Government and Politics Unit 3: The Executive

Composition of the Executive
1. The Cabinet
  1. Cabinet Government - Where the majority of decisions that are made are within the Cabinet
    1. Debatably been replaced by a Prime Ministerial Government
  2. Consists of 20-25 Ministers
  3. Roles of the Cabinet
    1. Legitimises Government Policy
      1. All policies need full support of the Cabinet in order to seem legitimate
    2. Resolves Ministerial Disputes
      1. This is when there is conflict between different departments in Government
    3. Deal with crisis or emergency situations
      1. Terrorism / Financial Crisis
    4. This is where the presentation of policy is decided
      1. This is to ensure COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
        MINISTERS MAY DISAGREE WITH POLICY 'WITHIN THE CABINET ROOM' BUT NOT IN THE PUBLIC
  4. May consist of peers who sit in the Lords
  5. Each minister in the Cabinet heads a certain Government Department
  6. There are certain Cabinet Committees that specialise in different areas of Government Policy
  7. The Cabinet usually meets weekly to dicuss policy and affairs
2. Prime Minister
  1. Limits on Prime Ministerial Power
    1. Party Support
      1. The Party Support, if weak, can lead to adverse affects on PM Power
        Margaret Thatcher was ousted from power by her Party in the Conservative Leader Elections in 1990
    2. Media Image
      1. The Media can also have a bad effect on PM Power aswell
        John Major was called 'The Grey Man of Politics'
    3. Responsible for Events
      1. The events that take place during a PM's time in office is vital in the perception of them
        Falklands War - Margaret Thatcher / Black Wednesday - John Major Iraq War - Tony Blair Selling of Gold - Gordon Brown / Phone Hacking Scandal - David Cameron
    4. Pressure Groups
      1. PGs may influence decisions made by the PM
        Forestry Bill 2011: 538,000 signed a petition against the Bill, which was eventually dropped by the Govt.
    5. House of Lords
      1. The Lords can delay legislation for one year
        Counter Terrorism Bill: Lords went against it 309-119, therefore was dropped
    6. International Bodies
      1. The PM power in the EU has been limited after the Lisbon Treaty 2007
    7. Majority in Parliament
      1. John Major formed a minority Government
  2. Sources of Prime Ministerial Power
    1. Patronage
      1. The ability to hire and fire Government Ministers
        CABINET RESHUFFLE SUMMER 2013
      2. This means he can remove Party factionialists or unpopular ministers
        Ken Clarke was a pro-EU minister and was removed from the Cabinet
    2. Control of Cabinet Agenda
      1. It is up to the Prime Minister how much he/she can use the Cabinet
        In the time in office of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, the Cabinet was used rarely
        If used rarely, then this could result in a 'sofa Government'
        This is where a Prime Minister makes decisions with a select few advisors and dictates to the Cabinet what is going to passed
    3. Royal Prerogative
      1. These are Powers handed down from the Monarch
        The main Prerogative powers are: - The Power to Declare War - The Power to act as Head of State
        In recent years, the Prime Minister has asked Parliament to go to war
        Tony Blair: Iraq David Cameron: Syria
        The PM represents Britain in all the different Summits and Organistions: e.g. G20 G8 UN EU
    4. Control of Policy
      1. The PM controls what is the main purpose of the Government
        Tony Blair: 'New Labour'
        Margaret Thatcher: Anti-EU & Poll Tax
        David Cameron: Defecit Reduction
    5. Party Leader
      1. If the PM has Party Support, then he/she is more likely to get legislation passed within Parliament
        Thatcher had a 144 seat majority in 1983. Blair had a 179 seat majority in 1997
    6. Media Image
      1. If the PM has a good media image, then he is seen as more powerful
        The PM has spin doctors that help maintian the image of the PM. For example, Alistair Darling was the 'Spin Doctor' for Tony Blair

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Government and Politics Unit 3: The Executive

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