The Prime Ministerial Court

The Prime Ministerial Court
Author: R. A. W. Rhodes
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2024-07-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0192691112

Court politics is about who in British government did what to whom, when, how, why, and with what consequences. In The Prime Ministerial Court Rod Rhodes provides a thorough depiction of the court politics of the Conservative governments of the twenty-first century, namely the courts of David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson. Exploring specific topics, including the courtiers, the prime minister's craft, reshuffles, resignations, and leadership challenges, and the political games and feuds in the court between ministers, advisers, and civil servants, Rhodes concludes that the British government has a new Establishment in which the skills of 'knavery' abound. He finds evidence of betrayal, revenge, lying, scandals, and bullying with such machinations oiled by gossip, humour, and alcohol. Analysing the everyday practice of the 'dark arts' by the British political and administrative elite, each chapter includes a short case study of the court in action, covering the education wars, the 2018 election, and the Covid-19 crisis. Each case illustrates the personal, electoral, and governmental consequences of court politics. Rhodes warns that there are more and more knaves, decency is in decline, and British government needs 'rules for rulers'. Above all, he cautions citizens - 'beware, here be dragons'.

The Prime Ministerial Court

The Prime Ministerial Court
Author: Professor of Government and Director of the Centre for Political Ethnography R A W Rhodes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024-09-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780192866202

Rod Rhodes provides a thorough depiction of the Conservative prime ministerial courts of David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.

Comparing Cabinets

Comparing Cabinets
Author: Patrick Weller
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2021
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0198844948

Why is cabinet government so resilient? Despite many obituaries, why does it continue to be the vehicle for governing across most parliamentary systems? Comparing Cabinets answers these questions by examining the structure and performance of cabinet government in five democracies: the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia. The book is organised around the dilemmas that cabinet governments must solve: how to develop the formal rules and practices that can bring predictability and consistency to decision making; how to balance good policy with good politics; how to ensure cohesion between the factions and parties that constitute the cabinet while allowing levels of self-interest to be advanced; how leaders can balance persuasion and command; and how to maintain support through accountability at the same time as being able to make unpopular decisions. All these dilemmas are continuing challenges to cabinet government, never solvable, and constantly reappearing in different forms. Comparing distinct parliamentary systems reveals how traditions, beliefs, and practices shape the answers. There is no single definition of cabinet government, but rather arenas and shared practices that provide some cohesion. Such a comparative approach allows greater insight into the process of cabinet government that cannot be achieved in the study of any single political system, and an understanding of the pressures on each system by appreciating the options that are elsewhere accepted as common beliefs.

The Prime Ministers' Craft

The Prime Ministers' Craft
Author: Patrick Moray Weller
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2018
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0199646201

This volume examines how prime ministers work and the means by which they choose to run their governments, and compares four parliamentary systems (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom) over the past 40 years.

Choosing a Prime Minister

Choosing a Prime Minister
Author: Rodney Brazier
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2020-07-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 019260306X

When the door closes on one prime minister's rule, what happens next? General elections are only one possible way to enter 10 Downing Street. Using all relevant constitutional conventions, precedents, non-legal codes, historical events, and laws, this title offers a comprehensive account of all the circumstances in which the premiership is attained and lost. Over seven chapters, this book follows the sequence of events starting with how a prime minister can lose office, continues on to examine the procedures that then have to be followed, and considers at length the ways in which a politician can become leader of the country. Also explored are the possible emergencies, such as the sudden serious illness or even death of a prime minister, and their constitutional responses. This book concludes by looking at whether the procedures discussed could be set out in an authoritative and user-friendly code, and a sample one is suggested. Covering historical examples and modern turmoil, this book in an essential guide for understanding the rules and processes involved in choosing a prime minister.

Understanding Prime-Ministerial Performance

Understanding Prime-Ministerial Performance
Author: Paul Strangio
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2013-03-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191644463

At the beginning of the twenty-first century prime ministers loom larger in the consciousness of their nations than perhaps in any previous era. But how well do we really understand the variables of prime-ministerial performance, and, specifically, why some prime ministers apparently flourish in the role while others wither? This study examines how prime ministers perform as leaders of their governments, parties, and nations. It offers new ways of thinking about prime-ministerial power and leadership, and systematic empirical studies of prime-ministerial leadership practices in four Westminster democracies: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The volume features contributions from leading political scientists from all of these countries and is organised into three major sections: understanding power in prime-ministerial performance, prime ministers and their parties, and evaluating prime-ministerial performance. Through its collaborative and multifaceted approach the volume demonstrates that there are no hard and fast propositions or rules of thumb to capture what it is that makes us think of some prime ministers as so much more effective than others. Instead it highlights the importance for students of executive government to grasp the contingent interplay between personal, institutional, and contextual factors in understanding and evaluating prime-ministerial performance.

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister
Author: Harold Spender
Publisher: New York, George H. Doran Company [1920]
Total Pages: 414
Release: 1920
Genre: Great Britain
ISBN:

"David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM PC (17 January 1863 ? 26 March 1945), was a British Liberal politician and statesman. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and led a Wartime Coalition Government between 1916 and 1922 and was the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1926 to 1931."--Wikipedia.

Fake Law

Fake Law
Author: The Secret Barrister
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2020-09-03
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1529009960

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A powerful polemic' Sunday Times 'A compelling, eye-opening read' Daily Express – Did an illegal immigrant avoid deportation because he had a cat? – Is the law on the side of the burglar who enters your home? – Are unelected judges ‘enemies of the people’? Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society. Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This 'fake law' allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit. Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.

The Japanese Prime Minister and Public Policy

The Japanese Prime Minister and Public Policy
Author: Kenji Hayao
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2014-08-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780822971573

Despite the undeniable importance of Japan in world affairs, both politically and economically, the office of the Japanese prime minister has recieved far less attention from scholars than have the top political offices in other advanced industrialized democracies. This book is the first major systemic analysis of the Japanese prime minister's role and influence in the policy process.Kenji Hayao argues that the Japanese prime minister can play a major if not critical role in bringing about a change in policy. In Japan the prime minister's style is different from what is considered usual for parliamentary leaders: rather than being strong and assertive, he tends to be reactive. How did the role develop in this way? If he is not a major initiator of policy change, how and under what conditions can the prime minister make his impact felt? Finally, what are the consequences of this rather weak leadership?In answering these questions, Professor Hayao presents two case studies (educational reform and reform of the tax system) involving Nakasone Yasuhiro to see how he be became involved in the policy issues and how he affected the process. Hayao then examines a number of broad forces that seem important in explaining the prime minister's role in the policy process: how a leader is chosen; his relationships with other important actors in the political system - the political parties and the subgovernments; and the structure of his "inner" staff and advisors.