The Extent of the Prime Minister's Power and Authority
In society today people think that the most powerful person in the
British government system is the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. However,
to what extent does he have power and authority? The Prime Minister
doesn’t govern the country alone; the Cabinet as a whole discuss most
matters. You could then say that we have Cabinet government as they do
supposedly collectively make decisions on matters. The position
however of power in one government may differ from that of another,
Margaret Thatcher for example rarely used Cabinet at all, John Major
on the other hand used it regularly and considered there opinions
vital in the decision making process.
Cabinet government can operate in a number of ways, depending on the
particular Prime Minister, the government, the nature of the policy
issues under consideration and the political circumstances. The
traditional view is that the Cabinet is the seat of power in terms of
policy initiation and decision-making. Cabinet doesn’t just decide
all-important issues; it also controls government policy as a whole.
Walter Bagehot regarded the Cabinet “as the crucial institution of
government” describing it as the “efficient secret”. The assumption
behind the traditional view is that Cabinet minister’s meet together
to discuss all major issues of policy before coming to a collective
decision, which then binds all members of government. Some critics
have argued that Cabinet committees enhance the power of the Prime
Minister; to Harold Wilson this was a simplistic view. Cabinet
committees make government more effective and prevent the Cabinet
being caught up in detail. Wilson said that it did not increase prime
ministerial power since it would be difficult to ignore a decision
made by a committee of Cabinet colleagues.
The argument that Cabinet government has declined in the UK is not
accepted. Arguments have been put forward to back this up. These are
that the style or character of individual Prime Ministers has a
bearing on the extent to which they wish to exercise plan or resort to
The price minister is the head of the federal government, who is the government’s chief speaker, main legislator, and head of Cabinet. The governor general, who assigns judges of the federal courts and advices of prime minister as well as accomplishing those duties of the prime minister. The prime minister has power to assign and fire Cabinet ministers, and hundreds of other federal government office
The composition of the ministry and cabinet also depends on how many seats the government controls in the House of Commons. A minority government is created when one single party has less than half the seats in the House of Commons yet more than the other parties when they stand alone. One of the main advantages in having a minority government is that the government must work with the other parties to come to a consensus regarding bills and policies; in doing this, there is broader representation of Canadian interests. While this is a benefit for Canadian citizens, it is a drawbac...
The Separation and Balance of Powers in the UK Constitution “By the latter part of the 20th century the independence of the judges had come under increasing threat from interference by the executive. Recent reforms have, however, served to redress this position and ensure that a proper division of personnel and functions between these two arms of the state is restored. Discuss this statement in the context of the Separation/ Balance of Powers in the UK constitution.” French political thinker Montesquieu argued during the Enlightenment that in a democratic state the three branches of government; the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary should not overlap in personnel or function. Is the British judiciary’s integrity at stake in a constitutional monarchy which does not comply with Montesquieu’s base definition of democracy?
Tony Blair's Approach to Power Since Labour came into power in 1997 Tony Blair has been criticised by some for being the 'son of Thatcher'. Many say that labour is now following the values and policies similar to that of a Tory government and in particular a Tory government lead by Margaret Thatcher. Before the time of Tony Blair and New Labour, the left wing party stood firm on one value and that was socialism. More on Labours old Values and policies The conservatives on the other hand have very different policies or not so different as some may argue. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher lead the conservative government from 1979-1990 and she made some very radical changes that have stuck.
Presidents of the United States take an oath to uphold the Constitution. In times of crisis, however, presidents are tempted to circumvent the spirit of the Constitution in the name of political expediency. The president of the United States of America is frequently under pressure, which could be for something as simple as dealing with his wife (especially if she's running for the US Senate), but usually the problem is more extensive. Then, the whole nation is affected, and the problem becomes a national crisis. A widespread panic is possible. The president must propose a plan to aid his nation while keeping the public under control. Lincoln. Roosevelt and Truman proposed bills to stop or prevent the national crises that plagued the country.
When the constitution of the United States was formed, the framers specifically designed the American Government structure to have checks and balances and democracy. To avoid autocracy the President was give power to preside over the executive branch of the government and as commander –in –chief, in which a clause was put into place to give the president the power to appeal any sudden attacks against America, without waiting for a vote from congress. While the president presides over the executive branch there has been ongoing debate over the role of the president in regards to foreign policy. Should foreign policy issues be an executive function by the president or should congress play a much greater role? With the sluggishness of our democracy, foreign policy issues most times need quicker response compared to how domestic policy is decided in the United States. Many believe to maintain openness and democracy both the president and congress need to agree on how the United States handles issue abroad. Although the president has been given much power, his or her power and decisions are sometimes limited based on decisions by congress and challenged and shaped by various bureaucracies throughout the government system. I shall discuss the Presidents role and the role of governmental bureaucracies (Department of Defense, Department of State and the National Security Council) that work together and sometimes not together to shape and implement American foreign Policy.
In Canada, the cabinet is made up of the prime minister and members of the parliament, chosen by the prime minister. The members of the cabinet are all responsible for leading the nation and deciding on important decisions that will impact the country. With Justin Trudeau introducing his cabinet that is made up of 50% women and 50% men it will be the first time Canada has had an equal gender-balanced cabinet. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s, decision to plan a gender-balanced cabinet is a decision that will ultimately improve Canada’s perspective on women’s rights and help the country gain true equality;additionally, his decision will allow many people to see what a diverse country Canada is, as Justin Trudeau has also stated that on the day
Contrary to popular belief, a minority government does not necessarily hinder a governing party. When practiced correctly, a minority government can be an improvement on single-party majority. Instead of one party controlling government, minority governments allow for multi-party governance, which promotes compromise between political parties. On the whole, minority government decreases stability and requires continuous cooperation with opposition parties. Although faced with many challenges, there are several beneficial aspects to a minority government. This paper will argue that a minority government does not hinder a governing party, and in fact can be beneficial in numerous ways. Most importantly a minority government allows the Prime Minister to maintain a range of important resources which allow for an effective government, minority governments deliver a more open and inclusive decision making process, and a minority government guarantees the confidence of the House for a certain amount of time.
While relationship between the legislative, executive and judiciary largely remained the same, the public perception of President’s place in system has changed (Jeffrey Tulis, 1990). In the twentieth century, a strong executive emerged and was institutionalized in American national politics. Even though the framers anticipated that Congress would be the predominant branch of government, contemporary presidents wield formidable formal and informal resources of governance. As a result, the public expectations of presidents have grown and created a gap between expectations and formal powers. In an attempt to explain presidential power and its limits, four major often conflicting theories of presidential power has emerged in the last four decades.
First, the prime minister power comes from the media image. The image a prime minister has in the media is very influential as in Canada winning candidates on the government side are aware that their party leader’s media reputation in the election campaign explain in large measure why they themselves were successful. Therefore, if the leader is able to secure a majority mandate, the minister in the house of commons, is in the party leaders debt, and not the other way around (Savoie, 2009). Hence, this increases the power of the prime minister as the minister are more likely to be loyal and less likely to openly rebel against the prime minister. For example, A Gallup poll conducted in 1988 is very revealing on this point.
Twelve members of the cabinet preside over departments or ministries of the government, which include the ministries of justice, foreign affairs, finance, education, health and welfare, agriculture and forestry, and labor. The remaining cabinet members are the so-called "ministers of the state," which include the deputy prime minister and heads of various agencies such as the economic planning agency and the science and technology agency.
In Mellon’s article, several aspects are mentioned supporting the belief that the prime minister is too powerful. One significant tool the prime minister possesses is “… the power to make a multitude of senior governmental and public service appointments both at home and abroad,” (Mellon 164). Mellon goes on to state the significance the prime minister has when allowed to appoint the government’s key member...
be necessary to take a brief look at the history of the office of the
To conclude, it could be argued that the Prime Minister holds the most powerful position within the country. However there are enough restraints to ensure that this power is not abused; e.g. opposition within the House of Commons and House of Lords, the Prime Ministers own backbenchers and cabinet, and the voting general public. In my opinion the Prime Minister holds a lot of power but they certainly can't do what they want with it, as safety nets within government have been instated.
Although they are very closely related, power and authority are two different concepts. Power is needed in order to establish authority, yet it is also completely distinct from authority (Week 9 Study Notes).