Political Circumstances And Their Impact On US President And UK Prime Minister Flashcards
What are political circumstances?
-broader conditions where gov operates
-affects policies they support, ability to govern + their interactions
What are examples of political circumstances?
-party leadership
-parl majority + confidence
-public opinion + popularity
-econ performance
-national crises + scandal
What is the impact of the political circumstance of public opinion in the UK? - 1
-heavily influences PM legitimacy
-affect PM ability pass legislation, manage party + secure electoral votes
What is an instance of public opinion?
-approval ratings + public support
-PM with high ratings has political capital so easier kiss through controversial policies or handle crises better but low ratings diminish effectiveness + capacity to lead
What is an example of this?
-Blair high ratings easily after handling GFA 1998 + early stages Iraq war
-but as war increasingly unpopular + after Hutton Inquiry into Dr Kelly death 2003 with questions on gov intelligence on weapons mass destruction approval ratings falling
What is evidence of Blair low approval ratings?
-2006 as low as 40% + 2007 below 30%
-whereas 1997 60-70% with landslide victory of 419 seats
What is the political circumstance of national crises + scandal in the UK?
-could be financial crises, health crises, security threat etc. which requires PM navigate difficult decisions + manage country’s response
What can this crises show?
-dealing with crises shows enhance in political legitimacy + authority if seen as taking decisive actions in time of need
What is an example of this?
-COVID 19 Johnson implemented nautical lockdown March 2020 + vaccine rollout
-clear communication with chief medical officer Whitty + televised briefings to inform public + create relief
How did this become a national crises?
-partygate surfaced 2021-22 creating sharp decline in public trust + political legitimacy with major political damage
-deep betrayal as flouted rules + Johnson difficult to defend his position
What is the impact of the political circumstance of public opinion in the US?
-shapes political power + effectiveness of pres
-directly influences pres ability govern, make policy decisions + maintain political legitimacy
What does public opinion influence in the executive?
-congressional relations
-pres with high approval ratings makes members congress more likely support polities +as they align with public sentiment
-but if unpopular congress likely distance from ores to avoid being seen as part of unpopular admin leading to gridlock
What is an example of this?
-Obama ratings dropped 2nd term leading to increased polarisation in Congress + gridlock on key issues such as immigration
What is the impact of the political circumstance of economic performance on the US president?
-directly influences public perception, approval ratings + pres ability govern effectively
-econ growth, unemployment, inflation etc.
What is one impact of economic performance?
-legislative success + econ policy
-econ performance impact ability pass legislation .
How can it impact this?
-if econ well pres has more political capital pursue ambitious domestic agendas like tax cuts
-if econ struggling passing laws difficult due to diminished public support
What is an example of this?
-2001 despite dot-com bubble bursting + recession
-W.Bush still able pass major tax cut plan - tax relief would stimulate econ growth as approval ratings by end 2001 still high at 80-90%
What are the political circumstances that impact the UK PM formal powers?
-prerogative powers of patronage, deploy armed forces + issue statements during national emergencies influenced by circumstances of party loyalty + internal party divisions
What is an example of this?
-May formal patronage power to reshuffle her cab + appoint new members impacted by strong opposition to her Brexit strategy from cons MPs like Johnson as foreign sec
-made it difficult to make decisions freest without backlash
How is this seen in the US?
-formal power of executive powers like pres being chief executive of controlling federal bureaucracy + it’s 15 departments or preparing annual federal budget with OMB
What re the political circumstances surrounding the pres formal powers?
-partisan polarisation that exacerbates political dynamics of pres use of exec powers
-creates deep divisions between political parties + pres finds formal powers contrasted by ideological opposition
What does this lead to?
-in tense scrutiny of executive actions by opposition party or block pres initiatives
What is an example of this?
-2017 Trump used exec powers to terminate DACA programme with exec powers
-but lawsuits from states + opposite party argued Trump decisions was arbitrary under APA - SC backed this 2020 constraining his exec powers
