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Prime Minister and the Cabinet

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Controversy about whether the expansion of the PM's power has now effectively ... Minster's responsible for day to day decisions, strategy, may make proposals for ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Prime Minister and the Cabinet


1
Prime Minister and the Cabinet
  • PM key figure in political system,
  • However no consensus on the precise nature of the
    PMs power
  • Controversy about whether the expansion of the
    PMs power has now effectively displaced cabinet
    government

2
death of cabinet government lament Brady, 1999
  • Functions of government have grown dramatically,
    the PM as head of executive has shared in
    increase of power
  • Attention has been drawn to growth of PMs
    authority over cabinet
  • Summons, Chairs meetings, sets the agenda, sums
    up mood, approves minutes
  • Collective responsibility
  • Existence of inner cabinet

3
Examples
  • Blair often bypasses cabinet relying on own
    policy unit and advisors e.g. previously Alastair
    Campbell now Dave Hill, Jonathon Powell
  • Increase in chairing cabinet committees
  • Reduction of meetings
  • Sofa style government

4
However
  • Convention dictates certain items will appear
    regularly on cabinet agenda
  • The Cabinet office advises the gov. on the
    implementation of policy at times this may
    obstruct policies
  • The cabinet will offer advice and opinion at full
    cabinet meetings on gov. policy
  • Needs Cabinet approval for controversial measures
    therefore PM needs Cabinet support

5
Examples
  • Even Thatcher was vulnerable she failed to
    recognise limits of her power and that she needed
    to work with cabinet-challenged for leadership
  • The cabinet system was more centralised and
    personalised, formal structure was downgraded

6
Examples
  • There was important differences in Majors
    approach- cabinet became a forum for more general
    discussion- used more extensively
  • Less focused solely on PM although tendency to
    rely on inner group

7
Party leader and at very least 1st among equals
  • Can hire, fire, reshuffle Cabinet, ministers
    parliamentary private secretaries, chairmen-
    powers of patronage
  • Decides who does what
  • For example, Charles Clarke sacked and replaced
    with John Reid, Jack Straw demoted to leader of
    the Commons and replaced with Margaret Beckett
    John Prescott remained as deputy Prime Minister
    but lost his portfolio

8
However
  • Seniority of colleagues demands their inclusion
    and sometimes in certain posts e.g. Brown- rival
  • John Prescott to appease left of the party
  • Experience, talent

9
The PM has a key role in economic and foreign
policy
  • Blair accused of backing Bush without cabinet
    support
  • Blair very involved in health, education
  • PM given credit when a policy goes well e.g. The
    New Deal, good employment, low inflation

10
The PM has a key role in economic and foreign
policy
  • However no leader can do things on their own-
    they rely on a number of top colleagues
  • Minsters responsible for day to day decisions,
    strategy, may make proposals for legislation
  • winning managers are difficult to remove but many
    are just waiting for them to start losing

11
Overall
  • Blair can be said to dominate his government and
    the control freak charges have been highlighted
    by the image that as a leader he has an
    ambivalent attitude to power and is terrified of
    genuine debate

12
Overall
  • However it can be argued that this is the image
    that Blair wishes to project
  • An image in which dissent is not tolerated
  • we must not confuse strong leadership with
    obsessive control from the centre

13
overall
  • The voice of the PM in cabinet may be the most
    important, but his power is essentially political
    and contingent on the success of the team of
    ministers who have their own power bases

14
  • Homework
  • Discuss the relationship between the Prime
    Minister and the cabinet (1994 LO2)
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