PM dictates events&policy/is president in all but name Flashcards
institutional powers
-PM hols strong institutional powers allowing them to be an ‘elective dictator’ (Hailsham)
-most strong royal prerogative is to wage war e.g. Blair and Iraq in 2003 shows the PMs ability to detrmine foreign policy
-patronage powers can be used to shape the ideological outlook of the cabinet e.g. Johnson and Brexiteers
-PM can form cabinet committees and appoint ministers to them to strengthen their powers
institutional powers evaluation
-PMs cannot be presidents and act as a singular executive
-the PM is ‘primus inter pares’ and must work within a collective government, with pwoer being determined by political capital
-the foreign office has a significant hold over foreign policy etc.
-the ability to exercise institutional powers depends on the PMs mandate too
political context
-authority of a PM is related to their mandate and the degree to which success is determined by ministers and back benchers
-at the start of a successful premiership cabinet and backbenchers allow a successful PM significant authority e.g. Blair had unrivalled authority to pursue his agenda due to his majorities (179-1997)
-but even landslide victories can be forgotten, opinion polls are essential to a PMs power e.g. Truss falling behind due to ‘Trussonomics’
political skill
-PMs that can manage rivals effectively, demonstrate charisma, and unite their party can dictate for a while
-Thatcher used strategic anger to quell cabinet dissent and even dismissed senior figures such as Pym
-PMs that are wise and include ‘big beasts’ are more likely to avoid a coup as was the case with Blair keeping Brown as chancellor
political skill evaluation
It is clear that not all PMs are politically savvy. Liz Truss’ was widely mocked in the media for ‘going into hiding’ following the mini-budget of 2022. Even PMs with significant experience such as Thatcher made major policy mistakes (poll tax). And ultimately, however politically skilled a PM is, they are always under pressure from ambitious ‘big beasts’ who seek their office (e.g., Brown was ultimately unmanageable for Blair who was ultimately forced out before the end of his third-term).
growth of institutional support
-modern PMs have significant institutional support, the downing street machine (100 staff), allowing them to dictate events and policy
-policy unit acts as a rival to cabinet perhaps giving the PM the upper hand, Prof. Foley even suggested the emergence of a British Presidency
-Thatcher used her chief of staff Powell to settle policy disputes before meetings
-the PM has the upper hand when it comes to institutional support meaning they have this for policy formulation too
institutional support evaluation
PMs with a weak mandate or whose opinion poll ratings decline over time are increasingly challenged by Cabinet colleagues as their authority weakens. This is regardless of the PM’s overwhelming institutional support (e.g., Blair’s ‘lame duck’ final year in office following Brown’s coup).
checks and balances
-cabinet is official policy making body of executive, and asserts power if the PM is weak e.g. May 2017-19
-civil service can act as a ‘roadblock’ to reform as Blair witnessed with the frustration of his education and healthcare agenda
-UKSC has significantly checked power in recent years, Article 50 case means PM cannot withdraw treaties without a new Act of Parliament
-backbench rebellions and opposition in parliament too, even Johnson’s 80 seat majority government u-tuned on issues such as Free School meals
checks and balances evaluation
UK PMs operate in a small ‘c’ conservative system, under the principle of fusion of powers, a strong majority can lead to strong,centralised authority. Hailsham and Heffernan note, British PMs are much more powerful than presidents operating under ‘separation of powers’.Even with the checks, PMs have dictated affairs at times. Thatcher changed 40 years of the post-war economic consensus to neoliberal Hayekian economics. And Johnson undertook the biggest constitutional reform in Britain for centuries: Brexit.
