prime minister and the executive Flashcards
what is the structure and role of the executive
executive = government - prime minister and cabinet
junior minsters
served by civil servants
sources and power of the prime minister
normally leader in largest party
authority derives from king asking them to form government on there behalf
also convention that PM should be part of HOC
can be PM by winning general election or replacing Pm who resigned
what are the powers of the PM
can excerise royal perogative - powers exercised by PM on behalf of the monarch eg military action, negotiates foreign treaties, appoints life peers to hol, determines membership of government
pm also defines narrative of government eg thatcher defined free market principles
what are the roles of government departments
the government also has the cabinet and junior ministers
cabinet ministers will generally be in charge of departments of state such as home office, foreign office, eduction ect
there function is to manage the particular area and to develop policy + propose legislations to do with there department
Secretary of State - minister who takes ultimate responsibility for the department then there junior ministers who are bound collective ministerial responsibility
each department can get advice from civil servants - neutral advisors so not held accountable
what is individual ministerial responsibility
minsters are accountable to parliament for the actions of their department - therefore should justify there actions in parliamentary debates, written responses and before select committees
should also take personal responsibility for serious mistakes that occur in there department
eg 2018 amber Rudd resigned when she admitted that she had not told the truth to the HOC when she stated that there were no home office targets for removing illegal immigrants
also expected to resign if there personal conduct is not up to standard eg Michael Fallon defence secretary 2017 resigned over bad behaviour towards women
what is collective ministerial responsibility
ministers must publicly support government policies even if they are critical in private and if they don’t they should resign
requires that discussions within cabinet must be kept secret
if a minister cannot bring themselves to publicly agree they have choice but to resign and return to the backbenches
eg robin cook resigned from Tony Blairs government over its preparations for war with Iraq
the extent to which cmr operated can be debated
ministers have been known to leak criticisms of there own government- John major did not trust some of his cabinet members believing they were briefing the press against him
in 2010 the coalition meant cabinet would be allowed to disagree - the compromise worked out was cmr would apply to things in the coalition agreement
the EEC/EU demonstrates limits of CMR -
in 1975 harold Wilsons government was divided overmembership of EEC so had to abandon CMR to allow them to campaign on different sides even tho the government stated policy was to stay in
in 2016 David Cameron had the same problem - he suspended CMR
what are the functions of the cabinet
cabinet 20-25 ministers, meets once a week for no more than 2 hours
pm sets agenda
roles: approve decisions - seal of government policy. this maintains unity of government and legitimacy of policy
determine key issues of policy - 1976 James Callaghan allowed the cabinet to freely debate on weather to accept loan on international monetary fund
in 2018 may summoned cabinet to discuss what the governments bargaining position should be in the final stage of brexit
decide how government will determine business - if controversial legislation is going to be introduced to parliament they will decide how its best to be presented
solve dispute between 2 departments - significant during 2010-15 coalition
how is cabinet selected
allies
eg Theresa may wanting to scrap some of Camerons policies so sacked George Osborne
eg thatcher relied on advice and support of William white law
Allies - Don’t want enemies , Support and agree , Less likely to leak , Rewarding support ,
Who is actually good at the job - Eg michael gove - straws and levelling up Ect
Expert on there topic
Keeping out drama
Eg Rishi not putting in past failures Liz kwazi boris - suella?
Demographics - Gender, sexuality, race, class
Big beasts - Famous and important
members of your own party
Eg Theresa may including boris
Eg rishi including penny
Enemies
“Keep you enemies closer”
Forced to support you
Stops leadership challenges
Range of views
Eg may wanted range of views on brexit like boris and amber
boris only had brexit MPs
Eg Tony Blair including left winger John Prescott
Promoting new talent
Coalition - Must have both parties involved
Eg Lib Dem’s and conservatives
how significant is the cabinet
every cabinet is composed of the most powerful and influential members of a political party - pm wld be unwise to ignore that
each pm will approach cabinet differently eg Tony Blair knew what he wanted so cabinet was more focused on how to report on decisions that had already been made
whereas John major and Theresa may had to balance the cabinet
does cabinet play a central role in British cabinet
yes - during political crisis Pm will need to discuss options (cabinet has good wisdom)
eg during Argentinean invasion of the faulkands thatcher summoned emergency meeting
in April 2018 Theresa may called meeting to discuss action in response to Syrian governments use of chemical weapons
cabinet can challenge authority of PM - 1969 Harold was stopped from actions on trade unions
1990 - failure of cabinet to offer Margaret thatcher full support during helstines leadership challenge
no - can ignore cabinet eg Tony and Harold with there sofa and kitchen cabinets
Margaret
to what extent is the prime minister the dominant force in politics
greatly depends on the circumstances in which they hold office
The authority that a prime minister wields depends greatly on the circumstances in which they hold office. Although prime ministers can decisively move on the political agenda , they can also fall victim to a changing political environment. eg
Edward Heath - had a dominant personality, a loyal cabinet and a workable parliament majority and was determined to modernise the uk. His most significant achievement was using the prestige of his office to negotiate the uks entry into the EEC in 1973. However his authority was challenged by a remarkable series of misfortunes. Miners strikes in 1972 and then again in 1974
James Callaghan following the resignation of Harold Wilson he become prime minister. Popular in the party and with a strong personal approval rating in the nation, he quickly stamped his authority on government however then strikes happened called the winter of discontent so he eventually lost a vote of no confidence
did coalition government, strength David Cameron as PM
yes - won only 306 seats but need 326 so the support of 57 Lib Dems provided him with parliamentary votes he needed to form a stable government
no - as a result of the coalition government Cameron had to GIve cabinet positions to 5 Lib Dems and put nick Clegg as deputy Pm
yes- enabled him to fulfil most of his manifesto commitments especially his austerity proposals to reduce public spending
no- had to agree to AV referendum and his plans to redraw parlimentary boundaries was stopped by Lib Dem opposition
yes- the coalition lasted 5 years despite differences - helped by the passing of the fixed term parliament act 2011 which set the date for the 2015 general election
no - as no party won the HOL suspended salisbury convention
presidents in all but name
have become dominant in cabinet and media become obsessed with there characters. ‘spatial leadership’ - distancing themselves from party
media= constant spotlight on PM not government
yes- media focusing on PM to many means believe they have personal mandate so ignore cabinet
no - power depends on parliamentary majority - they have no direct mandate from the public
they are constitutionally incapable of being president but can display presidential characteristics
Harold wilson - highly presidential - liked to ignore cabinet and would make key decisions regarding policy with a small group of trusted advisors known as his ‘kitchen cabinet’
some people called his cabinet the ‘doodling cabinet’ since very few important things were discussed
however his part was divided and his dominance can be exaggerated eg
1969 cabinet row over trade union led to Home Secretary Callaghan forcing him into a humiliating climb down
Margaret thatcher - had complex relation with cabinet
at first when she was PM she saw the importance of throughly discussing issues in cabinet - had to balance supporters
1981 she allowed extensive debate on controversial tax raising budget + debated Falklands war
however following her victories in Argentina and the miners she became increasingly dominant In cabinet - Michael helstine resigned as defence secretary as he felt his opinion was no longer being listened to
Tony Blair - had very clear vision
he achieved huge parliamentary majority so had big mandate for change
his approach was highly presidential
cabinet was so disminnished that it was just notified of decisions that had already been made in PM private office - ‘sofa government’
even before his first cabinet met Blair and his chancellor decided to give interest raising powers to Bank of England - when asked if he would discuss with cabinet he said ‘they’ll agree’
didn’t give cabinet proper information on Iraq war
Theresa may - her ruthless reorganisation of cabinet stamped mays authority on the new government especially the sacking of George Osborne
the decision to call snap general election was not discussed in cabinet+ conservative manifesto drawn up with no cabinet in put
however she had the constraints pf having to balance between remainers and leavers + she lost parliament majority which made her less trusted
had to focus all energy on Brexit
