Types of government and the relationship with the cabinet Flashcards
What are the different types of leadership in the UK and what are they?
cabinet government- executive power is vested in a cabinet, whose members exercise collective responsibility, rather than a single office
Prime-ministerial government- the PM is the dominant force and is able to bypass the cabinet
What factors alter the power of a PM? Who had all of them and who had none?
Public popularity
Large parliamentary majority- the larger the party, the more a PM can cope with rebels and divisions
Mandate
Policy success
Party unity
A first term government - any problems can be blamed on the previous government
Threats of resignation
The amount of new MPs- more likely to be loyal
Unforeseeable crises or low salience issues
Blair had all of these while May had none
What resources make a PM pre-eminent
legal head of the government
leadership of the government
the PM’s office
setting the political agenda
What makes a PM predominant?
If they can combine their powerful institutional resources with their own personal resources. These include
leadership ability and reputation
association with political success
electoral popularity
a high standing within their party
What are the three trends central to presidentialism?
Personalized leadership- clear vision and their stamp within policy, campaign and manifesto. Election Victory is treated as a personal mandate for the PM. The introduction of televised leaders’ debates in 2010 reinforced this focus on party leaders
Public outreach- media spotlight in which they are expected to connect with popular mood. Johnson for example held regular televised briefings during Covid
Spatial leadership- A sense of distance has been created between the PM and the government and their party. The PM relies more on their inner circle of advisors such as Blair’s sofa government and the Quad during the coalition. Cameron and Blair presented themselves as outsiders within their own party.
Arguments for the PM becoming more presidential
-Leadership within the executive has been personalised, with the PM expected to impose their personality and agenda
-PMs increasingly rely on a close circle of senior ministers and advisors
PMs have a strategic space between themselves and their governments, distancing themselves from other members of the executive
-PMs appeal to the public directly, through the media and can claim a personal mandate from the electorate
-PMs have additional authority as party leaders , where they are elected by MPs and members, and exercise personalized leadership
Arguments against the PM becoming more presidential
-The PM leads but cannot command the executive, particularly in coalition, and directs rather than controls the agenda
-senior ministers have resources of their own, including support from gov departments
-PMs need the support of ministers and officials to achieve their objective
-The PM’s position is strong only if they enjoy policy success and popular approval, and make effective use of their own personal abilities
-support from the party is not unconditional and unpopular leaders face concerted efforts to remove them
What are the main role of ministers?
Policy leadership
Representing departmental interests
Departmental management
Relations with parliament
Who are the civil service?
officials employed in a civil capacity by the crown, responsible for policy advice or implementation
What are the four traditional principles upon which the bureaucratic civil service operate on?
Impartiality- civil servants serve the crown rather than the government
Anonymity
Permanency- stay in post when there is a change of government
meritocracy- civil service is staffed by generalists, recruited through competitive exams and interviews rather than political appointments
Why is the cabinet vs pm debate flawed?
-power isn’t static- it’s fluid and shared. Neither the PM nor the cabinet can achieve their goals without the support of the other and the degree to which they need each other depends on the context of the time
-overlooks the core executive model
The creation of which committees have limited the PM’s power?
-BBBC
-Judicial appointments committee
- Honours Committee
- Liaison committee
