Relations between Core exec, PM and cabinet Flashcards
what is the core executive?
‘all those organisations and procedures which coordinate central government policies, as act as final arbiters of conflict between different parts of the government machine.’
what are the origins of the Prime Ministers office?
Based largely on convention when George I stopped going to cabinet meetings, requiring the first lord of the treasury to chair. 1721 Robert Walpole seen as first PM, title of PM not made until Benjamin Disraeli signed 1878 treaty of Berlin as PM of England.
what are the PMs roles and powers generally?
Constitution did not outline specific roles, so much of PMs power comes through convention (although it does in US too). PM is chief executive, chief legislator, chief diplomat, public relations chief and party chief. In these role he has many powers
Name the four main PM powers
Power of patronages- appointing and firing cabinet, senior civil servants and quangos, bishops in CofE, create peers, nominate individuals for the honours list.
Powers over cabinet and civil service– control number, timing and duration of cabinet meetings, as well as agenda and speakers. Also controls the structure and composition of cabinet committees, as well as chairing many of them.
Powers over parliament– leader of majority party, so controls timetable– can control party and even dissolve parliament through votes of no confidence.
Powers over the agenda– key role in agenda-setting and policy-making (Queens speech), given by his other powers.
Powers in the world– can make war and conclude treaties, enhanced by media.
what are the sources of PM power?
An assimilation of royal prerogative powers as the monarch became mostly ceremonial . Powers exercised by PM on monarchs behalf include control of armed forces, patronage and treaty-making powers.
Convention established PM power over people etc
As leader of majority party PM gets some powers– appointed by monarch, confidence of the commons and support of his party all give the PM power.
what are the origins of cabinet?
By late 1800s cabinet is seen as engine room of gov, Walter Bagehot calls it the ‘hyphen’ linking gov to legislature. Cabinet is made of 22 paid members, who also attend cabinet committees.
what is the cabinet office?
CO comprises 2000 staff, all relocated under labour to one centralised building– key player in coordinating activities of gov.
what are the 5 limitations of PM power?
Limited by cabinet– PM has to appoint certain people, eg. Brown and Prescott in 1997, to create balance. Excluded people can become vicious backbenchers, eg Heseltine and Clare Short. Resignations reflect badly on PM (see Geoffrey Howe 1989)
Limited by parliament– PMQs, votes of no confidence, forcing gov to back down (Brown 2008)
Limited by party– leadership challenges, backbench rebellions (eg top-up fees) can limit power
Limited by public opinion– PM ultimately accountable to public, can damage future prospects
Limited by their own abilities or circumstances– size of commons majority, economic conditions, events
what were Blair’s changes to the cabinet?
In 1997 Blair reduced cabinet meeting to one 45 minute session a week. Decisions were really made elsewhere in bilateral meetings and sofas. Anthony Sheldon called it a ‘democracy’ as Blair preferred informal meetings in the ’den’ of no 10. does this undermine democracy? Many thought so, including his own cabinet.
what are the four models of executive dominance?
Cabinet government: declining due to scope and complexity of gov activity, cabinet committees, bilateral meetings, rise of PM etc.
Kitchen cabinet: ‘the quad’ PM and clique of advisors– cabinet stamp
Departmentalised government: depts. Are autonomous
Segmented decisions: PM dominates in some areas
Prime-ministerial government: identified by Tony Benn 1980s, Lord Hailsham called it ‘elective dictatorship’- PM is de facto president.
what are the four roles and functions of cabinet?
Decision-making– cabinet was once key decision-maker, since Blair PM power has undermined it, eg decisions over the millennium dome.
Coordinating departments- area for reports from depts., useful for cross-dept work and airing out any issues.
Forward planning- ‘talking shop’ where gov can respond to problems and events– ministers can raise concerns and the direction of policy can, if needed, be shifted.
what are the arguments that we have a presidential government?
Michael Foley– the rise of the British presidency (1993), says PM has more room to move than US president, as they have visible distance between themselves and gov, cult of outsider, public leadership and expanded personalities.
Explain a Prime Ministerial government
The Prime Ministerial government thesis suggests thatpower has been concentrated in the hands of the PMand that the PM is the dominant figure in the British governmental system. In recent years powers of PM have been increased to the extent that the PM now exercises supreme authority in the determination of policy. Richard Crossman, in his introduction to Bagehot’s “The English Constitution” (1963), said: “The post war epoch has seen the final transformation of Cabinet government into Prime Ministerial government.” This view was supported by Tony Benn during the Thatcher years. There is a view that the power of the PM is now so great that some holders of the office are, in effect, more like apresidentthan “first among equals”. Tony Blair has been accused of being presidential, not least due to his handling of Iraq.
Explain a cabinet government
agovernmentin which the real executive power rests with acabinetof ministers who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature. :
the cabinet and its committees are the key institutions for decision making in Whitehall
collective responsibility ensures that a number of ministers are involved in each decision and therefore a plurality of views will be represented
the Cabinet acts as a restraint on the power of the PM, as Cabinet ministers have their own power bases and have access to information and expertise through their departments that the PM does not have.
what is presidentialism?
Some national presidents are “figurehead”heads of state, likeconstitutional monarchs, ofparliamentary governmentsand are not active executiveheads of government. in a full-fledged presidential system, a president is chosen by the people to be the head of the executive branch. Presidential governments make no distinction between the positions of head of state and head of government, both of which are held by the president. A few countries (e.g.,South Africa) havepowerful presidents who are elected by the legislature. These presidents are chosen in the same way as a prime minister, yet are heads of both state and government. These executives are titled “president”, but are in practice similar to prime ministers.
