The Prime Minister Of Great Britain Essay

, Research Paper

The Prime Minister of Great Britain

There are a batch of political issues in Great Britain today. United

Kingdom is a big, industrialised democratic society and as such it has to hold

political relations and hence political issues. One of those issues how should

executive subdivision work and whether the Prime Minister has excessively much power. Right

now in Great Britain there is a great argument on this issue and I am traveling to

examine it in item. The facts I have used here are from different Hagiographas on

British political relations which are all listed in my bibliography, but the sentiments are

my ain and so are the statements that I used to back up my positions.

First allow me explicate the procedure through which a individual becomes a Prime

Minister. The PM is selected by the crowned head. He ( or she ) chooses a adult male who

can command the support of bulk of the members of the House of Commons.

Such a adult male is usually the leader of the largest party in the House. Where two

are challengers in a three party competition such as those which occurred in the 1920s he

is normally selected from the party which wins the greatest figure of seats. The

Prime Minister is assumed to be the pick of his party and presents, so far as

he can be ascertained, engagement of a sovereign is a pure formality. Anyone

suggested for this highest political office evidently has to be a really smart and

willing person, in fact it has been suggested that he be an & # 8220 ; uncommon adult male of

common sentiments & # 8221 ; ( Douglas V. Verney ) . Not all Prime Ministers fitted this measure

precisely, but every on of them had to go through one of import trial: day-to-day

examination of their motivations and behaviour by fellow members of Parliament

before they were finally elected to the leading of their party. Unlike

Presidents of the United States all Prime Curates have served a long

apprenticeship in the legislative assembly and have been curates in old Cabinets.

Many Presidents of our state have been elected and on many occasions they have

ne’er even met some of their future colleagues, such as instance of Kissinger and

Nixon who have ne’er even met anterior to Nixon & # 8217 ; s assignment.

Let & # 8217 ; s now examine the statutory responsibilities and duties of the Prime

Minister. Unlike the United States where the President & # 8217 ; s responsibilities are

specifically written out in the Constitution, the powers of the Prime Minister

are about nowhere spelled out in a legislative act. Unlike his chap curates he

does non have the seals of office: he simply kisses the custodies of the sovereign

like an embassador.

The Prime Minister has four countries of duties. He is a caput of

the Government ; he speaks for the Government in the House of Commons ; he is the

nexus between the Government and the crowned head ; he is the leader of the state.

He is main executive, main legislator and main embassador. As we can see the

PM has an broad scope of powers, possibly excessively broad. As caput of the Government the

Prime Minister has the power to urge the assignment and dismissal of all

other curates. Army for the liberation of rwanda from being simply first among peers, he is the dominant

figure. Curates wait in the hall of PMs office on No.10 Dowling Street before

being called into the Cabinet room. He may himself keep other portfolios such

as that of Foreign Secretary ( as did Lord Salisbury ) or Minister of Defense ( as

did Mr. Churchill ) . He has general supervising over all sections and

appoints both the Permanent Secretary and the Parliamentary Secretary. The

Cabinet office keeps a record of Cabinet determinations to do certain that PM has up

to day of the month information. He controls the docket which the office prepares for

Cabinet meetings. There is a smaller Prime Minister & # 8217 ; s Private Office which

consists of a chief private secretary and a half a twelve other staff drawn

from civil service. Possibly owing to American influence the two offices are

going progressively popular and there are marks that the Prime Minister is no

longer content to be aided by nonpolitical civil retainers. There is small

uncertainty that if he chooses the PM can be in complete bid of his Cabinet.

The PM must besides give leading in the House of Commons, though he

normally appoints a co-worker as Leader of the House. He speaks for the

Government on of import matters-increasingly, inquiries are directed to him

personally-and controls the concern of the House through the Future Legislation

Committee of the Cabinet which he appoints chiefly from the senior

nondepartamental curates. Since the success of his legislative plan

depends chiefly on support of his party he must as a party leader attend to his

responsibilities and guarantee that the machinery of his party is working decently and in the

custodies of work forces he could swear. Basically the PM controls his party and in kernel

he controls the Parliament, but that is non all. The PM entirely can bespeak the

crowned head to fade out the Parliament and name a new election, it is unfastened to

argument whether it is this power to let him the control of the party and the

Parliament. I agree with this statement wholly because if the PM doesn & # 8217 ; T

like the manner it is traveling with his party he can ever denote new election so

the Parliament reasonably much backs up whatever the PM proposes. This is my chief

statement for this paper. In United Kingdom there is no system of cheques and

balances like there is in United States. In UK the PM and the Cabinet make a

determination which is so about blindly supported by the Parliament. A existent

democracy can non work T

his manner where there is one individual of power and the

remainder can barely make anything about it. Members of the bulk party will non travel

against the will of PM because it means traveling against the will of their ain

party and that is unheard of in England, members of the opposing party can non make

anything because they are a minority. The Queen herself is a figure-head and

does non hold any existent power. The PM is a nexus between the sovereign and the

Government, he keeps the Queen aware of what goes on with the Cabinet, the

Government and the universe at big. Although the Queen is a fictional figure and

has no existent power she can damage the repute of the Government and the full

state by one careless word. It is the Prime Minister & # 8217 ; s duties to

maintain the sovereign good informed. Other curates nevertheless can merely see the

sovereign with the PMs permission ( the sovereign nevertheless can see whomever she

chooses ) . As we can see, here is another illustration of PM holding excessively much

power. He fundamentally has an sole relationship with the sovereign and controls

who can see the Queen and who can non. In US this is unthinkable, any

congresswoman can bespeak an audience with the President if he wants and if let & # 8217 ; s

state the Chief of Staff wanted to restrict that in any manner so he would run into

some serious jobs.

Finally the PM is the leader of the state. In clip of crisis the

people expect him to do an proclamation and to look on telecasting.

Increasingly he should be a adult male who can non merely procure the assurance of House

of Commons, but of the adult male in the street or instead the adult male in the armchair in

forepart of the telecasting. Elections are apparently fought between two

single parliamentary campaigners, but in pattern they are competitions between

national parties which offer their ain political and economical plans. The

parties convey an & # 8220 ; image & # 8221 ; to the state through the voice and visual aspect of

their leaders. The Prime Minister must outshine his challenger, the Leader of the

Resistance. In the 1964 election, when the Liberals doubled their ballot, much

importance was attached to the Television public presentation of the Broad leader, Jo Grismond.

The Head of State and traditional & # 8220 ; symbol of the Nation & # 8221 ; may be the

Queen and the Royals, but the main executive is in world the PM. It is to

his desk that finally all hard jobs come whether these involve

engagement in NATO, the balance of payment crisis, the budget-or even the

royals & # 8217 ; love personal businesss ( as in 1936 and once more in the 80 & # 8217 ; s and 90 & # 8217 ; s ) . It is the PM

that has to typify his state & # 8217 ; s policies abroad and it is he who must

personally convince political leaders in other states that his Government can

be relied upon.

The Prime Minister is besides main legislator. Through the Future

Legislation Committee, he determines which measures the House of Commons will

discuss during the session, and can attach whatever importance he chooses to the

Immigration Bill or Steel Nationalization Bill. With few exclusions measures are

introduced in the House by the Government and if they are of import they require

the backup of the Premier.

Besides he is the main decision maker. Not merely does he oversee the

sections and chair Cabinet meetings but he directs the Cabinet Office and the

Office of Prime Minister. In economic personal businesss he decides governmental scheme

in concurrence with his Chancellor of the Exchequer and Minister of Economic

Personal businesss, if there is one, and leaves these curates to implement his policies.

In defence policy he chairs the Defense Committee of the Cabinet, go forthing the

inside informations to the Secretary of Defense ( Army, Navy and Air Force ) and the Chiefs of

Staff. Foreign Affairs, usually the duty of the Foreign Secretary,

necessitate the intercession of the PM when truly of import determinations have to be

made.

As we can see the PM is potentially a really powerful figure. Everything

depends on how he chooses to utilize this power and the success with which he

delegates some of his duties.

All PMs have had an interior circle of curates to which he turns when

speedy determinations have to be taken. The more of import departmental curates

be given to be the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Chancellor of the

Exchequer ; but these may non compose the interior circle of the given PM. Senior

curates don & # 8217 ; Ts have to be the members of the interior circle. They normally are,

but non all the clip. The Cabinet is normally as follows: the PM, three to six

interior circle members and the balance of the Cabinet which figure about 15.

I think it is obvious to see why the PM needs an interior circle. In United

States for illustration the President can O.K. the assignment of a individual to a

high political place without holding of all time met him/her. In Britain this would

sound pathetic, all major political figures know each other for old ages holding

likely gone to same schools together. The Brits believe that good friends

do good determination shapers which to me sounds really sensible. This fact can be

viewed from two different positions: some people say that when a new PM is

elected he normally appoints all his friends to high places by making this he

creates an interior coterie with which he governs as an absolute swayer, the

opposing position says that you need to cognize your co-workers for old ages in order to

successfully work with them. Both positions have a point and this is a really hot

subject in British political relations right now. Personally I thin