To what extent are modern prime ministers now presidents in all but name?

Intro- Bit of context and mention the points on either side of the argument that you are going to talk about. Yes- Personal leadership over collective leadership- To bypass opinions of full cabinet and concentrate support amongst most powerful in cabinet- Tony Blair sofa politics. Yes- Intense focus on the PM through the media- Powerful image of Margaret Thatcher in tank after Falklands occurred just before her opinion poll increased. No- Parliamentary structure provides more constraints than that of a presidential system- Parliamentary system has the PM as head of the party- Norman Lamont's role in EDM crisis of 1992 hurt the Conservative party as a whole/ EU row in party hurt John Major's chance of re-election in 1997. No- Impact of coalition and minority governments- Lower majority in Parliament makes it more difficult to pass bills through the Commons and leads to greater compromise amongst parties- Conservatives and DUP over social care weakened Theresa May and Conservatives and Lib Dems on scrapping DNA collections on innocent people in 2010-2015 government. Conclusion- Summary of strengths and weaknesses of arguments and come to an overall judgement on which argument is stronger.

TA

Related Politics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Compare the powers contained in the UK and US constitutions (12)


How have Cabinet Ministers seen their powers decline?


'Explain the term 'turnout' used in the extract' (June 2016)


What is democracy?