The British Prime Minister Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The British Prime Minister - Essay Example Apart from that, he also has patronage elsewhere such as the appointment of junior ministers The Prime Minister also chairs a number of select committees; at present the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee, the Constitutional Reform Committee, the Intelligence Services Committee and the Northern Ireland Committee. In these committees the Prime Minister has to be very influential in the determining of policies in these committees. Another function of the Prime Minister is to represent the country internationally. The queen is Britain's head of state, but the Prime Minister is Britain's de facto representative abroad. Political instinct alone seems to dictate the American president as 'the world's most powerful man' in the sense that most powerful politician in any of the world's democratic nations. He heads the world's most modern military force and the world's largest economy. In America, the president is the best known among politicians. This by itself gives him a great deal of authority as many people within their own states cannot name their own representatives in the House, Senate or governor. The title of president gives him enormous authority and power as he is the main figurehead within the whole of the massive American political structure. The British Prime Minister, in comparison, does have the same international standing as the president. In the crisis involving Iraq, the driving force behind any move against the leadership in Baghdad has been the American president, George Bush, while the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair has been referred to as clinging onto the coat tails of Bush. Britain simply does not seem to have the international standing to overtly influence policies. Such a position does not allow the Prime Minister to drive an international agenda which the US president is capable of. In this sense, the power of the US president abroad is far greater than that of the British Prime Minister. Taking domestic politics into picture, it is pretty much a reverse case scenario. Although the president can select his own cabinet with which he can work, it has to be ratified by the Senate but it does not necessarily mean that the president might have to work with people he did not initially select for his cabinet. The Prime Minister on the other hand, has no such restrictions. He selects all those people he wants for his cabinet and can remove them if they fail to satisfy his expectations and standards. He does not require consultation and approval from anybody over this though he might discuss it with an inner circle of very close colleagues. Least of all does the Prime Minister have to have his cabinet agreed to be the House of Commons or Lords. The president is not head of his party. The British Prime Minister is not only prime minister; he is also a serving Member of Parliament and head of his party. As such, he commands huge respect within that party and does a great deal to drive the policies of that party in power. With a large parliamentary majority, it is almost certain that prime ministerial policies will eventually become the actual policy and law. He is