Is too much Power Given to The Prime Minister with the British System of Government?
Introduction
More often than not, the American president is the one referred to as the most influential person in the world. However, there are some restraints put forth on the president’s power that is not present in Great Britain that is led by a Prime Minister. According to Bennister, (2012, p.43) "Prime Ministers have to act per the political, social, and economic situation in which they find themselves, and instead, have the power as well as resources to mold the environment they occupy either consciously or unconsciously." Additionally, within the political structure of Britain, the Prime Minister’s powers have developed to an extent that the Great Britain is now known as a nation with a Prime Ministerial government and not a Cabinet government. This paper, therefore, will address the powers given to the Prime Minister within the British system of government. This essay will describe the powers given to the PM and analyze the areas linked to supporting the PM concerning legal documents and the regulated institutions that have specific roles within the United Kingdom’s Judicial System. Finally, it will also show how useful the PM’s powers are within the British system of government.
According to Moran (2011), the PM gains stability through his leadership as he has power over the machinery of departments, such as the Civil service. Although senior officials are present in each unit, they also support the PM. Hence, the Prime Minister’s final decision is acknowledged before matters are approved (Birch, 1998). Moreover, the electoral system is vital as a contribution to the construction of the party (Gallagher and Mitchell, 2005). Also, if cabinet members feel that the PM's views are not supported, the position will become weak leading to subsequent voting out through the electoral system (Dowding, 2012). For example, the recent refugee crisis demonstrates how powerful the current Prime Minister is because he made insulting comments to refugees referring to them as ‘a bunch of migrants' (Gallagher and Mitchell, 2005). Although it was placed in the media, causing a lot of stigmas and criticized by opposition Members of Parliament, his backbenchers stood by what he said by justifying his words.
The PM, as the head of the British government and also a leader of their political party, has the authority to select Cabinet members. He chooses people that have demonstrated loyalty to the executive himself and reshuffles or permanently removes those that seem not loyal enough. Besides, the senior cabinet positions come with some advantages like that of chauffeured cars, a government house, opportunities for overseas travel, and even much higher salaries. Therefore, the selected MPs are expected to be entirely loyal to the person who put them in those positions (Podger, 2009). However, some people believe that the Prime Minister only surrounds himself with the people that accept and abide by him to avoid engaging him in robust discussions at meetings. Therefore, by selecting loyal Cabinet members and giving the senior positions to the people close to him, the PM gains more powers to control the cabinet.
Alternatively, the PM has the authority to alter any evil decisions to strengthen council members. In fact, reshuffling cabinet members are crucial as it is part of the political life and prerogative power of the PM. Allen and Ward argue that this act is usually viewed as an annual event. According to Finke (2015, p.605), ‘party leaders have a strong impetus to reinforce party discipline since otherwise they stand to lose credibility in future endeavors’. Moreover, being the head of the executive government in the UK, the PM has a growing team of senior officials and advisors who give direct support including the civil service (Williams, 1995). Those who disagreed with his decisions were allowed to resign like in the case of Lain Duncan Smith (Mason and Asthana, 2016).
Legal Documents that Support the Prime Minister
The constitution gives the PM a substantial amount of power (Gov.uk, 2016). Forman (2007, p.24) describes the structure as being “a single, written, codified document.” In other words, the law connects the citizens and the governing institutions, such as the courts, and Parliament by rules (consoc.org.uk, 2016). Nevertheless, due to it not being one single document, many key Constitution documents are embedded to limit the rulers’ powers within an institution. An example of this is the Bill of Right 1698, providing legislations, although it contains limitations to how far laws can be implemented. However, a more recent document ‘The Supreme Court 2009’ conversely makes key fundamental changes to the ‘Constitutional Reform Act 2005’ (UK Parliament, 2016). In the same way, Harrison and Boyd, (2006, p.35) posited that “It is important to realize that the significant developments strengthening PM power over the last century have been more political rather than constitutional.”
Governed Institutions that Support the Prime Minister
The PM’s accessibility to the media gives him the power to influence the public through persuasive communication powers as the media is known to focus on the central leader when covering issues surrounding society (Forman, 2007). This kind of media access adds to the powerfulness of the Prime Minister since the media is known to give him the ability to be on top of the government. Besides, the PM enjoys the freedom of controlling the flow of media information through individual advisors. For instance, Tony Blair’s first advisor journalist Alistair Campbell would notify him to avoid the release of bad news (Tiffinomics, 2016). Furthermore, the media was often under a lot of pressure to make politics sweet to the public hence the lengthening of news stories (Arnett, 2014). Therefore, the media’s contribution in enhancing the PM’s powers is indeed evident.
The Effectiveness of the Prime Minister’s Powers
It can be said that since the time of Robert Walpole to the current PM, David Cameron, the powers have increased in accordance to the leadership of the PM and how he exercises the position (Morris, 2008). Alternatively, Forman (2007) argues that changes in the political system throughout history have made the PM position secure. Nevertheless, the PM has to act in a prestigious way to gain the interest of others, although yet still having the power to conduct his or her environment still can be in his favor (Bennister, 2012).
The PM is also useful in the way the media puts him through to the public. Through positive interactions, the media enables the PM to have a positive influence on society and other institutions, contributing more to his personality and how he is seen as a political idol (Seldon and Snowdon, 2015). More so, his outrage of Cabinet members who enable the PM to sustain leadership and popularity through exercising their loyalty continues to strengthen the PM in being successful in running the machinery of departments. It is, therefore, clear to say that prime ministerial powers within the British system of government are very robust and powerful, although many bodies give support for this to succeed (Dowding, 2012).
Conclusion
The powers of the British Prime Minister have evolved over time that some people view it as an advantage to the UK’s constitution claiming that it leads to responsiveness and flexibility while others see it as a disadvantage since it results in the PM’s potential of acquiring more power. However, the powers of the Prime Minister are more informal than formal. This argument is because they are building relationships and ensure to maintain the power as the Prime Minister since they are viewed as influential regarding the build-up of people and advisors that support them. But whichever the case, it is evident that the British system of government has given the Prime Minister too much power.
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