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Flashcards by Lucy Burke, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Lucy Burke
over 7 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Define executive. | The branch of government responsible for policy formulation and policy implementation. |
| Define Prime Minister. | The head of government and of the executive branch. The PM chairs the cabinet. |
| Define Cabinet. | The committee of senior cabinet ministers that is the main collective decision-making body of the government. |
| What are the requirements of a prime minister? | 1) Member of parliament (constitutional convention member of the HOC, Alec Douglas-Home) 2) Leader of a political party & must command party support. (Thatcher, 1990 tory election) 3) Win a general election, largest party in HOC and from a majority, minority or coalition government. |
| What are the roles of the prime minister? | 1) Political leadership: PM decides governments political direction, setting priorities and broad strategy. Determining/shaping policy. (HP issues) 2) National Leadership: communicator in chief. 3) Appointing government. 4) Chairing cabinet. 5) Managing the executive. (PM responsible for overall organisation of government and heads the civil service, create/merge gov. departments & reform the civil service.) |
| What art the powers of the Prime minister? | 1) patronage. 2) authority within the cabinet system. 3) Party leadership. 4) Public standing. 5) Policy-making role. 6) The Prime Ministers Office. |
| How has prime ministerial patronage powers been limited? | 1) (Judicial & ecclesiastical appointments) PM now plays no role in judicial appointments and is given one name to approve for ecclesiastical appointments. 2) ( Honours system) After Cash for honours Blair announced that the PM would accept the final list presented by an independent honours committee. |
| What powers of patronage does the PM possess? | 1) appointing life peers. 2) appointing cabinet ministers. 3) reshuffling cabinet. |
| Does the PM have full reign in deciding cabinet? | Theoretically yes. BUT.... 1) Labour is constrained to shadow ministers. 2) coalition- 5 lib dems in cabinet. 3) unlikely to overlook senior party figures- some rivals for office of PM. (John Majors rivals- Heseltine and Hurd) 4) Some MPs may demand due to standing within party/formal deal. (Gordon Brown) 5) Ideological considerations- balance, Thatchers Wet and Dries and Majors europhiles & Eurosceptics and John Prescott. |
| Give an example of how coalition limits patronage powers of a PM. | Any changes in cabinet had to be agreed by Clegg and Cameron. Cameron nominated tories and Clegg lib dems. David Laws and Chris Huhne resigned; they were replaced by lib gems. Cameron couldn't dismiss a liberal democrat without 'full consultation' with Clegg. |
| How can cabinet reshuffles undermine a government/PM? | 1) Macmillan's 1962 "night of long knives" raised questions about PM's judgement and revealed cabinet divisions and policy failures. (7 sacked) 2) Thatcher's demotion of foreign sec. Geoffrey Howe had damaging consequences, a year later Howe resigned and his criticism of Thatcher triggered her downfall. 3) Major seen as not ruthless, reluctant to dismiss ministers associated with policy failure. (Norman Lamont 1992 exit from the ERM) & personal scandal (David Mellor) |
| How does the PM exercise authority within the cabinet system? | 1) chairs cabinet meetings. 2) manages the agenda of cabinet meetings and determines their frequency and length. 3) creates cabinet committees & appoints members. 4) holds bilateral meetings with ministers. 5) appoints senior civil servants. 6) Organises government structure. |
| How does the PM determine the agenda of cabinet meetings? | 1) controlling the information presented to ministers by determining which issues and papers should be brought before cabinet. 2) Keeping potentially difficult issues off the cabinet agenda, dealing with them in a cabinet committee or bilateral discussions with the relevant minister instead. 3) deciding the chair, membership and remit of cabinet committees, where detailed policy work occurs. |
| What are some sizeable commons defeats that undermined the influence of the PM? | 1) Blair suffered sizeable rebellions on the Iraq war, uni tuition fees and foundation hospitals. (2nd term) 2) Brown made concessions to see off a rebellion on the abolition of the 10p income tax band. |
| Define Prime Minister's Office. | The group of senior civil servants and special advisers based at 10 downing street who provide advice and support for the PM on policy and communications with government, parliament and media. |
| What are two important aspects of the Prime Ministers Office's work? | 1) Gives PM Policy advice: alt. views from those they receive from cabinet ministers. PM's appoints senior advisers on Europe & foreign affairs. Help forge the future direction of government policy. Since Blair; important role in coordinating policy making and implementation across gov. (joined up gov.) 2) Communications: PMO responsible for presentation of gov. policy. Alastair Campbell! |
| What did Cameron create in 2011 that strengthened number 10s oversight of Whitehall? | Cameron established a policy and implementation unit. |
| What did Blair's desire for a strong centre create? | Something akin to a prime ministers department in practice. Strategic and policy implementation shortcomings were evident in the PMO during Blair, Brown and Cameron and turnover among senior staff was high. |
| Do the resources the PM has bring them significant power? (YES) | 1) PATRONAGE: appoints/dismiss ministers, can place allies in key roles. 2) AUTHORITY IN CAB SYSTEM: Chairs and manages cabinet meetings, steers and sums up discussions, creates cabinet committees and appoints members and uses bilateral meetings to steer policies. 3) PARTY LEADERSHIP: Elected by fellow MPs and members, party normally has a majority. 4) PUBLIC STANDING: PM has higher public standing than other ministers, is communicator in chief for gov. 5) POLICY MAKING ROLE: Directs gov. policy and sets agenda and can direct policy in areas of choosing. |
| Do the resources the PM has bring them significant power? (NO) | 1) PATRONAGE: senior MPs claim posts, desirability of ideological balance, botched reshuffles create rivals, availability of talent. 2) AUTHORITY IN CAB SYSTEM: Problems if senior ministers feel ignored, senior ministers may challenge PM policy preference, not involved in detailed policy making in cabinet committees and ministers represent departmental interests. 3) PARTY LEADERSHIP: party support isn't unconditional, leadership challenge, rebellions, unpopularity with voters undermines authority, blamed for gov. failings. 4) POLICY MAKING: expected to articulate a vision, lacks time and expertise, globalisation reduced scope for action. |
| What was Thatcher like as a PM? | 1) Less use of cabinet, detailed policy work done in cabinet committees and bilateral meetings with ministers. 2) began cabinet discussions by announcing the gov. policy and kept some issues away from cabinet. 3) Nigel Lawson criticised her saying she paid more attention to advisers than ministers. 4) Her skilful management of cabinet enabled her to cement authority when her policies were doubted, refusal to bow to pressure on the monetarist budget of 1981- Thatcher then constructed a cabinet of ideological allies. 5) Economic problems, unpopular policies cabinet divisions and low opinion ratings. 6) Ignoring minister concerns and bypassing cabinet, alienating colleagues whose support she needed. |
| What was Major like as PM? | 1) more collegiate style, cabinet discussed gov. policy and exercised greater influence over policy direction. 2) portrayed as a weak PM- lacking vision and unable to set the agenda. 3) Recognised the limitations of his authority, managing his cabinet ensuring that he stayed in office for over 6 years despite never appearing totally secure. 4) Used cabinet meetings to bind european & eurosceptic ministers to gov. policy, working closely with senior figures such as Heseltine and Ken Clarke, lessening his chances of a rival emerging. |
| What was Blair like as PM? | 1) Pete Hennessy: "command premiership" 2) Michael Foley: "presidentialisation" 3) Blair took key decisions and acted as communicator-in-chief of the government. 4) Blair had little time for cabinet gov. preferring bilateral meetings agreeing policy objectives with individuals. 5) Key decisions reached in informal meetings of an inner circle of advisers- Sofa government. |
| What did Blair do to ensure efficient policy making? | He strengthened the Prime Minister's Office and brought parts of the Cabinet Office within the PM's remit. He sought to command swathes of government policy from downing street and improve coordination and delivery. |
| What did Lord Butler say of Blair? | "context of policy-making towards Iraq risked reducing the scope for informed collective political judgement. |
| What did Blair enjoy in his first two terms? and what went wrong? | 1) Big parliamentary majorities, a strong position within his party and a loyal cabinet. 2) He faced rebellions on Iraq, foundation hospitals and tuition fees in term 2 and his opinion poll ratings fell. |
| What weakened Blair? | 1) reduced majority in 2005 which limited Blair's room for manoeuvre. 2) Blair's announcement that he would step down during his third term weakened his authority and he had to fend of attempts within his party to hasten his departure- stepping down in June 07 to jump before he was pushed. 3) Gordon Brown's influence. |
| What was Brown like as PM? | 1) He secured Lab. leadership without challenge. 2) Responded quickly to terrorist attacks. 3) Government with new ideas (democratic renewal) without spin of Blair period. 4) BUT Brown allowed speculation of an early election to intensify in 2007 only to rule it out and look indecisive. 5) Reputation dented by economic crisis. 6) Promised a collegiate style but resorted to reliance on an inner circle. 7) struggled to articulate vision and intervened in minor policy decisions. (micro-management) |
| What was Cameron like as PM? | 1) collegial style, due to coalition requirement of negotiation between tory and LD ministers. 2) Key decisions taken in bilateral meetings between Cameron and Clegg and in meetings of the "Quad". 3) Cabinet committees important! 4) Coalition constrained Cameron's patronage and ability to dictate policy. 5) Party management difficult- forced to hold a EU referendum to quell conservative dissent, he lost, he resigned. (internal party divisions attempting to be mended.) |
| Is coalition a significant constraint on PM power? (YES) | 1) Coalition agreement: Cameron couldn't dismiss/reshuffle Lib gems without Clegg's approval. 2) Governments principal policies are set out in the coalition programme for gov. 3) Coalition requires more collective government, key issues discussed in the cabinet system to ensure agreement of both parties. 4) PM must manage tensions between parties and dissent within own party. |
| Is coalition a significant constraint on PM power? (NO) | 1) PM retains patronage powers, creating/making appointments to C.C. 2) PM decides overall direction of gov policy and shapes its response to new issues. 3) Key decisions taken by PM in consultation with Clegg or the Quad. 4) Coalition= healthy parliamentary majority. |
| Define Cabinet Government: | System of government in which executive power is vested in a cabinet whose members exercise collective responsibility rather than a single office. PM is primus inter pares- although PM enjoys institutional resources they cannot act unilaterally. |
| Define Prime Ministerial Government: | A system of government in which the PM is the dominant actor in the executive. PM sets government direction and makes major decisions and intervenes in policy areas of their choosing, cabinet advises and warns the PM but does not decide policy. |
| Define Core executive: | Consisting of those organisations and actors who coordinate central government activity: PM, cabinet, cabinet committees, advisers, bilateral meetings, Prime Ministers Office and coordinating bodies such as the Prime Ministers Office and the Cabinet Office. |
| What does the core executive model argue? | that the debate on whether UK has prime ministerial or cabinet government is flawed. Power is shared between actors who are mutually dependent on one another. Decline in cabinet power doesn't mean the PM is dominant. Key actors in the core executive model argue have resources but to achieve their goals they need to cooperate and exchange resources. POWER IS BASED ON DEPENDENCE NOT COMMAND. |
| Has there been a Presidentialisation of the office of PM? (YES) | 1) Leadership in the executive has been personalised, PM expected to impose their personality and agenda. 2) PM's rely on a close circle of senior ministers and advisers. 3) PM's appeal to the public directly through media and claim a personal mandate from the electorate. (TM? GE?) 4) Leaders debates? 2017 Campaign? |
| Has there been a Presidentialisation of the office of PM? (NO) | 1) PM leads but cannot command the executive (coalition in particular) and directs rather than controls the agenda. 2) Senior ministers enjoy support from government departments and have their own SPADs. 3) PM needs support of ministers and officials to achieve objectives. 4) PM position strong only if they enjoy policy success & popular approval and makes effective use of personal abilities. 5) PARTY SUPPORT IS CONDITIONAL- LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES. |
| What is the traditional constitutional view of executive power in the UK? | Executive power in the UK is vested in the cabinet whose members exercise collective responsibility. |
| How is the cabinet perceived in the modern era? | Importance in cabinet has waned, limited role in decision making as many key policy decisions are made elsewhere in the executive. |
| What rank has cabinet joined in terms of Walter Bagehot? | Dignified institution- symbolic role but have no real influence. |
| What was the main reason that Thatcher failed? | She failed to recognise her dependence on senior cabinet colleagues- alienating them. |
| How many cabinet ministers 2017? Name 9 cabinet ministers and their posts | 23 1) Jeremy Hunt- Health secretary. 2) Justine Greening- Education secretary. 3) Amber Rudd- Home secretary. 4) Michael Fallon- Defence secretary. 5) Chris Grayling- Transport secretary. 6) Philip Hammond- Chancellor. 7) David Davis- Exiting the EU secretary. 8) Elizabeth Truss- Lord Chancellor & Justice secretary. 9) Boris Johnson- foreign secretary. |
| Define cabinet system. | The cabinet and all its associated bodies, including cabinet committees and the cabinet office. |
| What is the role of the cabinet? | 1) Registering and ratifying decisions taken elsewhere in the cabinet system 2) Discussing and deciding on major issues. 3) Receiving reports on key developments and determining government business in parliament. 4) Settling disputes between government departments. |
| What is the main business of the cabinet and cabinet committees? | 1) Questions that engage collective responsibility of government because they raise major policy issues of critical public importance. 2) Matters on which there is unresolved dispute between government departments. |
| How are many issues decided within government? | 1) Cabinet committees. 2) Bilateral meetings between PM and minister. 3) Correspondence between departments. |
| What does the cabinet now act as? | A clearing house for policy, registering and ratifying decisions taken else-where. Decisions are taken in committee and reported to cabinet as 'done deals'. |
| What are ministers discouraged from doing? | Reopening issues where a decision has already been reached. |
| How is cabinet's ability to decide policy constrained? | 1) Infrequency of meetings, its side and the detailed measure of policy. Ministers are concerned with their department and have little time to study policy in other departments. |
| When would the cabinet play an active role in the decision making process? | 1) Issues that are important/sensitive. 2) Major/ unexpected developments that require a rapid decision. (TM claimed in regard to holding a GE) 3) Government departments and ministerial committees have been unable to make a decision. |
| Define Cabinet Committees. | Committees appointed by the PM to consider aspects of government business. They include standing and ad-hoc committees. |
| 1) Define ministerial standing committee. 2) Define ministerial subcommittee. 3) Define ad-hoc committees. 4) Define official committees of civil servants. | 1) Committees which are permanent for the PM's term of office. 2) Report to a standing committee. 3) Temporary committees to deal with a specific issue. 4) Shadow ministerial committees. |
| Name 3 cabinet committees and 1 sub committee. | 1) Economy and industrial strategy committee. (Chaired by Theresa May) 2) Social Reform Committee. (Chaired by Theresa May) 3) National security council. (Chaired by Theresa May) 4) Social reform (Home affairs) subcommittee (Chaired by Amber Rudd) |
| Define inner cabinet. | An informal grouping of the prime minister's senior ministerial colleagues. |
| Define Cabinet Office. | A government department responsible for supporting the cabinet system and the PM and managing the civil service. |
| What is Jeremy Heywoods role? | Cabinet secretary and principal policy adviser to the Prime Minister. |
| What are the 4 ministerial roles? | 1) Policy leadership- policy initiation and selection- few ministers change their departments policy framework dramatically. (Blunkett, Michael Howard- home secretaries) 2) Representing departmental interests. 3) Departmental management. 4) Relations with parliament. (accountability). |
| Collective responsibility is a core principle of collective government, what are its 3 main elements? | 1) secrecy- cabinet discussions in the cabinet system must be kept secret by ministers- sensitive info doesn't enter public domain and prevents differences in opinion being revealed. 2) Binding decisions: binding to all cabinet and junior cabinet ministers regardless of whether they were involved in the process of decision making or opposed it. 3) confidence vote- entire gov. must resign if defeated in a no confidence vote. |
| Define collective responsibility. | The convention that all members of the government are responsible as a group, decisions must be secret, decisions made in cabinet are binding on all ministers and the whole gov. must resign on a vote of no confidence. |
| Name 3 ministerial resignations over collective responsibility. | 1) Nigel Lawson 1989: opposed to PM's conduct of economic policy. 2) John Redwood 1995: launched leadership challenge. 3) Clare Short and Robin Cook 2003 opposed the Iraq invasion. |
| How is collective ministerial responsibility and convention under strain? | 1) Temporary suspension to prevent resignations. (EU referendum) 2) Leaks: Alastair Campbell Chilcot inquiry- Clare Short excluded from discussions in Iraq war due to fear of leaks. Discussions of division on Europe in Major's cabinet. 3) Dissent and non-resignation- 'wets' flaunted opposition to Thatcher's economic policy until she was secure to sack them. 4) PM dominance: Blair and Thatcher undermined CMR by ignoring cabinet. (Lawson and Heseltine stated her contempt for collegiality & Caroline Flint criticised Brown's 2 tier circle of advisers with few women.) 5) COALITION |
| Define indvidual ministerial responsibility. | Convention that ministers are accountable to parliament for their personal conduct, general departmental conduct and the policies they pursue, the actions of officials within their department and their own personal conduct. |
| What should ministers not be personally responsible for? | 1) decisions made in their department that they had no knowledge of. 3) Operational matters handled by officials in departments or executive agencies. |
| What does the cabinet manual state? | Ministers must give 'accurate and truthful information to parliament' those who 'knowingly mislead parliament should resign' Immigration minister Beverley Hughes resigned in 2004 after admitting she gave a misleading impression to parliament on checks on migrants from Eastern Europe. |
| What are 4 grounds for resignation? | 1) mistakes made within departments. (Agriculture minister Thomas Dugdale resigned in 1954 when mistakes made by civil servants in the crichel down case came to light.) 2) Policy failure : James Callaghan 1967 devaluation of sterling but Norman Lamont didn't resign after sterling left ERM in 1992. 3) Personal misconduct: ministers are expected to follow '7 principles of public life' by the 1995 Nolan Committee. (David Mellor, Peter Mandelson, David Blunkett) 4) political pressure. |
| Name 3 examples of resignations over individual ministerial responsibility. | 1) John Profumo, minister of war, 1963: profumo affair-lying to HOC. 2) Edwina Currie, minister of state for health, policy failure- criticised for her warning of salmonella in eggs. 3) Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change, 2012: charged with perverting the course of justice. |
| Define civil servant. | An official employed in a civil capacity to the Crown, responsible for policy advice and policy implementation. Gov. departments are staffed by civil servants. |
| What advantages do civil servants have over government ministers? | 1) experience 2) expertise 3) access to information |
| What are 4 civil service core values? | 1) integrity 2) honesty 3) objectivity 4) impartiality |
| Define special adviser. | A temporary political appointment made by a government minister. |
| Define spin doctor. | Special adviser employed to promote the image of a minister and his/her policy in the media. |
| How does the civil service operate? | The C.S is a bureaucracy that operates according to a clear set of procedures and has a hierarchical structure. |
| What act sets out the responsibilities of special advisers? | The constitutional Reform and governance act 201. |
| What are principles of the civil service? (4) | 1) Impartiality. (serve crown not gov. of the day, politically neutral, not involved in overtly political tasks) 2) Anonymity. (Not be identified as the author of advice to ministers, some may be called by committees, but they give evidence under direction of ministers, they sign the Official Secrets act) 3) Permanence. 4) Meritocracy. |
| Define Bureaucracy. | A large organisation that enacts policy and operates according to a clear set of rules and procedures. The role of each official is defined by these rules and appointments are based on merit. There is a hierarchy of positions with junior officials responsible to senior officials. Bureaucracy: impersonal, officials act on behalf of an organisation rather than a private capacity. |
| What have been the reforms since 1998? | 1) Executive agencies: policy making and implementation were separated. Civil servants in whitehall advise ministers but policy implementation transferred to agencies. 2) Marketisation: cheaper, efficient services. 3) Managerial culture. 4) Recruitment. (IT & communications) 5) Diversity: 1980s, senior CS= white middle class private. 2011: women made up 35% and BME: 5%. |
| Concerns about civil service reforms. | 1) Fragmentation: separation of policy advice and service delivery functions has brought problems of control and coordination. 2) Markets and agencies: eroded public service ethos. 3) Accountability: executive agencies have blurred the lines of accountability. Ministers of chief executives responsible for policy failures/delivery? 4) Politicisation: Gov. exerts to much political pressure on civil service, use of SPADs, and role civil servants play in promoting gov. policy and senior appointments based on political considerations have undermined impartiality. |
| Describe the structure of the department for education. | 1) Justine Greening (sec of state for ed) 2) Jo Johnson (minister of state for uni) 3) Nick Gibb (minister of state for school standards) 4) Lord Nash (parliamentary under-secretary of state for the school system) |
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