The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister's relationship with the core executive:

• The PM is the head of an elected govt, and is the principle minister of a sovereign or state. 
• The core executive is the committee of senior ministers who are responsible for controlling govt policy. 
• The groupings of the core executive is designed to take the pressure off full cabinet and to provide a lower level forum for decision making, consideration of current issues that relate to govt, and resolution of inter departmental disagreement. 
• The Exchequer is the govt department responsbile for developing and executing the British govt's public finance and economic policies. 
• There is a collection of over 100 senior officials and political advisors, who advice the PM about:
  • Policy and implementation
  • Communications
  • Party management
  • Govt relations. 
• The cabinet system is resonsible for coordinating policy across Whitehall departments and ensuring effective policy delivery.

The key power of the PM to hire and fire is through PATRONAGE:

• This is the power to grant favours, and is gained from royal prerogative. 
• Therefore, the PM can promote loyal supporters, which means that MPs who disagree with the PM can be kept out. (sycophantic).
  • E.g. Thatcher transformed her cabinet in the 80s, into 'drys' who were economic liberals or thatcherities. Whereas before, the cabinet were formed of 'wets' who were one nationist. 
  • Currently, the Tories are little more centre. 
• However, the PM still needs to consider that:
  • All ministers must be MPs or peers. 
  • The cabinet must provide ideological and political balance, to achieve party unity.
  • The cabinet govt has an impact on who is a minister.  (reshuffle). 

The PM has the power to control the cabinet and the cabinet system because:

• They chair cabinet meetings and sum up decisions.
• PMs decide how long meetings last and when they happen. 
• Since the 1950s, the number of cabinet meetings has declined.
• Tony Blair preferred 'sofa government' where he would hold his meetings on a one to one basis. 

However:

• The support for the PM is based on their popularity. 
• Under a coaltion, the process can become entangled in coalition management, as the PM has to compromise. 

Party leadership sets the Prime Minister apart from all the other ministers:

• It also gives them more leverage through:
• The fact that the PM is the party leader
• The PM can command a disciplined majority in the HOC, controlling Parliament as a result. 
  • e.g.  Blair was able to control the govt has he had a huge majority in 1997, which is how he was able to introduce HOL reform. 

However:

• The PM has to deliver electoral success, and if popularity wanes, party loyalty can evaporate quickly.
  • Blair's popularity decreased. 
• Also, no PM can survive without the support of the party. 
  • E.g. They can be defeated by a vote of no confidence (James Callagham).

The growth of media has reordered the power relationships within the political executive. The mass media has:

• Given the people 'political celebrity', which has led to the growth of 'spactial leadership.'
• An obsession with personality and image of politicians, which guarantees that the media focuses on the political leaders. 
• A growth of 'spin doctors' who manipulate the presentation of politicians, to gain a distorted result. 
  • This is where information is 'vetted' before release to the media, and where key newspapers back certain politicians. (Sun-supported Blair).
• However, 'bad' news stories are often 'hyped' by the media and turn problems into crisis.