Cameron As Prime Minister - Is There Anything AS Students Can Say?

There is nothing better than showing the examiners you’re up to date, and nothing worse than doing it in such a ham-fisted way that you end up losing marks.  So how does the anxious AS student use this week’s change-over of executive power in any meaningful way in his exam?  Surely David Cameron has been PM for too short a time for there to be any point referring to him?  Er, no actually, as this excellent article by the Times’ Peter Riddell makes clear.  We may not be able to comment much on Cameron as PM, but we can draw one or two conclusions about prime ministerial power both from the way he has started, and from the historic nature of his leading a coalition.

First, it is important to remember that any reference to Cameron can only be a small – but important – part of any essay on the executive.  Much of what students write will still depend on the lessons learned from previous holders of that position, especially Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, and from the theories and constitutional niceties underpinning it.  But some of the points Riddell makes are worth using, not just because they shed light on the new era, but because they also help to illuminate some of the previous practices of prime ministerial power.

Students are strongly recommended to go to the article itself – it is not a long one, and is concisely written, in Riddell’s usual incisive, economic style.  His main conclusions are these:

1. David Cameron obviously faces unique problems as PM in needing to balance the demands of two parties.
2. In opposition, Cameron’s implementation team (headed by Francis Maude) was advised not to do too much at first, focusing on key priorities instead – the budget and the setting up of the National Security Council.  He appears to be following this advice.
3. Cameron has thus left Whitehall departments pretty well intact – most previous PM’s have made changes or created new ones.
4. This has limited disruption in Whitehall – as recommended in earlier reports from the National Audit Office and the Institute for Government (if you have time, it is worth referring to this excellent summary provided by the Institute of their key recommendations to an incoming government).
5. The new Coalition Committee is a mechanism unique to he coalition government.
6. Mr. Cameron has kept the majority of his and the Lib Dem shadows in the posts they shadowed – ensuring continuity of knowledge from new ministers.  Only four cabinet members are completely new to their briefs.
7. The biggest downside is the overall lack of previous Whitehall experience – but this is not new, it was the case in 1997 for Tony Blair’s government as well.

Thus, David Cameron may be taking seriously some of the previous criticisms of the exercise of prime ministerial power, particularly in terms of maintaining ministerial continuity, and not continually altering the architecture of Whitehall in the form of the ‘perpetual revolution’ so beloved of Blair and Brown.  The demands of leading a coalition may also mean that he employs a more Cabinet-based system of government than has previously been the case.  Of course, after less than a week in office, any conclusions can only be tentative, but not only has David Cameron changed the face of the British political system, he may also have heralded a return to a more managerially effective system of Whitehall government. 

Modern Conservatism - In Thought And Action [7 Jan 2012]
The Coalition and the Conservatives [9 Oct 2011]
How Cameron is Shaping the Premiership [3 Apr 2011]
What does Cabinet do? [1 Nov 2010]
Power in the central executive territory [16 Oct 2010]
Assessing Blair - Robert Harris’ Damning Review [12 Sep 2010]
Tabloids and Governments [6 Sep 2010]
Full Cabinet graphic [18 May 2010]
Gordon Brown’s Reputation in History [15 May 2010]
Brown’s inner circle - AS exam update [6 Apr 2010]
Lord Ashcroft and the Troubled Times of David Cameron [6 Mar 2010]
Brown in Power – What the Rawnsley Revelations Tell Us About the Office of Prime Minister [21 Feb 2010]
Student Challenge - make their own Cameron poster [21 Jan 2010]
Executive Power [17 Jan 2010]
Pressure Groups & the NHS [27 Dec 2009]
The heat is on [17 Nov 2009]
The New Conservative Policy on Europe - What Really Happened [5 Nov 2009]
Cabinet unshuffle [17 Aug 2009]
AS revision: MPs’ expenses [20 May 2009]
A new spin on PM power [28 Mar 2009]
Brown and the first PM [23 Feb 2009]
Brown and Mandy [15 Jan 2009]
An hour is a long time in politics [12 Oct 2008]
Just another Media Monday [7 Sep 2008]
Brown to reshuffle the pack? [16 Aug 2008]
Gordo’s premiership: whatever happened to the clunking fist? [12 Apr 2008]
Brown examples [22 Mar 2008]