Executive

Question 1

What are the main roles of the Prime Minister?

Answer 1

• Making governments
• Hire and fire extends to cabinet and other ministers
• Directing government policy
• Providing national leadership

Question 2

What is the Prime Ministers Office?

Answer 2

• Central administrative body that supports the Prime Minister in governing and decision making

Question 3

What are special advisers?

Answer 3

• Support ministers, represent their views to civil servants and journalists
• Can be policy experts or media advisers
• 15.9 million spent a year

Question 4

Features of the Cabinet?

Answer 4

• Meet on average once a week
• 20-30 senior politicians
• Contains secretaries of state
• Forum of debate
• policy coordination between departments
• Party management
• Lose the cabinets support your done

Question 5

What is formal policy approval?

Answer 5

• Cabinet says yes it’s policy
• However, PM can sideline the cabinet

Question 6

What are Cabinet comittees?

Answer 6

• Groups of ministers that can take collective decisions that are binding across government

Question 7

Features of Cabinet committees?

Answer 7

• Reduce burden of cabinet
• Take decisions on specific policy areas
• Prime Minister can create or abolish committees at will

Question 8

What determines PM power?

Answer 8

• Party unity
• Majority
• Mandate
• First - term government
• Prime Ministerial coat-tails (Winning on the PM not party)
• Low salience of issues
• Media image
• State of economy

Question 9

What is a Cabinet Government?

Answer 9

• Traditional view that power is collective not personal (individual)
• Cabinet is the central decision making

Question 10

Main characteristics of Cabinet government?

Answer 10

• PM is first among equals not domineering
• Cabinet is a place of discussion and debate
• Any disputes in gov would be dealt in cabinet
• Cabinet must approve new policy

Question 11

What does a Cabinet Government say about exec power?

Answer 11

• No PM can survive without a cabinet
• PM’s authority is linked to the backing they receive from the big beasts in cabinet

Question 12

What is a Prime Ministerial Government?

Answer 12

• Principle alternative to Cabinet Government

Question 13

Characteristics of Prime Ministerial Government

Answer 13

• PM dominates policy making process
• Cabinet is a subordinate body, source of advise
• Greater use of cabinet committees
• PM dominates party
• PM relies on bi-laterals with key ministers to make decisions

Question 14

What does the Prime Ministerial Government model tell us about exec power?

Answer 14

• Acknowledges the cabinet is no linger the key policy making model
• highlights the PM power since 45

Question 15

What is the Presidential Theory?

Answer 15

• PM increasingly resembles American presidents
• Emphasises PM dominance over Cabinet

Question 16

Characteristics of Presidential Theory?

Answer 16

• Growth of spatial leadership
• Populist outreach - reach out directly to the public not the parties
• Elections is about the person not the party (personal mandates)
• Wider use of advisers, rely on hand picked political advisers rather than cabinet ministers

Question 17

What does Presidential Theory tell us about executive power?

Answer 17

• Stresses the growth of personalised leadership
• Growing political significance of the media

Question 18

What is the important thing to remember about the Presidential Theory?

Answer 18

• Constitutionally we do not have a president!