Presidents
The President of the United States or the British Prime MinisterThe comparison of the US President and the British Prime Minister appears from the onset, to provide some interesting political differences. In recent years, the public has become acutely aware of the potential, and arguably the need, for personal leadership in the midst of its political system. This represents a major change in perceptions and values, for the form of government, which has traditionally been distinguished by its collegiate and impersonal nature. The British system is based upon the constitutional doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, the political principle of a representative democracy drawn from a mass electorate, and on an operational ethos of party loyalty, collective cabinet responsibility and a professional civil service. The American presidency is a topic that attracts both widespread and intense interest. As a respective position of the political system, it represents a mainstream branch of a constitutional system with the support of a judicial b!ranch and a legislative branch. Yet these attractions may have inhibiting effects on the scientific and theoretical development of the subfie
The American President may, if he so wishes, use alternative sources of information apart from his cabinet, namely EXOP or the Independent Executive Agencies, which are contained within the Bureaucracy. The Prime Minister though, appears to have the most influence over legislation, when compared to the President, as his dominance over the legislature is much more secure and face!s less opposition. Thatcher, in particular, greatly increased her power within the executive by increasing the pow!er of the Prime Minister's Office and successfully using the Cabinet Secretariat as a further means of centralizing power. Clinton, for example, used 17 vetoes between 1993 and 97 with great success, having none overturned. We may also consider the use of Executive Powers by the President as a further way in which he can bypass Congress, and exert his law-making powers. The power of each office can also be measured by the degree of control they exercise over their cabinet and executive. The individual! wishes of Congressmen, it would therefore appear, are influential in the passing of legislation. Question Time too has come under attack for its ritualistic nature and often, 'rowdy' nature in which it becomes a mere point scoring match, a situation which appears to have continued despite Blair's reforms in 1997. The example of Reagan, a Republican, in gaining control over the federal budget through the cultivation of good relations with Tip O'Neill, a Democrat House Speaker, showed clearly how the support of the opposing party is often required to pass legislation within the US system. The President can not though, expect such favorable treatment from his party, as no direct link exists between he and his party colleagues in Congress, a situation created by the 'separation of powers', a primary intention of the Founding Fathers when writing the Constitution to prevent executive dominance. The British Prime Minister, it would appear has more legislative power than the President since he has much control over the workings of the standing committees which consider and amend legislation. Bush too, had great success in using the veto, defeated only once from 1988 to 1993. For such reasons, members of Congress, especially Representatives, are usually more independent when it comes to voting. The American system though, due to the 'Separation of Powers' between the Executive and legislative branches, in theory provides a limit to Presidential power over the passage of legislation.
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Acceptance Essays
