2- Prime Minister And The Executive Flashcards
(127 cards)
Chief secretary to the cabinet
Most senior civil servant
Impartial guidance to the pm, as well as taking the miniutes of cabinet meetings
What is in the king’s speech
Parliament proposals for new legislation based on the manifesto that it won the general election on\
Delivered at state opening of each new parliament to commons and lords
Secondary/delegated legislation
Legislation already passed by parliament can be modified by the gov w/out the need for new primary legislation
Seen aas undemocratic as bypass full parliamentary scruitiny and debate
Gov shares in Pm royal prerogative
2013 ministry of justice requested a posthumous royal pardon for alan turning- after he was convicted of gross indecencyy with another man in 1952
Civil service accountability
Not for actions of department as overall policy and administration should have been determined by elected politicians
Resignition ministers over policy failures
1982
Lord carringdon as foriegn secretary under thatcher
As foreign office should have been made more aware of argentina’s intentions and should have made clearer whtathe response of the british gov would be to any military intervention
Amber rudd resignition
2018
May home secretary
Resigned as not told truth to hoc when she stated no home offcie targets for removing illegal immigrants- but there was
Collective ministerial responsibility
All members of gov must publicly support the gov and should not disclose the contents of private ministerial discussions
If defeated in vote of confidence- convention states all members of gov must resign
Eg callaghan lost 1979 311 to 310
Coalitions and collective ministerial responsibility
Not the case unless in coalition agreement
Eg. Trident renewal
Division under may of conservative party
Early 2019
3 enormous parliamentary defeats when eurosceptic conservative mps rebelled over her brexit deal proposals
Cabinet determining key issues of policy example
Callaghan 1976
Cabinet debate freely over whether to accept loan imf
Coalitrion gov strengthened david cameron as pm
Lasted 5y- fixed term parliament act 2011
Cameron could fulfill most of his manifesto commitments- esp austerity
Collective ministerial responsibility, apply to all areas of policy agreed by coalition agreement
Coalition gov weakened cameron as pm
-cameron had to give 5 lib dem inc nick l=clegg as deputy pm , cabinet positions
Agree to referendum on av
Hol suspended sialsbury convention so could oppose measures in gov parties manifestos- as no one won
Quad established- core policies first agreed- cameron, clegg, osbourne, danny alexander (lib dem chief secretary to the cabinet)
Presidential model in uk
‘Spatial leadership’- political writer, michael foley
Pm create own space by distancing from party in order to achieve personal mandate- eg boris
Presidential style and media
Wilson thatcher and blair
Photo-opportunist- wilson pictured w/ 1960s celebrities eg. Coronation street
Know how to use media to transcend traditional party voters
Presidential style- blair
Personal- gov decisions as his own ‘this is the Britain I offer you’
Put case for iraq war directly to the public through television discussions and debates
More white house feel- position of chief of staff establiished, §
Examples of pm not presidential
John major- disunity
Brown- uncharasmatic
May- failed to engage w/ public 2017, lost parliamentary majority
Pm vs president- loosing pwer
President only for commiting ‘high crimes and misdemeanours’ in defiance of constitution
Pm- lost support cabinet (thatcher) or vote of confidence (callaghan)
Prerogative powers of pm examples
-determines the membership of the gov- inc cabinet and cabinet committees
-makes senior appointments to the civil service and judiciary
-appoints life peers to hol
-negotiates foreign treaties
-directs military forces to combat
-decides whether to launch trident missiles
Pm cast narrative of gov eg.
Thatcher- free- market, right wing, uncompromising
Cameron- increasingly socially liberal- legislating in favour of same-sex marriage
Asquith quote on the pm style
‘The office of pm is what its holder chooses and is able to make of it’
How boris presidential
-concentration of power no 10
-sidelining cabinet and parliament
-(failed) attempt to appoint allegra stratton- white-house style dailiy press briefinngs
-
Marget thatcher presidential
Ignored cabinet and parliament
Dominniant style of leadership
Evidence large gov department not always needed to be presidential
Thatcher- v strong arguably presidential in dominance