Comparison of the US President and British Prime Minister.

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Comparison of the US President and British Prime Minister It would appear that both offices hold different powers, all of which will be taken into account when deciding which is more powerful. The power, which the holder of each office exercises over their respective party in the legislature is of great significance in determining which office, confers the most power. The British Prime Minister, as shown by past examples, usually holds substantial power over the party machine from which their power originates, and position depends on. The comparison of the US President and the British Prime Minister appears from the onset, to provide some interesting differences since the President holds the position of Head of State as well as Head of Government. The Prime Minister, it would appear, has more influence on domestic issues, able to dominate his part, legislature and to an extent, the executive Branch of government. The US President, on the other hand, appears to have the position of supremacy in domestic politics, known as the chief legislator and dominates his executive, though part control is limited. He does not hold the same position of power in domestic affairs as the Prime Minister, but his position of strength appears to be in the realm of foreign and international matters, in which he faces little challenge from Congress. Much of this prominence is derived from his status as the 'Nation's Leader' and the unifying force in a dispersed political system. It would appear that both offices hold different powers, all of which will be taken into account when deciding which is more powerful. The power, which the holder of each office exercises over their respective party in the legislature is of great significance in determining which office, confers the most power. The British Prime Minister, as shown by past examples, usually holds substantial power over the party machine from which their power originates, and position depends on. The absence of a clear separation of powers in the British system gives the British Prime Minister the position of, head of the majority party in parliament. Due to such a strong link between the Prime Minister and his party he can often expect loyalty as a matter of course when forwarding legislation. 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 also has, at his disposal, a powerful Whip system to maintain party loyalty. British MPs are faced with the threat of losing career prospects within government, temporary suspension, the enmity of their colleagues, failure to be selected by their constituency party, and the ultimate sanction of expulsion from the party. Such weapons make the Whips a vital tool to the Prime Minister in maintaining party loyalty. It may be true that both Senators and Representatives of the same party as the President face similar threats when voting on Presidential legislation, but they also face numerous other pressures which they take into account when voting, most notably, their own personal convictions, lobbyist and financial backer's views, and pressure from constituents upon whom they rely for reelection. This is particularly true of Representatives who stand for election every two years and are thus 'fighting a permanent election battle'. For such reasons, members of Congress, especially Representatives, are usually more independent when it comes to voting. Despite the success of presidents such as FDR in maintaining strong party loyalty in Congress, the example of Presidents such as Carter show that party loyalty is not often guaranteed or even expected in the US system. This explains the reliance on 'logrolling' by the US President when attempting to gain support for legislation, rather than the reliance on party loyalty, which dominates British politics. 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. It has been noted though that control over party, for both the President and British Prime Minister depend much on the varying political climate at that time. In Britain, the example of the Conservative rebellions over Europe throughout the life of the Major government which served to decrease the government majority and eventually render it non-existent, showed how party support could be lost and extremely weaken a Prime Minister's power. By contrast, many political observers have noted the growth of a more cohesive party system,
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especially after the 'Contract With America' produced by the Republican Party in 1994 after a sweeping victory in the elections for both Houses of Congress. If the Congressional composition remains as it is after the elections in November and Bush wins the Presidential election, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between he and Congress will develop and if such party unity does in fact exist. Undoubtedly, the prime minister appears to hold a considerable advantage in controlling his party, much more so than the president, who is faced with a disunited party system and the lack of ...

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