Cash4Coursework has been rebranded ‘FreeCoursework.info’ - Visit us to download coursework for free and to earn money from your old coursework!
View this page at Freecoursework.info
Does Britain have a presidential or a cabinet style government? - page 2
Keywords: britain uk government presidential prime ministerial cabinet executive
By exploiit on 19/06/2010
Level: A Level (Year 12) / AS Level
Page Number: 2 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4is known to possess an element of control freakery; this means he pays great attention to detail, and therefore stalls when making major decisions. Due to this weakness in his position, the Cabinet gains a further sense of power whereby they can reassert themselves and their power.
The use of Cabinet Committees in British politics is, sometimes, considered to be an enhancement to the importance of Cabinet. Calling on only the departments that are directly related to the issue at hand, ministers throughout Parliament are satisfied that concerns are being effectively dealt with by experienced professionals, and also that the Cabinet is now left with more time to fully discuss departmental disputes.
A more contemporary side to the argument is influenced by the assessments of Crossman, writing in the 1950s. A former Cabinet minister himself, Crossman contested Bagehot’s initial claims that the British government was mostly Cabinet-run, and instead states that, today, the Prime Minister presides almost absolutely over the State. In a Presidential or Prime Ministerial government, the Prime Minister is seen as a sovereign, disregarding the general title of Primus Inter Pares (first amoung equals). Like Bagehot, Crossman is able to support his ideas with a number of very real and very relevant points. Although it is obvious that the Prime Minister’s powers are subject to constraints through the Cabinet, it is still true that his powers are more potent than at any point in previous British administrations, and there has been an increasing marginalisation of the Cabinet in favour or Prime Ministerial influence.
The formal powers awarded to the Prime Minister dwarf the powers given to Cabinet and its ministers. Patronage, the ability to grant peerages, honours and chairs of many public bodies, along with the ultimate authority to appoint and dismiss all government ministers give the Prime Minister instant authority over his ‘equals’. This power in particular adds weight to the Prime Minister’s dominating position, as he can appoint ministers loyal to him to Cabinet, ensuring minimal opposition within the Cabinet to reject or debate what he, himself, has to say.
In the off chance that the Prime Minister’s own select Cabinet disagree with or protest to his proposals, they are gagged – silenced by the role of collective responsibility. By this means, that Prime Minister is able to brief his Cabinet on what he would like to do in regards to a particular issue – they may or may
Last 5 comments…
There have been no comments posted for this article, but you need to register if you want to be the first!