legal responsibility?
MINISTERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR all that goes on within their OWN DEPARTMENT, whether or not they are directly concerned
MUST GIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION to Parliament, if they knowingly mislead Parliament, they are expected to resign
Ultimately, the PM decides how long a minister remains in office
What is political responsibility?
MINISTERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL CONDUCT. In this situation, ministers may be forced to resign because of a PERSONAL FAILING, not necessarily related to their performance as a minister
What is the role of the PM?
Head of government and main figure:
- appoint all ministers and are responsible for promotions, demotions and sackings
- direct government policy and provide national leadership, particularly in times of crisis
- responsible for setting up, reorganising and abolishing government departments
-they exercise royal prerogative powers
What are royal prerogative powers?
Exercised on behalf of the monarch and the executive:
- don’t require Parliament’s permission
- have existed over a long period of time (therefore traditional in nature)
- Powers are now exercised by the PM
Selecting ministers…
- May be close allies of the PM
- Their ability
- Socially balanced Cabinet
Factors affecting the PM’s power:
- Personality
- Events
- Media
- Cabinet and Party
- Majority
- Opposition
- Popularity
1997 General Election
Ethnicity:
70% of all non-white voters voted Labour - 18% for Conservatives.
Class:
Labour’s win in 1997 election came from Blair’s ability to appeal to middle-class voters as well as to the working class.
Media:
The press largely turned against the Conservative party, most media backed Blair.
The Conservatives also faced financial and sexual scandals, whilst the Labour’s polished campaign focused on Blair.
2017 General Election
Class:
Class is no longer a good indicator of voting intention.
-Labour did best among semi and unskilled manual workers, unemployed and those DE in society.
Age:
Younger voters were less likely to vote- turnout was 57% for 18-19 year olds, BUT 84% for 70+
Backbenchers (how their role is significant in Parliament)
- Can introduce the Private Members’ Bill (may become law)
- ‘Ten Minute Rule Bills’ (backbenchers are able to voice their opinion on a subject or existing legislation)
- carry out detailed scrutiny of government bills and policy (through PBC and SC)
- raise concerns of their constituents and bring them to the government’s attention
Backbenchers (how their role isn’t significant in Parliament)
- Private Members’ Bill rarely becomes law (so their time is spent considering gov bill)
- Government whips limits backbenchers roles (limiting their independence and significance)
- Proportionality of representation (minorities and women under represented, MPs usually elected on less than 50%)
- Question Time is often weak and ineffective
What is patronage?
The ability to hire and fire/make appointments
What is a strength of patronage?
The PM in effect controls the careers of ministers, which should ensure their loyalty
What is a weakness of patronage?
Ministers must come from the Commons or Lords, so there is a limited number of people to choose from/ Similarly, ministers will come from the majority party
The use of special advisers has grown in recent years…
… (John Major had 8, Tony Blair 50)- these advisers are personally loyal to the PM, rather than the government or cabinet
What is a good example for how Prime Ministers are seeing an increase in their power?
An increase in the number of special advisers in Downing Street
What is a spin doctor?
A special adviser employed to give positive interpretations of events to the media, and promote a positive party image
What is prime-ministerial government?
Recognises the growing power of the PM
What is core-executive model?
Both the PM and cabinet exercise influence on policy, but also use their contacts to exert influence
What is Presidentialism?
UK PMs have, in effect, become presidents who act like (and have the same influence as) a head of state as well as a head of government
Initiation of legislation. The executive…
controls most of the parliamentary time available for legislation
What is secondary legislation?
law made without passing a new act of Parliament - uses powers created by an earlier act
