week eight Flashcards
who makes up the dignified executive
the monarch and governor general
the role of the governor general is very limited by?
convention
what are the reserved powers that still reside with the governor general
the GG could intervene in their role as protector of the democratic constitution - they could remove a PM if they saw they were exceeding their power
why is the appointment of the Prime Minister and the ability to intervene of the governor general effectively meaningless?
because only Parliament can get and spend money and you need a majority to do that. Therefore, the PM is the only one that can get a majority to control the house and therefore the budget so as to raise and spend money
in practice, the governor general acts under the advice of who?
the Prime Minister and her Ministers - the GG does what they’re told, which drives our constitution
what organ, apart from the monarch and governor general, is also technically a part of the dignified executive
the executive council
what is the executive council
its the formal decision making body of the executive, which makes law for the executive. it advises the governor general
all members of the Crown are also members of which dignified executive body
the executive council
how many members of the crown are needed for the executive council to take place
3 (known as a quorum)
what does the executive council give to Ministers
it provides them with executive powers
the actions of the executive council occur mostly through ?
orders in council - a law passed by the Executive Council
what does the executive council really do ?
formalise the decisions of Cabinet
what are the two parts of the efficient executive
The political head of the executive branch (Ministers, PM, Politicians) and the administrative body which implements and executes the wishes of that political head
the PM is the Head of _____ in NZ
Government
the Role of the PM is sometimes known as the _____ job, why?
invisible job - there are very few mentions of the PM in legislation.
Through legislation, they only get the power to call an election and advise the governor general on the appointment of ministers (basically appoint ministers).
all the power in our system lies with which body
Parliament
why is the PM role so crucial in terms of controlling power
all power lies with Parliament, so if you control Parliament, a single chamber house, then you control the power.
is there a high chance of rebellions in Parliament and in parties in NZ?
no, typically parties stick together because divided parties don’t do well at the pills here - we just vote for the opposition when that happens.
in other countries, there are lots of little parties and government is split, but we don’t like that idea here
how does the PM keep the party and coalition together?
using their ~ powers ~ think moving ministers up and down etc.
the power of the PM has nothing to do with the ____ elements of the constitution, it is all about the _____ elements
nothing to do with formal, everything to do with informal
Ministers hold their posts at the discretion of whom?
the PM
the PM is first among?
equals - technically she is just another minister
how many Ministers are currently in Cabinet
20
how many ministers are currently outside cabinet
6 = 4 + 2 greens
Ministers in Cabinet are responsible for their?
portfolios
how many associate ministers are there currently and what do they hold?
16, Ministerial Posts
Associate ministers are ___ ministers themselves in NZ
Cabinet
what are the two main roles and responsibilities of Ministers
they have portfolios - areas in which they are responsible for policy.
they have public sector responsibilities - every part of public service links up to a minister who has responsibility if something goes wrong in that department. Ministers have responsibility for departments, Crown Entities, SOE’s and other agencies
how many parliamentary under secretaries do we have and who do they have executive responsibility under
2, under a Minister
Cabinet is the beating hear of the ____, the collective entity which drives the ____
executive!
what is cabinet also known as and why
A specialist Parliamentary Committee - they are all MP’s - the fusion between Parliament and the executive
Cabinet is bound by what concept which means every decision in Cabinet must be followed by everyone in Cabinet
collective responsibility
is collective responsibility in Cabinet legally required?
no, but not following would cause punishment at the ballot box
how has MMP changed the nature of collective responsibility?
increasingly, there are agreements where the coalition partner can disagree, except in areas they agreed to be bound by collective responsibility or in the area they are sitting in Cabinet for
are cabinet discussions private or public?
private
the way that a decision is made in cabinet is entirely up to whom?
the PM
who runs the cabinet meeting on an administrative level?
the Secretary of Cabinet
who does the Secretary of Cabinet record the official decisions from?
from whatever the PM says the decision is
what are some ways a PM could get a decision in Cabinet and why are there differences?
vote, consensus, rule by themselves with an iron fist - this is due to the style of governance of the PM
what are the two ways executive law making power is allowed
the royal prerogative and secondary legislation
where does royal prerogative power come from
it is inherently held by the Crown and now is exercised by the executive on the Crown’s behalf. It is a remnant of Royal power
where does the equivalent of royal prerogative power come from in other countries
from the Constitution
what are some examples of things controlled by the executive through Royal Prerogative power
Command of the armed forces, international affairs
the existence of the armed forces is not controlled by royal prerogative forces while the command of it is, why is that?
Defence Act 1990, Bill of Rights Act 1688 “raising or keeping a standing army within the kingdom, in time of peace, unless it be with consent of Parliament, is law.”
CONSENT OF PARLIAMENT REQUIRED BY BILL OF RIGHTS ACT 1688
what does the Passports Act 1992 do that has to do with immigration but it an exception to immigration being dealt with through the executive through royal prerogative
NZ citizens are entitled to a passport