Blog Discussion Group Six
Blog post due at 11:55pm on March 12 and comment due at 11:55pm on March 15.
Britain
- Is the British prime minister more powerful than the president of the
- How does the power of the prime minister compare with that of the
- Given a choice between serving as the president of the
3. Given a choice between serving as the president of the United States or as the prime minister of Great Britain, which job would you prefer? Why?
ReplyDeleteWere I put in such a position, I would choose to be prime minister, if only because a vote of no confidence could get me kicked out tomorrow and away from the responsibilities that come with the job. Were I forced to make a concerted effort, I would still choose the position of prime minister, because cooperation with the legislature is necessary and guaranteed, unlike in a presidential system, where such behavior is only encouraged. In presidential systems afford the possibility of stalemates; parliamentary systems require that the prime minister be the leader of the dominant party, thus ensuring that I at least have common ground with most of the legislature. In the interest of keeping their positions and their party's power, the PMs would want to work with me to resolve issues, making for a moving government.
Sources:
"Britain." Introduction to Comparative Politics, Mark Kesselman et al.
I think you make a good point that the decision making process in legislation would be easier because you would be working with the dominant party that would probably agree with the PM for the most part. I think that people who put themselves up for these kinds of positions must truly care about being a beneficial leader or just greatly crave power. Either way, I think that the type of person that this job attracts would be more willing to work harder as the PM because if confidence is lost, then their power would also be lost. There is not as much incentive for the POTUS to work as hard once elected because that power cannot be terminated just based solely and performing poorly. So therefore, I think that if I had the drive to be one of the two of these, I would also pick the Prime Minister of Great Britain as well because I would feel more obligated to work harder and better for the people.
Delete"Britain." Introduction to Comparative Politics, Mark Kesselman et al.
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/american-politics/president-versus-prime-minister/
I can agree with the points you make, Will. If I wanted to be involved with Britain's legislature, or law-making in general, then I would be the Prime Minster rather than the President. BUT in the case of wanting to "kick back and relax", or not making an effort (or much of one) at all, I would suggest being the President. Sure, you have to look over Bills written and approved by the Senate and House of Representatives, but really the only thing you have to do is perform ceremonial duties like welcoming visiting foreign dignitaries to the country because the US President IS the Chief Representative of the US (AKA Chief of State) ("What's"). As the US President, you'd be the symbolic leader of the state, and (possibly) a role model to others, but the responsibilities of that position wouldn't be as heavy and numerous as those of the Prime Minister of Britain. You could relax a little and not have to make a "concerted effort."
DeleteI would consider being the US President instead of you prefer leisure over the stress of leading.
Citation: "What's the Difference Between a Prime Minister and a President?" Wonderopolis, NCFI. 2019, Web. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/whats-the-difference-between-a-prime-minister-and-a-president. Accessed 12 Mar 2019.
While it is true that the President does not risk his/her career by not doing anything, this does not mean that the President is not expected to do anything but sit around and welcome foreign dignitaries. I think it's important to recall that most President's are known for tackling at least one issue head-on: Reagan fought drugs, Kennedy fought space Russians, W. Bush fought terrorism, etc. I think the only president you could say didn't work very hard in office was Harrison. The rest were busy with wars, cold wars, westward expansion, or internal conflicts such as the previously mentioned drugs. While I think it's accurate to say that the Prime Minister has to work hard to keep his/her job and that the President doesn't *have* to, I think it's important to keep in mind that this description is a poor fit for the evidence.
DeleteI agree with you on being able to sit nack and relax as prime minister but you would be also threatened with you are the only power . And people will look to you for all the answers there is not a lot of delegations as a prime minister . So have to take that in consideration
DeleteQuestion 3: Given a choice between serving as the president of the United States or as the prime minister of Great Britain, which job would you prefer? Why?
ReplyDeleteIf I were given the choice between serving as President of the United States or as Prime Minister of Great Britain, I believe I would prefer to be President of the US. For one, the President is the head of the state, not the head of the government, which means I wouldn't have to worry as much about managing the government, checking and passing policies and whatnot. As the President, I would be the Chief Representative of the US and perform ceremonial duties like welcoming visiting foreign dignitaries to the country ("What's"). I'm more of a "people pleaser", so this job would be better suited for me and my personality. I wouldn't feel as uncomfortable because I wouldn't have to worry about stepping on anybody's toes or making anyone upset.
In addition, the President is elected by the people while the Prime Minister is elected by members of Parliament. I would prefer to have a large population (filled with varying opinions) spread over a large area elect me vs a small elite with a lot of power, money, and dependability at stake. The public would depend on Parliament to make the right call when electing the Prime Minister. If the wrong person is elected, then the public could become displeased or even angry. I wouldn't want them to be angry at me, or at Parliament for electing me as Prime Minister. I would prefer if I had the public's direct opinion via elections (as is done for the President of the US).
Citation: "What's the Difference Between a Prime Minister and a President?" Wonderopolis, NCFI. 2019, Web. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/whats-the-difference-between-a-prime-minister-and-a-president. Accessed 12 Mar 2019.
I personally would prefer to be a PM. I think that as long as you and your party are all on the same page, you can effectively govern a nation without fear of being removed from power. The No confidence vote is something of concern for a PM that a President does not need to worry about but it means that working with others is absolutely necessary - And I think it should be necessary. A blame game is only distracting and contributes to ineffectiveness.
DeleteHow does the power of the prime minister compare with that of the U.S. president?
ReplyDeleteThe Parliament and Presidential governments are the strongest and most common forms of Democracy. For this comparison, I will be using Great Britain’s Parliament as an example of the Prime Minister. In order to analyze power, one must see how the leader is elected. For the U.S. President, they are voted every four years with a constitutional limit of one president serving two terms. There is a non-direct vote due to the Electoral College. The United States is the only democracy to have an Electoral College, this is to give more control to the states. The Parliament has a direct election and the leader of the party in the majority becomes the Prime Minister. The other party becomes the Opposition. The election is every five years and there are no term limits. The President has the ability to appoint 15 cabinet officers to run the government departments of the executive branch, however the President’s nominees must be confirmed by the Senate. The Prime Minister appointees for the 21 different positions needs no confirmation. However, they must be currently serving in either the House of Commons or Lords. The President’s power to create laws is split between the House and the Senate whom are chambers that make up Congress. Both Chambers and the President must agree on a bill for it to become a law. If the President doesn’t agree, they can veto it but it can be won back with a 2/3rds majority vote for each Chamber. The Houses of Parliament (House of Commons and Lords) make and shape the laws, Bills are presented by the Prime Minister’s government. But, both houses and the Prime Minister must agree on the bill for it to become law. The President is the Head of State and official representative of the country to the rest of the world, though this often falls on the Secretary of State. The President is also the Commander and Chief of the military, but only congress can formally declare war. In Great Britain, the Monarch is the official head of state, but that is really only a title as the Prime Minister realistically runs the country. In all purposes except name, the Prime Minister is the Commander and Chief as well. The President has an annual State of the Union in which they address the country and Congress about their political agenda for the year. Since the House is reelected every year, the president must keep in mind what party is the head and how that affects their agenda. In the Parliament, rather than the state of the union, the Prime Minister has a televised meeting once a week with the House of Commons. The Prime Minister answers questions while debating with the Opposition. This is a way for the voters and members of Parliament to challenge and keep the Prime Minister in check.
Conversation, The Daily. “Parliamentary vs. Presidential Democracy Explained.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quK60FUvkY&list=PLyU9AdN00dPH3-1n9qh4TVhy0ArgU5PiH&index=27&t=0s.
How does the power of the prime minister compare with that of the U.S. president?
ReplyDeleteUnlike the president of the United states the prime minister is chosen by the monarch not elected by the people. The prime minister is representative of the major party or a party that has won the election. The prime minister’s jobs include: deciding the direction and priorities of the UK government, overseeing the work of government agencies and the civil service, selecting cabinet ministers and other members of the government,chairing meetings of the cabinet and representing the UK at home and abroad. The prime minister is held accountable more so than the US president. The prime minister has an event every wednesday at noon called the Prime Minister’s question. The US president doesn’t seem to be held accountable for his actions and the US would benefit from an accountability session with the president. By definition a president is the first citizen of the country and also holds the highest office in the nation where the prime minister is the most powerful person in the country. The prime minister seems to be put on a higher level than the president. Because of how much the us tried to keep the government in check the power of the president is restrained in comparison to that of the prime minister. The supreme court and congress are used to check the power if the president. The US constitution is also holding back the power of the president, there are limitations built into it and the only way that it can be changed is through the supreme court. These limitations are not present in Britain, the prime minister has o the power to appoint, reshuffle or dismiss cabinet ministers,the power to create new peers to the House of Lords,the power to give out honours, the power to appoint top civil servants, ambassadors, bishops and judges, the power to determine government business and Cabinet discussions/agendas, the power to withhold information from the Houses of Parliament if deemed necessary, the power to use the media via a lobby system and the power to terminate the life of a government and call a general election. In conclusion the prime minister seems to have more power than the president of the united states.
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zwypxfr/revision/4
https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-prime-minister-and-president.html
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/american-politics/president-versus-prime-minister/
While it is true that the Prime Minister has more day-to-day power than the president, it is arguable that the Prime Minister isn’t inherently more powerful than the President. Officially, the Queen is the country’s representative and commander and chief. This is really just a title, as the Prime Minister does the work. The President, however, officially does have those titles and can pass the work to someone in his cabinet. As far as accountability, this can actually limit power. Since the Prime Minister is held more accountable, it is easier to dismiss them from office. If the Prime Minister doesn’t pass through a “no confidence clause” then they are dismissed. With the president, they must go through a long and complicated “impeachment” case that has only gone through twice in American history.
DeleteQuestion 1- Is the British prime minister more powerful than the president of the United States, or vice versa? Is Parliament prime minister more powerful than Congress, or vice versa?
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that the Prime Minister is more powerful. He/She controls not only the Executive branch of government but also the Legislative and Judicial branches. This give the PM an enormous breadth of power. A President is limited to only the Executive branch although can be persuasive to Congress for legislative activities. However, the President's party may not be in control of both houses and this can cause stagnation in the government. The PM certainly has power since their party is the majority of the House of Commons. There is a risk of being voted out as PM but if they focus on what their party wants, a no confidence vote should not be an issue. Although a president does not have to be concerned about a no confidence vote and serves a defined term(s), their power is still limited.
All members of the Congress are elected in the US as are the Ministers of Parliament in the House of Commons. However, the House of Commons have more power since the majority party is always the same as the PM. In the US, that may or may not be true. If both Houses in the US are not controlled by the same party as the President, it can be challenging for the government to do anything as the powers are cancelled out. In addition, the House of Lords cannot overturn any actions that the House of Commons has approved - providing even more power to Parliament.