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.

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Answered by Tim A. Politics tutor

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