Preview

To what extent does the PM dominate the political system in the UK?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1872 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To what extent does the PM dominate the political system in the UK?
To what extent does the PM dominate the political system in the UK?
There are arguments to support that the PM dominates the political system. The PM has the power to do many things that will affect the state of hers/his country and therefore has to carefully consider the choices they make. The pm has many powers that proves his/hers dominance like the power of patronage, choosing the cabinet ministers, the power of royal prerogative and so on. This all gives him more power than the rest of parliament. However there are arguments to support that the PMs Power is limited; The pm may be proved weak when it comes to pressure of events, scrutiny by House of lords and opposition, the current coalition est.
Firstly the PM proves that he has dominance through the power of patronage. The PM has the power to appoint ministers, Bishops and, in theory, can dissolve parliament and call elections. This means that, for the benefit of their parties’ ideology the PM can choose those who are loyal to him/her which makes them look stronger. The PM also has the power of royal Prerogative. There are PMs who have taken the power of patronage to their advantage like Gordon Brown who Fired 11 members of his old cabinet. Having the power of patronage mean he can change his cabinet to make it more to his liking. Also having the power of patronage means that the PM can give bonuses and promote back benches, making them less likely to rebel and support the choice that the pm makes. This shows that the pm dominates the system as they have the decision to have certain mps in their government, having loyal members makes him/her look stronger and more popular within his/hers own party. However there are limits and conditions to the power of patronage.
Firing and hiring who ever the pm wants can lead to opposition and arguments within the party. The pm cannot always do as they wish as there can be consequences to thoughtless firing. Also looking at the current coalition Cameron cannot use
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Apush Chapter 6 Summary
    • 1528 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Apush Chapter 6 Summary

    Chapter 12: The Presidency I. Presidents and prime ministers A. Characteristics of parliaments 1. Parliamentary system twice as common 2. Chief executive chosen by legislature 3. Cabinet ministers chosen from among members of parliament 4. Prime minister remains in power as long as his or her party or coalition maintains a majority in the legislature B. Differences 5. Presidents are often outsiders; prime ministers are always insiders, chosen by party members in parliament 6. Presidents choose their cabinet from outside Congress; prime ministers choose members of parliament 7. Presidents have no guaranteed majority in the legislature; prime ministers…

    • 1528 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    ‘To what extent has coalition government undermined the power of the PM?’ (40)
    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    ‘To what extent has coalition government undermined the power of the PM?’ (40)

    Another argument for is that because there is a coalition government, this leads to parliament being split, leading to no overall majority. This then means that disagreement could occur, which could have been avoided in the first place if only one party was involved. If the Prime Minister had complete power, then the decision would have been easier and they could have decided the outcome with their party. However the Prime Minister now has to consider the other parties views, and has to share his/ her powers with other…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Identify & Explain factors which influence the degree of power a Prime Minister has. Include examples of Blair, Brown and Cameron.
    • 664 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Identify & Explain factors which influence the degree of power a Prime Minister has. Include examples of Blair, Brown and Cameron.

    The role of Prime Minister has been constantly evolving over the years, and it can be argued that the degree of power he/she wields changes with it. For example, during the late 17th century, a Chief Minister existed as a special advisor to the monarch. However by the late 19th century, the Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party of House of Commons and enjoys greater political power, whereas the monarch acts as Head of State.…

    • 664 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To what extent has the formation of a coalition altered the relationship between Parliament and government?
    • 787 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To what extent has the formation of a coalition altered the relationship between Parliament and government?

    Since 1945, there has been a single party majority government. Before the coalition, the government could control parliament due to its large majority, however we’ve seen a recent change in the relationship between the executive and legislature. The main issues that arise would be from the small majority of just 76 in the Commons, the lack of support from backbench MPs and fact that Cameron is the first Conservative Prime minister to not have a majority in the House of Lords. The Coalition of the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative party lacks both ideological and tribal unity, which would normally derive from a strong, single party majoritarian government. This provides Parliament with more opportunities to examine and scrutinize the government.…

    • 787 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How donminent has the PM become
    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How donminent has the PM become

    The Prime Minister is the most important person in British politics. The Prime Minister appoints his cabinet and makes the final decisions on major issues. The Prime Minister cannot become a President as the UK system would not allow it but in the recent years, people have criticised that our Prime Ministers have increasingly become more of a presidential figure in Parliament. Some of the ministers that have been referred to as presidential include Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair etc. Now in this essay, I will be analysing the factors that shows the growth of power of PM.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    P. M Democratic Dictator
    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    P. M Democratic Dictator

    In 1867 Canada’s government was established as a parliamentary democracy. It was declared that those in government are to follow the Bill of Rights and run Canada for the people. Recently, there has been much debate on whether or not the Prime Minister could be considered a “Democratic Dictator”. Democracy “is a foremost issue” and the people of Canada are arguing that one person may hold too much power. After exploring the possibilities, I do not believe the Prime Minister can be considered a Democratic Dictator, as he/she must be elected, have an opposition, and every law proposed is voted on in the House of Commons. However, in opposition to this statement, the P.M. holds…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Canadian Prime Minister
    • 2207 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Canadian Prime Minister

    The Canadian Prime Minister is the head of the Government and has significant powers in deciding how the nation is supposed to work in their stipulated time frame. While he/she is not the head of the state, he/she leads the Canadian Armed Forces and appoints the cabinet ministers, Supreme Court judges, senators, ambassadors, and heads of crown corporations. However, the Canadian constitution does not explicitly state most of the powers currently exercised by the Prime Minister because it does not establish the post of Prime Minister. These powers arise from unwritten Constitutional…

    • 2207 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Socials 10 notes
    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Socials 10 notes

    2. Crown has ultimate power, beyond that held by any particular government at any particular time, it is vested in the queen, and in governor general as her representative. For example, if prime minister were to decide not to call an election within five years as required by law, governor general could order…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Interest Groups Within the Country
    • 13464 Words
    • 54 Pages

    Interest Groups Within the Country

    * In Great Britain, a lot of political authority is lodged in single official (prime minister), so there are only a few access points and few opportunities to affect decisions.…

    • 13464 Words
    • 54 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Do Prime Ministers Seem To Be More Powerful
    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why Do Prime Ministers Seem To Be More Powerful

    The reason why prime ministers seem to be more powerful in relation to their cabinet colleagues is because of how much authority they have over the cabinet. The prime minister leads the other ministers within a cabinet (Key Point p. 102), and in some places, such as the UK, are seem to be one of Europe’s most powerful. They have control over their colleagues, such as controlling what the cabinet does and does not discuss and having the power to hire and fire cabinet colleagues. Also, most ministers across Europe even prefer having a strong Prime Minister, “… as long as he or she is also willing to listen and involve his or her cabinet,” (p. 103). Also, prime ministers hold popularity in the public, sometimes driving their counterparts to be…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is the UK Prime Minister now effectively a President?
    • 1074 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Is the UK Prime Minister now effectively a President?

    In the UK, the Prime Minister is now effectively a president and has gained more presidential powers because nowadays the prime minister performs most of the functions of a head of state. The media tends to concentrate on the prime minister as the personal spokesman for government now, as they also dominate foreign and military affairs, usually the functions of a president.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Minor Parties in the USA
    • 1375 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Minor Parties in the USA

    To what extent does the Prime Minister dominate the political system in the UK? (40 marks)…

    • 1375 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Presidential vs. Parliamentary Democracy: a Debate
    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Presidential vs. Parliamentary Democracy: a Debate

    In terms of stability and democratic values, parliamentarism is not the superior form of government. Parliamentarism lacks stability by sovereignty. Sovereignty leaves the power in the hand of Parliament without any checks or balances to ensure proper governing. Parliaments laws can fluctuate greatly according to whomever is in office, considering that there is no written constitution at times which describes there power, considering they have all the power there is no need for a description of it. The prime minister can be ousted if needed prematurely if his party lacks confidence in him. This vulnerability leaves a prime minister weak and easily swayable. In terms of democratic values a parliamentary system lacks the highest efficiency because of the lack of proportional representation in Parliament. Regardless of the exactly number of parties, a minority party would not hold enough seats to actually make a significant difference.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Prerogative Power
    • 2169 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Prerogative Power

    Formally in the UK, executive powers are rested in the crown. However in reality this is not the case. Traditionally this was the stance in the UK. However in modern times, the most important PP are available only to the prime ministers and other cabinet ministers. However, the monarch still have some personal prerogatives powers at their disposal but this are not mostly carried out on the advice of the prime minster.…

    • 2169 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Prime Minister of India
    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Prime Minister of India

    The Prime Minister is the most important and powerful executive of the state. He can be called the ruler-of the state. He is the head of the Council of Ministers and all the powers of the President are actually exercised by the ministers. He can rule the country in a way which he thinks the best. He is the architect of the fate of state.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics