Collective responsibility

Question 1

What are the six main reasons why a cabinet may be divided?

Answer 1

• Personal rivalries
• Ministers fighting for different departments
• All departments must fight for funding
• The chancellor is loathed as they can say no to funding; Brown frustrated Blair in this regard
• PM dominates everyone else
• Ministers have their own vested interests

Question 2

List the three principles of collective security

Answer 2

• Confidence vote
• Binding decision
• Secrecy

Question 3

Explain the principle of secrecy

Answer 3

Cabinets will keep their discussions secret to ensure sensitive info doesn’t reach the public domain

Question 4

Explain the principle of the confidence vote

Answer 4

All members of the government must resign if it is defeated in a confidence vote

Question 5

Explain the principle of binding decision

Answer 5

All cabinet members must support a decision in public and must resign if they are unable to do this

Question 6

How many ministers resigned to due opposition over Brexit policy during Theresa May’s premiership?

Answer 6

5 cabinet ministers and 11 junior ministers, this was a postwar record

Question 7

Why did IDS resign as work and pensions secretary in 2016?

Answer 7

He opposed cuts to disability benefits

Question 8

Why did Robin Cook and two of his junior ministers resign in 2003?

Answer 8

Due to opposition to the Iraq war

Question 9

How many ministers defied the whip by abstaining on a vote about a no deal Brexit?

Answer 9

4 cabinet ministers and 7 junior ministers

Question 10

How many ministers defied the whip by abstaining on a vote about extending article 50

Answer 10

8 cabinet ministers and 4 junior ministers

Question 11

What made IDS’s resignation in 2016 odd?

Answer 11

He had only received the full information, which may have made him change his mind, on the morning he resigned. He had also supported the decision to make the cuts in cabinet

Question 12

List the 4 occasions where cabinet ministers have been allowed a free vote

Answer 12

• EEC membership in 1975
• Fox hunting in 1997
• To get the lib dems into coalition
• EU membership

Question 13

What issues were the lib dems allowed a free vote on in the coalition?

Answer 13

Nuclear weapons, education and tax

Question 14

Why is collective responsibility often frozen during times of referendum?

Answer 14

So ministers can choose one side or the other and potentially divided governments can work together. With this said, ministers will not have access to civil service resources to support their position

Question 15

What did Cameron allow a free vote in 2013?

Answer 15

Same sex marraige, with two cabinet ministers voting against

Question 16

How does collective responsibility help the PM?

Answer 16

• Creates a strong, unifies government
• Gives alot of power to the PM
• The public, media and parliament are presented with a single clear policy
• Ministers can’t publicly disagree

Question 17

How does collective responsibility hinder the PM?

Answer 17

• Dramatic resignations undermine the government
• If ministers cannot be completely honest the quality of debate will suffer