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Decision Making in Central Government

Decision Making in Central Government. Powers of the Prime Minister. Powers of the Prime Minister. All PMs have certain constitutional powers How well they use these powers depends on their personality and political style. Her Majesty’s Prime Minister.

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Decision Making in Central Government

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  1. Decision Making in Central Government Powers of the Prime Minister

  2. Powers of the Prime Minister • All PMs have certain constitutional powers • How well they use these powers depends on their personality and political style

  3. Her Majesty’s Prime Minister The PM does not have the constitutional authority a US President has For example, the PM is Her Majesty’s PM The PM is not directly elected Gordon Brown was not elected to be PM, the Labour Party selected him after Tony Blair resigned in 2007

  4. Public Opinion • The PM can call a General Election at any point within the lifetime of a Parliament • Choosing the right time for the PM and his party is a political skill • Gordon Brown really should have called a General Election in 2007 when Labour was 10% ahead of the Conservatives in the opinion polls

  5. First Among Equals A PM will promote his most trusted allies into the Cabinet Most MPs seek promotion. The PM can use this ambition to promote loyalty Sometimes a PM has to appoint rivals into the Cabinet for a variety of reasons

  6. Special Advisers The PM will have special advisers (SPADs) PM Tony Blair famously confided in SPADs, such as Jonathan Powell, more than Cabinet colleagues. He was always at Tony Blair’s side, just below the radar Blair made decisions outside of Cabinet in bilateral meetings with his Special Advisers. This approach was termed “sofa government” In 2009, Gordon Brown had 11 SPADs in his “kitchen Cabinet” Gordon Brown with disgraced SPAD Damian McBride Tony Blair and Jonathan Powell

  7. Patronage The PM can appoint many others outside of the Cabinet e.g. senior civil servants, judges and heads of government bodies The PM can also appoint members of the House of Lords Tony Blair famously was accused of giving peerages in return for donations to the Labour Party

  8. International Statesman The PM can dominate the news agenda by going on the international stage For example, by hosting G20 meetings or going to NATO/UN summits This can make an Opposition leader appear less important

  9. Collective Responsibility Collective responsibility forces Cabinet members to support the PM. But, if they decide to reject collective responsibility, the PM can topple. In June 2009, there was an attempted coup against Gordon Brown. Caroline Flint resigned, accusing the PM of using female Cabinet members as “window dressing” Hazel Blears resigned on the eve of the Euro elections, rocking the boat by “returning to the grassroots” James Purnell resigned, telling the PM to quit, in order to save the Labour Party from defeat at the next General Election

  10. The Press The media is a double edged sword When the PM is in control, the media will be on his side. But it can put the PM on the defensive too e.g. the expenses row. The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail are Conservative supporters. But even The Guardian has called on Gordon Brown to resign. Will The Sun switch to the Conservatives in 2010?

  11. Pressure Groups The miners ended Ted Heath’s government back in the 1970s. Joanna Lumley’s Gurkha campaign made Gordon Brown’s Government look silly too

  12. Parliamentary Majority Government whips usually ensure that the Executive usually wins Parliamentary votes The larger the Government majority, the less power back benchers have But, a Government with a small majority and low opinion poll ratings will encourage back bench revolt

  13. Prime Minister’s Question Time A dominant PM can use PMQT to raise Government morale and demoralise the Opposition However, a weakened PM will find PMQT an uncomfortable experience David Cameron has “scored points” in his debates with Gordon Brown in a way his predecessors never did with Tony Blair. Question Time has been something of an ordeal for Gordon Brown.

  14. Events….the election that never was Above all, a PM’s authority will rest on his ability to make good decisions in response to the many unforeseeable social/economic and political events which will come his way Gordon Brown dithered in October 2007 in the election that never was He has never really recovered

  15. Events…the credit crunch For a brief spell, Gordon Brown enjoyed a “bounce” as he appeared to take control of the credit crunch But as the credit crunch turned into a recession, the Government has been blamed Gordon Brown applauded in Congress

  16. Events… the expenses scandal Politicians from all parties have been implicated in the expenses scandal But it has affected the Government more Does the public expect higher standards from Labour MPs?

  17. Events…Euro election disaster The 2009 Euro elections further weakened PM Brown’s authority “A long, dark night of humiliation” Labour wins less than 16% of the vote and comes 3rd, behind UKIP

  18. Can all lead to a Prime Minister losing control There is no single formula for understanding PM power The PM has certain constitutional and personal powers he can utilise But, these can all come undone if he does not use these powers wisely Tuesday 2 June 2009

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