The Prime Minister Debate - Essay Example

Strengths - The prime source of strength for the prime minister in United Kingdom is loyalty to the ruling party. An example of such strength is evident in the 1880’s scandal where a party collapsed because of a disloyal government. If the party could continue being disloyal, then, the present British governance could not be in existence (Ashford, 1981, pg. 124-125). He also has a direct authority over his cabinet, and he has the power to choose cabinet ministers that are loyal to the government.

The prime minister has authority to dissolve parliament and call for another general election. On the other hand, being the leader of the ruling party, the prime minister can decide the items to appear on government daily schedule. This is significant because the cabinet prioritize only on the items within the schedule. For this reason, it becomes extremely easy for the minister to deal with ministers that are disobedient to the agenda. In essence, the prime ministers oversee all the government activities, including the executive performances, legislative actions and judicial activities.

In addition, the constitution permits the prime minister to retain his position without any restrictions, as long as he gets majority votes from the parliament (Coxall & Lynton, 1994, pg. 145-147). Weaknesses- The parliament elects the prime minister, and the largest political party elects him after the general elections. The prime minister is replaceable whenever the parliaments feel that necessity of removing him from office. Also, with the prime minister heading most of the government activities, the government feels insecure.

In addition, prime minister may not have a lot of influence like the president, and. this makes the government lag behind in terms of development. The prime ministers post is ceremonial, and he does not hold permanent political authority. The parliament serves United Kingdom, but not England alone and the government uses common law in