Explanation of the Term Cabinet Government

Explanation of the Term Cabinet Government

The book ‘British Politics: Ideas and Concepts by Keith Pye and

Richard Yates is an understandable guide to politics. It is split in

to three sections- Concepts, Theory and Institutions. The chapter of

interest to us is ‘The Executive’ which can be found in the

Institutions section. This chapter goes over the basic principles

associated with the Executive, discusses the make up and foundations

of the same, and outlines the powers of the Prime Minister. This

section is of particular interest because it discusses the Prime

Minister’s control of their party, their power to dominate the

proceedings of the Cabinet and their powers to select the dates of

elections and construct and use informal groups of ministers (known as

inner or kitchen Cabinets). The textbook provides a good insight in to

the way the Cabinet works and the relationship they should have with

the Prime Minister (leader of the Cabinet and the Party). It discusses

the legitimacy of the Cabinet as well as the authority of the Prime

Minister. From the chapter on the Executive, we can learn about the

responsibility of the Cabinet (collective responsibility) and also

ministerial responsibility (individual responsibility).

This source is relevant to the proposed essay because it will allow us

to provide comprehensive definitions of the Cabinet and Prime

Minister’s roles and responsibilities within Parliament and to the

electorate. In doing this it will allow us to examine the essay

question in greater detail and so come up with a more thorough answer.

Web-based Source

www.fda.org.uk/Resource.phx/pubman/templates/18.htx?id=99 Last access:

26/10/05

Article written: May 2005

This source was published just days after Labour won a third term in

Government and outlines John Baume’s (general secretary of FDA)

opening of the union’s annual delegate conference. It is clear from

the internet article that Baume is of the opinion that we are not

operating under a Cabinet government; in fact the article is entitled

‘FDA calls for Cabinet government over ‘sofa government’.’ Baume

believes the Government should “learn from their mistakes and take a