This is a relatively new theory of prime ministerial power (and, indeed, of power in general) developed by Michael Foley in his important work, ‘The Rise of the British Presidency’ in 1993. It suggests that political systems are increasingly led by leaders who consider themselves to be distinctly separate from the rest of the government. This separateness gives rise to the term spatial. In it he looks at leaders such as President Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Above all, he suggests these leaders deliberately make themselves into outsiders within government.
Is Cabinet Government Dead? Cabinet government is a system of government in which executive power is concentrated in the cabinet, which is made up of heads of government departments, who exercise collective responsibility. Traditionally, within government the Prime Minister is ‘primus inter pares’ or ‘first among equals’ which reinsures the fact that he is a minister, not a president, of which some Prime Ministers may seem to appear. The cabinet fulfils many functions, these may have changed overtime but the principle functions include making policy decisions. Overtime, the role of the cabinet may have increasingly been seen to be less and this may have changed peoples’ perception on the system of government used in the UK.
He was familiar with Lutheran and humanist ideals, and as a lawyer he had the capabilities to carry out his ideological reforms in Parliament. He created a powerful state, based on law made by ‘King-in-Parliament.’ By enhancing the power of a joint King and Parliament, he was putting limitations on the King acting alone, as a Rex Solus. In addition to his changing parliament, he set about building up the recourse of the Crown and by organizing a more modern, beaurucratic system of administration, based on an inner privy council, and organized departments of state that could act without a monarch. So while Cromwell did make Henry able to make huge changes in the system with the Royal Supremacy, he (Henry) was unable to do so without Parliament, and effectively Cromwell, who in 1535 became the Vicegerent in Spirituals, giving him more power to make further changes. Between 1533 AND 1536, there were major changes in how things were governed at central and even local levels.
An essential model of the executive that has been in operation for many of our previous governments is Cabinet government, which could be said to sprout from the idea that the prime minister was originally ‘primus inter pares’, according to Walter Bagehot – or ‘first among equals’. This form of leadership is usually approached with prime ministers using cabinet frequently to seek advice and counsel on issues and even proposed legislation. As the chair of cabinet and head of government, the prime minister has power over the length and frequency of the meetings, and as part of Cabinet government, this is usually exercised in a manner such that the Prime minister does not have any significant power over the rest of cabinet, and therefore decisions should be made collectively as possible, and consensus should be achieved. The issue of collective responsibility must also be mentioned; this is an important aspect of UK government and maintains strength in the executive. This type of government was operating in full flow under the leadership of James Callaghan in 1976, where he allowed his cabinet to freely debate whether or not the UK should accept the loan from the IMF.
Discuss how two Prime Ministers differed in their treatment and use of the cabinet (10 marks) A Prime Minister’s (PM) relationship and utilization of his/her cabinet can be an important factor in determining a successful premiership as PM. PMs over recent decades have differed in various ways in their treatment and use of the cabinet. Two examples of PMs who have contrasted in their approaches to their cabinet are John Major (PM from 1990-1997) and Tony Blair (PM from 1997-2007). John Major can be regarded as a more transactional leader, in the sense that he took a preference to a more collective cabinet; decisions would be made in cooperative meetings involving all cabinet ministers and there was room for compromise on certain issues discussed in Cabinet Office. In that regard, Major adopted a more collegiate style in his cabinet, making sure that all ministers had a contribution in the discussions at hand.
In the 1918 General Election the coalition Conservatives gained 335 seats, whereas the Coalition Liberals had only 133 – Lloyd-George was a “prime minister without a party”. The coalition came to fall on 26th October 1922. David Lloyd-George’s actions and activities played an important role in the downfall of the coalition government. One of the most sensational activities of Lloyd-George’s was the Honours Scandal. Lloyd-George was accused of selling knighthoods and peerages to untrustworthy and dodgy characters (Sir J.B Robinson, Sir Samuel Waring and Sir Archibald Williamson).
PATH OF A WOMAN AMBITION OF BRITAIN LEADERSHIP IN PHYLLIDA LLOYD’S THE IRON LADY MOVIE (2012): A FEMINIST APPROACH A. Background of the Study Britain is a country with a government leader is Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior ministers, who are government department heads) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The position of Prime Minister was not created it evolved slowly and erratically over three hundred years due to numerous acts of Parliament, political developments, and accidents of history.
Is it true to say that we now have Prime Ministerial rather than Cabinet Government? In the following paragraphs I will evaluate and analyse the two contrasting ideologies of Prime Ministerial and Cabinet Government, with specific focus on how Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair have run their Cabinets. The traditional system of government in the UK is run by the Cabinet, which is composed of twenty three members, seventeen of which are Ministers, who are known as 'Secretaries of State'. Each Minister has responsibility for one public office, the titles of these positions are; The Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Information Minister, Interior Minister, Education Minister, Environment Minister, Health Minister, Justice Minister, Culture Minister, Agriculture Minster, Transport Minister, Commerce Minister, Energy Minister, Inland Revenue Minister, Public Works Minister, and The Chancellor.1 The Cabinet is the primary decision making body for the executive.2 The Prime Minister heads the Cabinet meetings and has final say concerning policy; The Cabinet can, however, over-rule the Prime Minister by a majority.3 Each Minister should be proficient in knowledge of his/her sector, and have strong leadership skills so as not to be ruled by their Civil Servants.4 Having a Cabinet Government, which is what the UK still claims to have, is a much more democratic process of producing policy, as all the decisions are made by a group of people with a collective of broad and diverse experience and thus ensuring a more proficient final policy. It has been argued though, that we now have Prime Ministerial Government as opposed to Cabinet Government, due to the shift in power towards the Prime Minister over the years from Thatcher to Blair.
For those of you unfamiliar with this model it is derived from the Three-Amigos model but with greater emphasis on the outlying gross national product. Annual Military Budget Changing view of the family There are a number of reasons which may be attributed to this unquestionable correlation. My personal view is that the annual military budget plays in increasingly important role in the market economy. The economic policy spectrum is seeing a period of unprecedented growth. Political Factors Modern politics
With reference to the source, and your own knowledge, explain the prime minister’s prerogative powers. (10 marks) The prime minister has formal powers, which have derived from the Royal Prerogative. These powers are also exercised by other ministers. The prime minister is able to appoint ministers and other senior figures. The key power he has is patronage, which enables the prime minister to appoint politicians who share his views, helping him in his position effectively.