The Prime Minister And Cabinet 1 Flashcards
The government consists of about ____-plus members these are ___________ and senior-party officials who are appointed by the _________ __________
100
Ministers
Prime minister
What are the roles within the cabinet
Prime minister
Heads of large government departments
A small number of other senior party members
What are the roles within the government
Cabinet members
Senior non-cabinet members
Junior ministers not in the cabinet
Whips
What is the role of whips
Whips have the task of ensuring party discipline among MPs and peers
Running the administration of debates and votes on Parliament
Keeping MPs and peers informed
The Chief _______ sits in the cabinet
Chief Whip
Role of senior non-cabinet posts
The holders of important offices, such as Attorney General, who are not quite senior enough to be in the cabinet
Role of junior ministers that are not in the cabinet
These are subordinates of those cabinet ministers who run departments. Most are known as ‘Ministers of State’
Characteristics of the government
All members of the govt. must sit in parliament
MPs from the party that is in government are not members of the govt.. They are known as backbenchers
All members of the government are appointed by the prime minister
All members of government are bound by the principle of collective responsibility
The full government would never normally meet together in one body
Define: Political leadership
A general term to all individuals who hold some power within a political system. It refers not only to government, but also to leading members of other parties and political associations
Qualities of ministers
Reliable
Potential
Shared ideology
Managerial skill
Conditions that must be met under coalition governments
Ministerial posts must be shared E.g 18 - 5
Agreement on which policies can be accepted
What are the 4 types of coalition
Majority coalition
Grand coalition
Rainbow coalition
National coalitions
Describe: Majority coalition
Normally formed by just 2 parties, formed simply to create a parliamentary majority. E.g 2010
Describe: Grand coalition
Coalitions between two major parties. Normally considered in times of national crisis
Describe: Rainbow coalition
Agreements between a large number of parties, often of greatly varying philosophies. It would normally be one large party and several other smaller parties
Describe: National coalition
Coalitions where all parties are invited to participate. They occur at times of national crisis and are designed to create unity. E.g Second World War
Features of a cabinet government
The cabinet represents the collective identity of the government
All important domestic an many foreign policy decisions made within the cabinet
In order for a policy to be official, it would need full cabinet approval
Prime minister considered ‘first among equals’ - meaning that he had higher status than his colleagues, but could be outvoted within the cabinet
Define: Cabinet government
A system of government where the cabinet is the central policy-making body
What is a cabinet committee
A small group (around 5) of cabinet ministers who meet regularly to discuss a specific area of government policy
Example of a temporary cabinet committee
Olympics
Example of permanent cabinet committee
Foreign Affairs
Ways that cabinet power has diminished
PM is more dominant
Departments which are more independent
policy making now takes place within committees (that May chairs)
Much decision making has moved to the 10 Downing Street organisation
PM conducts business on ‘bilateral basis’ - by discussing policy with an individual minister
Functions of the cabinet nowadays:
Settling disputes which cannot be resolved elsewhere may be brought to the cabinet
Making important decisions -
(Sometimes the PM decides an issue should be resolved in cabinet)
Dealing with domestic emergencies
Publicity - to ensure policy is represented in the best light
To legitimise all proposed legislation
Settling coalition disputes
Why may a PM decide an issue should be resolved in parl.
May have no personal interest
May prefer not to commit themselves to a decision that may later cause him personal embarrassment
In what ways does cabinet remain the same under coalition govt.
It remains dominated by the PM
Meetings are still secret
Remains the collective identity of the govt.
All members are expected to defend all cabinet actions
Ways in which cabinet is different under coalition
‘Agreements to differ’
Lib Dem appointments or movements within cabinet the PM must agree the move with his deputy
Rules of collective responsibility became weaker
PM must take more account of differing options
What is individual ministerial responsibility
The convention that a minister should resign if that department makes a serious political or personal error
What is the importance if individual ministerial responsibility
Ensures act responsibly and are held accountable by parliament
How many members in a cabinet committee
5
