Roles of and powers of the president and PM Flashcards
How many of the 11 enumerated powers are also performed by the PM?
4
List them
Proposing legislation, submitting the annual budget, act as chief executive and nominate executive branch officials
How are these shared powers not even that similar?
Because they are not identical, so we can see the effect structural differences between the two countries
Ill list a role of powers or roles held by the president and then you say a parallel role or power held by the PM
!!!
Elected as president
Elected as party leader
Chief exectutive and head of state
Head of government only
Initiates and vetoes legislation
Draws up the government’s legislative programme with the cabinet
Appoints cabinet with senate ratification
Appoints cabinet with no need for ratification
Commander in chief on the armed forces, but only congress can declare war
Can use royal prerogative to declare war and deploy troops abroad, but a convention has developed that this should be subject to parliamentary approval
Has a vice president with the president deciding what their role will be. Some have extensive powers and influence while other are given little to do and are peripheral figures
The role of deputy PM is at the discression of the PM and they don’t have to appoint one at all. Some are given considerable powers while others are almost figureheads
Give an example of an influential VP
Biden
Give an example of an unimportant VP
Pence
Give an example of an important deputy PM
Michael Heseltine
Give an example of an unimportant deputy PM
Geoffrey Howe
Has a large EXOP
Has small number 10 staff and cabinet office
Has a variety of means to determine policy unilaterally; executive orders, signing statements etc.
More likely to pursue policy collectively, through either cabinet or cabinet committees
Limited to two full terms in office
No term limits
The president communicates the legislation they would like passed by congress in the State of the Union Address
The King will deliver the King’s speech, written for her by the government, detailing the legislation it wants to pass into law
How is the state of the union address no more than a wish list?
Whether these wishes come true is largely dependent on the make up of congress
How is the King’s speech more than just a wish list?
It’s the government’s to do list for the coming years - a list of certainties
What is the structural reason for why it is easier for the PM to pass legislation?
Because there is a clear separation of powers in the US and a fusion of the executive and legislature in the UK
Give an example of one of the rare occasions where the president has found it easier to pass legislation than the PM
In 2017, May lacked a working commons majority and the party was split over how to deal with Brexit, frustrating her attempts to pass legislation, while Trump, with a united congress was successful in passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the same year
Who do both the PM and president submit their budgets to?
The legislature
How does the aftermath of this differ?
The US this marks the beginning of months of bargaining during which the president may be defeated by many items. In the UK, the budget being submitted is a formality and it will always be passed
Compare their respective roles as chief executive
The president does so as part of a singular executive while theoretically the PM is part of a collective executive. They both appoint officials to the executive but the president needs these to be confirmed but the PM doesn’t
Who performs the powers that the president has but the PM doesn’t in the UK
The monarch
I’ll give a role fulfilled by the president and you say who does it in the UK
!!!!
Signs and vetoes legislation
This is still the power of the monarch, but the monarch has not refused to sign legislation since Queen Anne in 1707
Appoints all federal judges
In 2006 this power was given to the Judicial Appointments Commission
Power of pardon
Reserved for the monarch
Head of state
The monarch fulfils this role. The monarch has a weekly audience with the PM. Although they remain politically neutral, they will occasionally ‘advise and warn’ the PM
List some of the exclusive powers and roles enjoyed by the PM
- They play an important role in parliament, especially during PMQs. Their ability to stand and deliver here is vital to their survival but the PM faces no such ordeal
- PMs make occasional statements to parliament, appear before the liaison committee and occasionally lead in significant parliamentary debates, while the president does not do this
- Their patronage extends beyond executive branch appointments to posts such as chairmanship of the BBC as well as CoE Bishops and archbishops, as well as recommending life peerages. The president has no equivalent responsibilities
