Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Politics > Prime Minister, Cabinet and Executive > Flashcards

Prime Minister, Cabinet and Executive Flashcards

1
Q

executive definition

A

the branch of government that is responsible for the implementation of laws and policies made by parliament

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

prime minister definition

A

the head of government and the chair of the cabinet

as Bagehot put it ‘primus inter parus’ first amongst equals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

bureaucracy definition

A

the administrative machinery of government; literally it means ‘rule by officials’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

presidentialism definition

A

the tendency for political leaders to act increasingly like executive presidents, through the rise of personalised leadership

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

two types of executive

A

political executive - government of the day, composed of ministers and its job is to take overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of government policy
official executive - bureaucracy, composed of civil servants and its job is to provide political advice and to implement government policy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

brief formal powers of the prime minister

A 
royal prerogative
defence, foreign relations and national security
cabinet management
patronage
dissolution
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

royal prerogative

A 
power of the crown exercised by the prime minister on behalf of the monarch
command of the armed forces
negotiation of treaties
public appointments
granting honours
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

defence, foreign relations and national security

A

PM = commander in chief of the armed forces
PM= personally in charge for decision making during war time
can enhance power: Gulf War 1990 for Major, Falklands War 1982 thatcher’s opinion polls sky rocketed ‘iron lady’
or reduce power: blair into Iraq 2003

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

cabinet management

A

PM alone appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers
-cabinet committees
-determines cabinet agenda
-chairs meetings of the cabinet
-call emergency cabinet meetings
eg; was big worry after DC renegotiated terms of EU membership when cabinet meeting would be (the same Friday or have to wait until following Tuesday)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

patronage

A

the power to make appointments
-cabinet ministers
-peerages and other honours
-senior civil servants
-archbishops and bishops (royal prerogative since henry 8th)
-heads of memebers of public bodies eg; Next steps agencies, nationalised industries, royal commissions, quangos
eg; Tonies Cronies = tony accused of filing many posts with new labour people especially peers/honours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

dissolution

A

until 2011, general elections had to take place within 5 years of the previous one
Pm had the power to determine exact timing to give maximum political advantage
eg; Thatcher called a year early 1987 during economic boom
Blair called 2001 and 2005, both a year early
but can backfire
Heath called early during strikes assuming it would make labour unpopular, lost
full terms often signify weakness, brown wanted 2007, didn’t, credit crunch, lost in 2010
PMs also use elections as a threat against dissident elements within their own party
eg; Major forced through Maastricht treaty 1992-3 by threatening Eurosceptics with an election they would lose
Coalition agreement May 2010 introduced fixed term parliament act which removed this power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

informal powers brief (10)

A 
majority
media 
personality
cabinet control
peronal popularity
divided party
economy
international prestige
leadership rivals
coalition...
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Example of majority enhancing / reducing power

A

enhanced Blair 1997-2005 = 177 wasn’t defeated in this parliament (was defeated 4 times Nov2005- july 2006)
reduced Major 21 (defeated 6 times in seven years)
Callaghan reduced to 1 short of a majority after former cabinet minister John Stonehouse reigned, defeated 34 times in 3 years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Example of media image enhancing / reducing power

A

Enhanced :Blair 1997-2001 had the support of the sun and the times
reduced: Blair 2005-2007 due to Iraq war

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Example of personality enhancing /reducing power

A

Thatcher appeared strong: iron lady

Major appeared weak (steve bell cartoons)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Example of cabinet control enhancing /reducing power

A

Callaghan 1976 very strong control

major struggled with so many splits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

example of personal popularity enhancing / reducing power

A

Blair 1997-2001 enhanced
reduced Thatcher 1990 forced to resign
blair 2003-4 reduced over Iraq war

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

party united / divided

A 
blair = strong united 1997-2001
major = eurosceptics, 9 had the whip withdrawn
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

examples of economy enhancing / reducing power

A

Wilson 1966-1968

Brown 2008-2010 iron chancellor for ten years then credit crunch..

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

international prestige enhancing / reducing power example

A

enhancing blair stood with bush after 9/11

reducing brown

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

leadership rivals examples of enhancing / reducing power

A

Blair, first labour leader to win 3 elections successively

major (Michel porthillo, john redwood)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

brief what the PM has to help him carry out his public role

A 
press office
political advisors
PMs private office
political office
cabinet office
23
Q

role of press office

A

paid for by tax payer
first high profile: Bernard Ingham (thatcher) seen as spokesman for thatcher not government
Blair; Alistair Campbell controversial as had more influence than some of blairs ministers
since blair began, press office has doubled in size
David Cameron ; andy Coulson (phone hacking)

24
Q

political advisors

A

February 1974 Wilson created a policy unit
increasingly important
more politicised over time

25
Q

PMs private office

A

PM never alone, eg phone conversations
records of everything kept
civil servants do three years then return to a department

26
Q

political office

A

liaise between the party in parliament and the party in the country and the trade unions.
In total Major = 22 people working directly for him,
Blair = 40

27
Q

cabinet office

A

over 2000 civil servants
ensure the business of cabinet and cabinet committees run smoothly
July 1998 Sir Richard Wilson (incoming cabinet secretary) introduced number of reforms so cabinet office now much closer to ‘Prime Ministers Department’

28
Q

brief constraints on the PM

A

public opinion
ruling party
parliament
cabinet

29
Q

public opinion explained as constraint on PM’s power

A

PMs do not have to listen to public opinion, eg Thatcher’s satisfaction rating never reached 50%, 1980s a low as 29%
But makes the party uneasy if leader is unpopular especially as elections come close
but in general leaders are more concerned with their standing within the party, parliament and cabinet?

30
Q

the ruling party explained as constraint on PM’s power

A

used to be labour more constrained to party than conservatives
this reversed 1980s and 1990s
party generally supports PM as long as PM generates electoral success
eg Thatchers downfall brought on by Geoffrey Howe’s damming resignation speech “It is rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find, as the first balls are being bowled, that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain’
PMs should listen to the party membership (corbyn at PMQTs) but can defy

31
Q

Parliament explained as constraint on PM’s power

A

Backbench rebellions
both blair and brown defeated by parliament over time suspects can be detained without charge
But large majorities
also obstructions from the lords (working tax credits)
Major’s dealings with EU dictated by the attitude of a group of dissident MPs who threatened to bring down his government

32
Q

the cabinet explained as constraint on PM’s power

A

power declined over last 40 years
Even thatcher had to bow to cabinet in the early days and they spelled her downfall. she bowed over pressure to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in October 1990
in reality PMs don’t bring proposals to cabinet without ensuring it would be endorsed with ministers
constraints by cabinet tend to be informal
Tony Blair = sofa government , 20 minuet rubber stamping cabinet committees
Under brown they became longer
coalition revived use of the cabinet
but the Quad - Cameron, Osborne, clegg, alexander
due to very small majority Cameron is going to have to listen to his cabinet

33
Q

4 theories for prime ministerial power

A

elastic premiership
flexible premiership
british presidency
cyclic premiership

34
Q

elastic premiership

A

George Jones
an individual may stretch powers well beyond normal scope but once power had been stretched too its limits the forces to reduce it become stronger. If a PM pushes it too far, he or she will be reined back by the inbuilt constraints in the political system
futile to believe the PM can make permanent extensions to its authority
eg; thatcher
pushed power too far, war then brought down by her own ministers

35
Q

flexible premiership

A

Peter Hennessy
PM power bound to grow, each new incumbent adds something new so bound to expand over time like a house adding new extensions
but there is a limiting factor that now the job has simply become too much for one person to handle
eg; thatcher was a workaholic notorious for on having 2 hours sleep a night

36
Q

British Presidency

A

PM has become presidential but not in an American way
(Michael Foley)
Kavanagh states PM is not becoming presidential because president is actually relatively weak
Foley instead states PM is playing a new role where they stand out from the rest of government and able to distance himself but still has to face the constraints of cabinet government

37
Q

cyclic premiership

A

Kavanagh PM’s tend to have a style different from that of their predecessor
eg; meek Alec Douglas-Home followed by powerful Harold ‘supermac’ macmillan
Thatcher followed by Major
blair followed by brown

38
Q

role of the PM

A 
making government
directing government policy
managing the cabinet system
organising government
controlling parliament
providing national leadership
39
Q

role of the cabinet

A 
formal policy approval
policy coordination
resolve disputes
forum for debates
party management
symbol of collective government
40
Q

differences between ministers and civil servants

A 
ministers
-normally elected
-party members
-temporary
-public figures
-run departments
-make policy
-responsible to parliament
civil servants
-appointed officials
-politically neutral
-permanent
-anonymous
-work in departments
-advise on policy
-responsible to ministers
41
Q

4 more theories of who has power in the executive

A

cabinet government
prime-ministerial government
presidentialism
core executive model

42
Q

evidence for presidentialism

A 
growth of spatial leadership (leaders giving themselves space from their party
tendency towards populist outreach
personalised election campaigns
personal mandates
wider use of special advisors
strengthened cabinet office
43
Q

core executive model

A

Smith 1999
neither PM nor cabinet are independent actors
each of them exercise influence through a network of relationships formal and informal

44
Q

Blair poweful

A

large majority
enfeebled opposition (disunited and badly led)
November 2005 - DC = opposition grew
In full control of his party -
but was defeated in the commons November 2005 over an amendment to the terrorism bill allowing to be held without trial for 90 days
management of media = good
presidential style

45
Q

brown weak

A

blair smaller majority (60)
economic crisis (had been running the economy for 10 years)
government finances in poor state = little room for manoeuvre
never as good with the media

46
Q

who makes up the core executive

A

collective term for all those executive bodies with which the PM consults

  • PM and his office
  • deputy PM
  • cabinet
  • junior ministers
  • civil servants
47
Q

what does the cabinet do

A 
sets government agenda
registers decisions made in cabinet committees
discussion and decision making
disputes settled
reports on recent developments
rubber stamp
48
Q

features of the cabinet

A

central policy-making body
primus inter pares principle
cabinet, not PM government (in theory)
drawn from members of the party
comes from commons with the occasional lord
bound by collective ministerial responsibility

49
Q

collective cabinet responsibility

A

custom and convention that cabinet ministers are bound to support the decisions they have made as a collective body
expected to publicly support and if not they must resign from the cabinet

50
Q

individual ministerial responsibility

A

custom and convention that cabinet ministers are responsible for all that goes on in their department
traditionally if something goes wrong in their department they were expected to resign even if they were not personally to blame
in the last 20 years however ministers tend to remain..

51
Q

traditional importance of the cabinet

A

between 1979 and 2010 has decreased in importance
thatcher and blair sidelined the cabinet
short meetings
sofa government
just a rubber stamping body?
but cabinet is only the tip of the iceberg with around 30 cabinet committees which are much more efficient and leave ministers much better informed

52
Q

importance of the cabinet during the coalition

A

increased hugely
coalition agreement 2010 = broad contact
Cameron now unable to force decisions through like his predecessors, had to collaborate with the lib dems
but still the quad who made most decisions before they reached the cabinet
both parties saw cabinet as important to them (tories = maintain support from lib dems, lib dems as they were now in the focal point of power)
lib dems had roughly 5 ministers
junior posts = opposite to main minister
ideological differences had to be worked out to practical compromises
but were still some backbench rebellions (tory refusal to support lords reform 2012)

53
Q

examples of collective cabinet responsibility

A

2003 Iraq war - robin cook and clare short, leader of the house and development of overseas ministers, cook resigned, short broke collective ministerial responsibility by calling blair ‘reckless’ but didn’t resign, she then resigned two months later?
2014 Norman Baker - minister of state at the home office, series of clashes with Teresa may, baker resigned saying too hard to work with her.

54
Q

examples of individual ministerial responsibility

A

2006 Ruth Kelly, education secretary, teachers allowed to work in schools despite being sex offenders, ordered review of policy but did not resign
2014 Mark Harper, immigration minister, employed a cleaner who did not have permission to live and work in the UK, resigned

Politics (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions