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AS Politics > Prime Minister And The Executive > Flashcards

Prime Minister And The Executive Flashcards

1
Q

Define royal perogrative powers

A

A set of powers and privileges belonging to the monarch by normally exercised by the prime minister or cabinet.

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2
Q

Define secondary legislation

A

Powers given to the executive by parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules

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3
Q

Define Individual responsibility

A

The responsibility principle by which ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and for their departments

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4
Q

Define collective cabinet responsibility

A

Principle by which ministers must support cabinet decisions or leave the executive

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5
Q

Define presidential government

A

An executive government dominated by one individual. This may be a president by can describe a strong dominate prime minister

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6
Q

Define the elastic band theory

A

An MPs power stretches depending on circumstances and personality

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7
Q

Define cabinet government

A

A government in which the real executive power rests with a cabinet of ministers who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislative

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8
Q

Define sofa government

A

Preference for informed meetings over structured cabinet ones

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9
Q

Define spads

A

A special advisor who works in a supporting role to the British government with media political or policy expertise. Their duty is to assist and advise government ministers

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10
Q

Who is the Secretary of State for the foreign office

A

Boris Johnson

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11
Q

What meeting does the Secretary of State attend?

A

Cabinet meetings

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12
Q

Give an example of a junior minister in the foreign affairs department

A

Harriett Baldwin - minister of state for Africa

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13
Q

Why would a government need a monster in the lords

A

To represent the House of Lords I the government

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14
Q

Who is the Secretary of State for the health department

A

Jeremy Hunt

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15
Q

Who are the junior ministers for the health department

A

Phillip Dunne
Jackie Doyle Price
Lord O shaunassy

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16
Q

What are the three main roles of the executive

A

Proposing legislation
Proving the budget
Making policy decisions

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17
Q

How is proposing legislation, the executive function, carried out

A

They introduce proposals for. We laws or amendments

It announcers a new programme at the start of each parliamentary session in the queens speech

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18
Q

Give an example of a queens speech

A 
2015 
Queens speech reflected Cameron’s proposals for:
EVEL
Protecting against strikes 
An EU referendum
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19
Q

How is proposing the budget, the executive function, carried out

A

Created by the chancellor of the exchequer in consultation with the prime minister and is revealed to the cabinet shortly before being presented to the commons

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20
Q

How is making policy decisions , the executive function, carried out

A

Has to give effect to its aims for the future direction of the country

Important decisions include
Allowing free schools
Putting more competition into the NHS
Universal credit

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21
Q

Give three examples of royal perogrative powers

A

Grant and withdraw passports

legal pardons

Sign treaties

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22
Q

How have royal perogative powers been restricted in recent years

A

2011 fixes Term Parliament Act removed the pms right to call an election
2003 Iraq war governments accept that military requires prior parliamentary approval

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23
Q

What restriction on royal perogative power seems to ha e broken in recently

A

Fixed term parliament act. May calling an election early

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24
Q

Why was it easier for the government to take back this prerogative power than the other change

A

Because there was loophole and they could push through using whips as Labour was weak

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25
Q

Why could major be said to exist in his predecessors shadow

A

He was little know unexpectedly taking over from a dominant prime minister

He lacked ideological commitment

He had a small majority of only 21

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26
Q

What problem did existing in his predecessors shadow cause major

A

He had a party of conflict over the European Union.

He had an impression if weak leadership leading to media ridicule

27
Q

What was majors relationship with his cabinet

A

He precise over an increasingly divided cabinet with weak leadership

28
Q

What were the major issues and factors that caused major a weak pm

A
  • Economic policy was mixed
  • conflict over the EU
  • Had to devote so much time to Parliamentary management meaning little policy was achieved
29
Q

What were the major successes of major

A
  • Replaced the unpopular poll tax with council tax, distancing from the uncaring reputation of its predecessor
  • Handled first gulf war effectively
  • A more collequial
  • Lack of ideological committement
  • Progress towards a peace deal, he was able to trust in the 1993 Downing Street declaration
30
Q

What was back to basics

A

A political campaign to bring Britain back to traditional conservative morality based on self reliance, decency the family and reaping for the law but it created the Sleaze scandal

31
Q

How large was Blair’s majority in 1997

A

179

32
Q

How large was Blair’s majority in 2001

A

166

33
Q

How big was Blair’s majority in 2005

A

66

34
Q

Name three spads for Blair

A

Alistair Campbell - press secretary
Jonathan Powell - chief of staff
Anji Hunter - Government relation

35
Q

What are the key successes of Blair’s premiership

A

Public service reform

Revival of Northern Ireland peace process

Constitutional reform changes

Strong emphasis on strengthening the centre of the U.K. government

36
Q

What did Blair achieve in terms of public service reform?

A

He created self governing city academies to replace failing state schools
He created foundation hospitals who managers were given additional funding
National minimum wage
Free nursery places

37
Q

What did Blair achieve in terms of reviving Northern Ireland’s peace process?

A

Created power sharing institutions in 1999 good Friday agreement

He built a constructive personal relationship with key individuals

38
Q

What did Blair achieve in terms of constitutional reform changes?

A

Modernised the political system without jeopardising the authority of central government

Most hereditary peers were removed

Devolution

39
Q

What were the three failures of Blair’s time in office?

A

Brown placed strong limitations of Blair

He was unsuccessful to reform the way services were delivered

He ruled using a sofa government

40
Q

What did Blair fail in terms of Browns placing limitations?

A

After a second term their relationship deteriorated

Brown believed Blair would step down after 2 terms

Blair said his third term would be his last but speculation reduced his authority

Brown denied Blair to take us into the EU single market

41
Q

What did Blair fail in terms of a sofa government?

A

Increased power to direct events

He had a preference for bilateral informal meetings led to little discussion for example decisions in launching the Iraq war

42
Q

Why was Blair deemed to more of a presidential prime minister

A

Individual cabinet ministers would have less autonomy than on the past and they would work to a much more centrally managed agenda

43
Q

What are the three ways that support the statement “prime ministers are largely successful for to their personal attributes rather than political circumstances”

A

Blair was proactive and took a direct approach and wasn’t just responding to crisis

Major had a weak laissez leadership

Blair was successful because he was patient

44
Q

What are the three ways that challenge the statement “prime ministers are largely successful for to their personal attributes rather than political circumstances”

A

Major faced party conflict

Brown was dealing with the financial crash

David Cameron was bound by the coalition

45
Q

What is the ministerial code

A

A document containing the individuals ministerial responsibility. This recently states ministers have a duty to parliament to account and be held to account

46
Q

Why is the ministerial code just a guideline

A

Because it is up to the prime minister whether they are removed depending on three factors

Prime ministers feelings on that day
The scale of the scandal
Level of parliamentary criticism

47
Q

Who many a minister sacrifice rather than taking the blame themselves

A

Director generals

48
Q

Give an example of an MP who had to resign under Major

A

Michael Brown - Allegations of a homosexual affair with a 20 year old student when the legal age was 21

49
Q

Give an example of an MP who had to resign under Blair

A 
David Blunkett (Home Secretary)
An email confirmed that his ex lovers former nanny had her visa application fast tracked
50
Q

Give an example of an MP who had to resign under May

A 
Amber Rudd (Home Secretary) 
She told the commons there no such targets on immigration when there was. And the Windrush scandal
51
Q

How can collective cabinet responsibility be used by the prime minister to manage those parliamentary party

A

It’s used to maintain unity to overturn the opposition. They. An use it to stop a minister opposing government plans by promoting them for example Robert Halfron

52
Q

Give two cases were collective cabinet responsibility was suspended

A

AV referendum

EU referendum

53
Q

Why was collective cabinet responsibility suspended

A

To give ministers the opportunity to campaign on both sides in the interest of their constituents

54
Q

Why does May find it difficult to enforce collective cabinet responsibility

A

Because she is a weak and has no overall majority. So by firing someone she puts herself in a tougher position

55
Q

What are the two ways of evading collective cabinet responsibility

A

Grumble from within.

Leak dissatisfaction to the media

56
Q

What are the five factors responsible for the prime ministers selection of ministers

A

The importance of including individuals with the ability and experience

Establishing a prime ministers authority

Rewarding loyalty and including key allies

Maintaining a balance between different factions within a governing party

Meeting expectations of diversity

57
Q

What is meant by The importance of including individuals with the ability and experience

A

There are a large number of MPs so are natural backbenchers without the altitude for high office of ideology is too far from main stream. General ability as an administrator is more important because the department is staffed by the civil service

58
Q

What is meant by Establishing a prime ministers authority

A

An incoming prime minister will want to stamp their own authority on the government. Not all make radical changes. For example John major did not remove key people associated with Thatcher until his general election in 1992. In contrast May wanted to distance from Cameron and removed chancellor Osborne

59
Q

What is meant by rewarding loyalty and including key allies

A

Blair began his second term in 2001 by appointing several committed supporters of the New Labour to key positions like David Blunkett as Home Secretary because they were loyal. He also appointed those that were troublesome to key positions too like Brown as Chancellor to handle the tensions

60
Q

What is meant by maintaining the balance between different factions within the governing party

A

In order to maintain a unified party it is important to find posts for MPs with different ideological views to the PM. May had to include prominent Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Pro-Europeans like Phillip Hammond

61
Q

What is meant by maintaining expectations of diversity

A

In 1990 Major faced adverse comments for including no women in his cabinet. Since then it has become the norm to give women high up positions such as Blair’s Margaret Beckett the first female foreign secretary. And there has also been greater representation of ethnic groups like Sajid Javid

62
Q

What percentage of MPs are women

A

32% - 208

63
Q

What percentage of Peers are women

A

26% - 206

AS Politics (10 decks)

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