The Structure of Government Cabinet and Cabinet Ministers

The Structure of Government (Cabinet and Cabinet Ministers)

Motivation How does a Prime Minister differ from a President?

Unwritten Constitution -This is a jumble of acts of Parliament, customs and conventions about the rules of the political game. -Vagueness makes it flexible, allowing some leaders to exploit this flexibility to take on more power. - Citizens' rights are secured through trustworthy governors. "The Constitution is what happens. . "

What is David Cameron's job? The tasks of a prime minister include: 1) Winning elections 2) Campaigning through the media 3) Using patronage 4) Exhibiting Strong Parliamentarty Performances 5) Making and Protecting Policy

Speak Like a Brit. . . Cheerio. . . Queen's Government: Stresses nonpartisan government Labour or Conservative Governments: emphasize partisanship Government Officials: civil servants Whitehall: Collective executive agencies of government Parliament: the House of Commons and House of Lords Westminster: all the institutions of government

The Cabinet • The Cabinet consists of senior ministers appointed by the Prime Minister • Can either be members of the House of Commons or House of Lords. • The Cabinet is the forum where the prime minister can bring together leading members of their party to make policies • Ministers must give support to policies publicly and share responsibility or resign from office

Changes in Cabinet • The Cabinet formerly was a forum for deliberation • Tony Blair reduced the time and frequency of Cabinet meetings and made meetings focus on discussing "good news" for the government • Cabinet members remain department heads, who are responsible for overseeing government service. • -

Role of Ministers • Initiating policies • Avoiding difficult or unpopular decisions • Responsible fo the actions of the civil servants that work for them • try to compete for scarce resources to fulfill the needs of their departments (leads to competition among departments)