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Politics B > Prime Minister & Cabinet > Flashcards

Prime Minister & Cabinet Flashcards

1
Q

How many members does cabinet have

A

20-25

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2
Q

What must members of the cabinet be?

A

MPs or Peers

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3
Q

Who chairs cabinet meetings with the PM?

A

Cabinet Secretary, a non-elected neutral official

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4
Q

How many years do cabinet minutes stay secret for?

A

30

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5
Q

What is the role of cabinet? [5]

A

Formalises and legitimises government policy
Settles disputes between government departments and ministers
May meet to deal with a crisis or emergency
Where presentation of policy is determined
Business of parliament is arranged

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6
Q

What is the role of ministers in the legislation process

A

Preside over the drafting of legislation and are responsible for managing proposed legislation through parliament

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7
Q

What two roles do cabinet ministers have?

A

Manage their department and are part of the senior collective decision making body

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8
Q

Ministers not in cabinet are known as what

A

Junior ministers

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9
Q

What is the Prime Minister

A

Most senior minister in the government

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10
Q

What are the PMs powers called that are transferred from the monarch?

A

Prerogative powers

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11
Q

What is the PM known as

A

Primes inter pares - first among equals

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12
Q

What is collective responsibility? [5]

A

Cabinet is collectively responsible for all government policy
All ministers must be prepared to defend government policy
Ministers must support government policy is public even if not in private
Any minister who fails to support government policy must face dismissal
Ministers must resign if they intend to oppose government policy publicly

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13
Q

Why is collective responsibility important? [3]

A

Maintains government unity
Helps the Prime minister maintain loyalty
Prevents the opposition from splitting cabinet

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14
Q

Example of a minister who resigned due to collective cabinet responsibility

A

Robin Cook (foreign secretary) in 2003 over the Iraq War

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15
Q

What is individual ministerial responsibility? [4]

A

Ministers are responsible for all decisions made by their department
They are responsible whether or not they were involved in the decision-making process
If the error is serious enough, they will be expected to resign
They are also expected to resign over serious issues of personal misconduct

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16
Q

Example of a minister resigning due to individual ministerial responsibility

A 
David Blunkett (Home Secretary) 2004
Department played a role interfering with a visa for his friends nanny
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17
Q

Example of a minister resigning over personal misconduct

A

David Laws (chief secretary to the Treasury) in 2010 due to alleged financial irregularities

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18
Q

Impact of coalition on government and cabinet [7]

A

Cabinet seats divided between parties
Policy had to be negotiated with coalition partner
Collective responsibility came under stress
In some areas, they had to ‘agree to differ’
If the PM wanted to appoint a lib dem to cabinet, he had to OK it with the leader of the lib Dems
Clegg made deputy prime minister
PMs power reduced as he had a divided government

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19
Q

Sources of Prime Ministerial power [5]

A 
Prerogative powers
Head of the governing party
Parliament
Cabinet
Tradition
20
Q

What are formal and informal powers of the PM?

A

Formal - every PM enjoys them whatever the circumstance

Informal - dependent on the political circumstances

21
Q

Formal powers of the PM [6]

A 
Negotiate foreign treaties
Commander in chief of the armed forces
Grant peerages
Determine structure of government
Head of the civil service 
Appoint and dismiss ministers
22
Q

Informal powers of the PM [4]

A

Chief policy maker for the government
Represent the nation to foreign powers
Control cabinet business
Make key short term decisions in emergency

23
Q

Example of a PM losing support of their party

A

Blair lost support over the Iraq war and was forced to stand down as a result in 2007

24
Q

Example of a PMs strength limited by parliamentary majority

A

Major lost his majority after 1992 which limited his authority

25
Q

Example of a PM who lost authority due to losing support of the media

A

Brown in 2007-10

26
Q

Example of events out of the PMs control weakening their power

A

Blair and the Iraq war

Cameron and the EU referendum

27
Q

How does the PM control cabinet? [5]

A 
Patronage
Controlling cabinet agenda
Sofa politics
Using an inner cabinet
Reducing frequency and length of cabinet meetings
28
Q

Individual considerations when appointing Cameron’s cabinet ministers (with examples) [5]

A

Close ally (George Osbourne)
Promotion as a reward for previous support (Oliver Letwin)
To represent a party faction (Theresa May)
Key person in the coalition party (Nick Clegg)
To silence a rebel by collective responsibility (Vince Cable)

29
Q

Team considerations when appointing ministers [3]

A

Political balance - all sides represented (Majors cabinet 92-7)
Social balance - women, ethnic minorities etc.
Coalition balance (18 Con, 5 LD in 2010)

30
Q

How has Prime Ministerial dominance increased? [6]

A 
Media portrayal
Cabinet control
Patronage
Bilateral arrangements
Collective responsibility
Prime Ministers departments
31
Q

Arguments that the PM is now presidential [4]

A

Prerogative powers - Commander of the Armed forces
Media Portrayal
Spatial Leadership
Prime Ministers department

32
Q

Argue that the PM isn’t a president [4]

A

Not head of state
Faces key limitations a president doesn’t
No separate source of authority from the Government
Some weaker PMs haven’t had the ‘presidential’ style

33
Q

Was Margaret Thatcher a president? [4/1]

A

Dominated politics from 82-89
Led the mission to the Falklands in 1982
Clear ideological position
Admired abroad as a great spokesperson

Removed from office by her party colleagues

34
Q

Was John Major a president? [1/4]

A

Led foreign policy in Iraq

Not a dominating personality
Limited by divided cabinet
Weak mandate due to slim majority
Wasn’t ideologically strong

35
Q

Was Blair a president? [5/2]

A

Led a new political movement - New Labour
Led forces to 4 major actions
Weakened position of cabinet
Had a huge machine reporting directly to him
Seen as an international spokesperson

Lost support at home after the Iraq war
Removed from office by his party colleagues

36
Q

Was Brown a president? [2/3]

A

Dominant in dealing with financial crisis 2007-9
Respected internationally for dealing with the financial crisis

Reputation started low and steadily declined
Limited by a divided cabinet
Didn’t adopt a presidential style

37
Q

How many members are there in the current cabinet?

A

20

38
Q

Who is the current Cabinet secretary?

A

Jeremy Heywood

39
Q

Give an example of a special cabinet session in February 2016

A

Cameron discussed terms of his EU deal

40
Q

Give an example of a PM suspending collective responsibility

A

Cameron for the EU referendum

Allowed Gove and Grayling to be leave campaigners

41
Q

Who stressed collective responsibility?

A

Vince Cable, in his vocal opposition

42
Q

Give an example of cabinet making a decision in response to a short term emergency

A

Raising terror alert from Severe to Critical after the Manchester attacks

43
Q

Individual considerations when appointing Mays cabinet

A

Close allies - Amber Rudd (home sec)
Sections of party - Andrea Leadsom (energy sec) - Brexiteer
Collective Responsibility burden - Boris

44
Q

What is the social balance of Mays cabinet?

A

7F / 15M

Priti Patel and Sajid Javid are ethnic minorities

45
Q

Was Cameron a President? [3/2]

A

Key media spokesperson
Led a new strand of conservatism
Committed forces to Libya

Forced to resign over Europe
Limited by coalition government

Politics B (4 decks)

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