Prime Minister And The Executive Flashcards
Define royal perogrative powers
A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch by normally exercised by the prime minister or cabinet.
Define secondary legislation
Powers given to the executive by parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules
Define Individual responsibility
The responsibility principle by which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for their departments
Define collective cabinet responsibility
Principle by which ministers must support cabinet decisions or leave the executive
Define presidential government
An executive government dominated by one individual. This may be a president by can describe a strong dominate prime minister
Define the elastic band theory
An MPs power stretches depending on circumstances and personality
Define cabinet government
A government in which the real executive power rests with a cabinet of ministers who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislative
Define sofa government
Preference for informed meetings over structured cabinet ones
Define spads
A special advisor who works in a supporting role to the British government with media political or policy expertise. Their duty is to assist and advise government ministers
Who is the Secretary of State for the foreign office
Boris Johnson
What meeting does the Secretary of State attend?
Cabinet meetings
Give an example of a junior minister in the foreign affairs department
Harriett Baldwin - minister of state for Africa
Why would a government need a monster in the lords
To represent the House of Lords I the government
Who is the Secretary of State for the health department
Jeremy Hunt
Who are the junior ministers for the health department
Phillip Dunne
Jackie Doyle Price
Lord O shaunassy
What are the three main roles of the executive
Proposing legislation
Proving the budget
Making policy decisions
How is proposing legislation, the executive function, carried out
They introduce proposals for. We laws or amendments
It announcers a new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in the queens speech
Give an example of a queens speech
2015 Queens speech reflected Cameron’s proposals for: EVEL Protecting against strikes An EU referendum
How is proposing the budget, the executive function, carried out
Created by the chancellor of the exchequer in consultation with the prime minister and is revealed to the cabinet shortly before being presented to the commons
How is making policy decisions , the executive function, carried out
Has to give effect to its aims for the future direction of the country
Important decisions include
Allowing free schools
Putting more competition into the NHS
Universal credit
Give three examples of royal perogrative powers
Grant and withdraw passports
legal pardons
Sign treaties
How have royal perogative powers been restricted in recent years
2011 fixes Term Parliament Act removed the pms right to call an election
2003 Iraq war governments accept that military requires prior parliamentary approval
What restriction on royal perogative power seems to ha e broken in recently
Fixed term parliament act. May calling an election early
Why was it easier for the government to take back this prerogative power than the other change
Because there was loophole and they could push through using whips as Labour was weak
Why could major be said to exist in his predecessors shadow
He was little know unexpectedly taking over from a dominant prime minister
He lacked ideological commitment
He had a small majority of only 21
What problem did existing in his predecessors shadow cause major
He had a party of conflict over the European Union.
He had an impression if weak leadership leading to media ridicule
What was majors relationship with his cabinet
He precise over an increasingly divided cabinet with weak leadership
What were the major issues and factors that caused major a weak pm
- Economic policy was mixed
- conflict over the EU
- Had to devote so much time to Parliamentary management meaning little policy was achieved
What were the major successes of major
- Replaced the unpopular poll tax with council tax, distancing from the uncaring reputation of its predecessor
- Handled first gulf war effectively
- A more collequial
- Lack of ideological committement
- Progress towards a peace deal, he was able to trust in the 1993 Downing Street declaration
What was back to basics
A political campaign to bring Britain back to traditional conservative morality based on self reliance, decency the family and reaping for the law but it created the Sleaze scandal
How large was Blair’s majority in 1997
179
How large was Blair’s majority in 2001
166
How big was Blair’s majority in 2005
66
Name three spads for Blair
Alistair Campbell - press secretary
Jonathan Powell - chief of staff
Anji Hunter - Government relation
What are the key successes of Blair’s premiership
Public service reform
Revival of Northern Ireland peace process
Constitutional reform changes
Strong emphasis on strengthening the centre of the U.K. government
What did Blair achieve in terms of public service reform?
He created self governing city academies to replace failing state schools
He created foundation hospitals who managers were given additional funding
National minimum wage
Free nursery places
What did Blair achieve in terms of reviving Northern Ireland’s peace process?
Created power sharing institutions in 1999 good Friday agreement
He built a constructive personal relationship with key individuals
What did Blair achieve in terms of constitutional reform changes?
Modernised the political system without jeopardising the authority of central government
Most hereditary peers were removed
Devolution
What were the three failures of Blair’s time in office?
Brown placed strong limitations of Blair
He was unsuccessful to reform the way services were delivered
He ruled using a sofa government
What did Blair fail in terms of Browns placing limitations?
After a second term their relationship deteriorated
Brown believed Blair would step down after 2 terms
Blair said his third term would be his last but speculation reduced his authority
Brown denied Blair to take us into the EU single market
What did Blair fail in terms of a sofa government?
Increased power to direct events
He had a preference for bilateral informal meetings led to little discussion for example decisions in launching the Iraq war
Why was Blair deemed to more of a presidential prime minister
Individual cabinet ministers would have less autonomy than on the past and they would work to a much more centrally managed agenda
What are the three ways that support the statement “prime ministers are largely successful for to their personal attributes rather than political circumstances”
Blair was proactive and took a direct approach and wasn’t just responding to crisis
Major had a weak laissez leadership
Blair was successful because he was patient
What are the three ways that challenge the statement “prime ministers are largely successful for to their personal attributes rather than political circumstances”
Major faced party conflict
Brown was dealing with the financial crash
David Cameron was bound by the coalition
What is the ministerial code
A document containing the individuals ministerial responsibility. This recently states ministers have a duty to parliament to account and be held to account
Why is the ministerial code just a guideline
Because it is up to the prime minister whether they are removed depending on three factors
Prime ministers feelings on that day
The scale of the scandal
Level of parliamentary criticism
Who many a minister sacrifice rather than taking the blame themselves
Director generals
Give an example of an MP who had to resign under Major
Michael Brown - Allegations of a homosexual affair with a 20 year old student when the legal age was 21
Give an example of an MP who had to resign under Blair
David Blunkett (Home Secretary) An email confirmed that his ex lovers former nanny had her visa application fast tracked
Give an example of an MP who had to resign under May
Amber Rudd (Home Secretary) She told the commons there no such targets on immigration when there was. And the Windrush scandal
How can collective cabinet responsibility be used by the prime minister to manage those parliamentary party
It’s used to maintain unity to overturn the opposition. They. An use it to stop a minister opposing government plans by promoting them for example Robert Halfron
Give two cases were collective cabinet responsibility was suspended
AV referendum
EU referendum
Why was collective cabinet responsibility suspended
To give ministers the opportunity to campaign on both sides in the interest of their constituents
Why does May find it difficult to enforce collective cabinet responsibility
Because she is a weak and has no overall majority. So by firing someone she puts herself in a tougher position
What are the two ways of evading collective cabinet responsibility
Grumble from within.
Leak dissatisfaction to the media
What are the five factors responsible for the prime ministers selection of ministers
The importance of including individuals with the ability and experience
Establishing a prime ministers authority
Rewarding loyalty and including key allies
Maintaining a balance between different factions within a governing party
Meeting expectations of diversity
What is meant by The importance of including individuals with the ability and experience
There are a large number of MPs so are natural backbenchers without the altitude for high office of ideology is too far from main stream. General ability as an administrator is more important because the department is staffed by the civil service
What is meant by Establishing a prime ministers authority
An incoming prime minister will want to stamp their own authority on the government. Not all make radical changes. For example John major did not remove key people associated with Thatcher until his general election in 1992. In contrast May wanted to distance from Cameron and removed chancellor Osborne
What is meant by rewarding loyalty and including key allies
Blair began his second term in 2001 by appointing several committed supporters of the New Labour to key positions like David Blunkett as Home Secretary because they were loyal. He also appointed those that were troublesome to key positions too like Brown as Chancellor to handle the tensions
What is meant by maintaining the balance between different factions within the governing party
In order to maintain a unified party it is important to find posts for MPs with different ideological views to the PM. May had to include prominent Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Pro-Europeans like Phillip Hammond
What is meant by maintaining expectations of diversity
In 1990 Major faced adverse comments for including no women in his cabinet. Since then it has become the norm to give women high up positions such as Blair’s Margaret Beckett the first female foreign secretary. And there has also been greater representation of ethnic groups like Sajid Javid
What percentage of MPs are women
32% - 208
What percentage of Peers are women
26% - 206
