THE PRIME MINISTER: THE OFFICE AND ITS HOLDERS SINCE 1945 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Peter Hennessy | 720 pages | 01 Nov 2005 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780140283938 | English | London, United Kingdom The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 PDF Book He concludes with a controversial assessment of the relative performance of each Prime Minister since , from Clement Atlee and Winston Churchhill to Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, and proposes a new specification for the premiership as it enters its fourth century. It is correct, but understates the case. Downing Street. Churchill Coalition. Interviewer: after short, strained pause Thank you. Asquith's famous phrase, the job of prime minister "is what its holder chooses and is able to make of it. The London Gazette. Friend Reviews. Mr Blair has visited the prime minister's country retreat, Chequers in Buckinghamshire, to see Mr Cameron - invited back to the very place that for 10 years he could think of as his own. This claim is correct in the sense that the Prime Minister largely lacks the direct policy responsibilities, either in statute or by convention under the Royal Prerogative, possessed by secretaries of state, who have substantial budgets voted to them by Parliament. When his father's job led the family to move to the Cotswolds , he attended Marling School , a grammar school in Stroud , Gloucestershire. From recently declassified archival material he reconstructs, often for the first time, precise prime ministerial attitudes towards the key issues of peace and war. This was common enough in past generations, and we are returning in many ways to the practice of the past'. He was The Financial Times ' lobby correspondent at Westminster in Mar 05, Andreas rated it it was amazing. Although he served in cabinet from to he never officially acquired the title of Deputy Prime Minister. Control of the postal service was used to prevent the distribution of critical works and writers were bribed not to author them. Hennessy was born in Edmonton, north London, the youngest child of William G. She constantly consulted her cabinet and the U. A must read for all of us who love British history, and in particular some of the nations Prime Ministers. Readers also enjoyed. The repetition of such similar claims over such a long period of time means we should treat with circumspection the Constitution Committee's reference to a 'more dominant Prime Minister' today. He pondered whether his then boss, Tony Blair, worked harder than William Gladstone, four times a Liberal Prime Minister in the mid to late 19th century. It dropped later but in still stood at , higher than at any time before The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 Writer In Samuel Sandys criticised Walpole in the Commons for having supposedly achieved 'the sole direction of all public affairs'. Charlie Davis rated it liked it Oct 14, Britain has no written constitution: thus, in H. It compares data from , the last full year of the Lloyd George premiership, and from , when his successors, Andrew Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin, occupied No. One possible reason is ignorance about debates of earlier times that only historical research can correct. The prime minister: The office and its holders since He draws on unprecedented access to many of the leading politicians and also recently declassified, electrifying archival material. On the other hand, the suppression of collective policymaking is a matter in which a prime minister is entitled to do whatever his colleagues and his party will let him get away with. In the event of no party possessing a majority, this forces the party invited to form a government to enter into a coalition with another party. While the establishment of a semi-official Department of the Prime Minister is a change, it is to some extent of a cyclical nature. The mere occurrence of a meeting, circulation of a paper or existence of a secretariat does not reveal the quality or dynamics of the discussions that took place. Nov 22, Frank Aaskov rated it liked it. Prime Ministers inevitably are going to be much more involved in that global role and I think that is important. Sign up to receive announcements on events, the latest research and more! He resigned as her deputy in , making a resignation speech that is widely thought to have hastened Thatcher's downfall. We do not suggest that the Cameron premiership will necessarily be weak, but that it cannot achieve its goals simply by endowing itself with an enlarged support structure. I tried but in the end life's too short. Scottish Parliament Elections. At one time it might have seemed that Conservative governments were more inclined to prime ministerial domination. The Deputy Prime Ministership, where it exists, may bring with it practical influence depending on the status of the holder, rather than the status of the position. Second, the Institute for Government report, Shaping Up: A Whitehall for the Future , contains a section headed 'The problem of presidentialism', and endorses the notion that the office of Prime Minister has been morphing into a presidency. Even when he is critical of them, he plainly loves the cast of specimens whom history has thrown up for his inexhaustible delight The office of Premier has become more than ever like that of an elective President'. Beyond any Mortal? Northern Ireland Assembly Elections. Peter Hennessy in There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Other Editions 3. Both Wilson and Macmillan faced intractable problems of economic decline compounded by additional individual afflictions—in Macmillan's case, his prostate disease and in Wilson's, the left wing of the Labour Party. The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 Reviews Mine would have been happy to limit me to one hundred," he reflected. Drawing on unparalleled access to many of the leading figures, as well as the key civil servants and journalists of each period, he has built up a picture of the hidden nexus of influence and p In The Prime Minister: the Office and its Holders since , Peter Hennessy explores the formal powers of the Prime Minister and how each incumbent has made the job his or her own. Some lean on the cabinet whilst others look beyond it, some exercise a hawkish foreign policy whilst others more insular. Showing Little wonder Sir John didn't like comparing notes on workload with his peers at summit meetings abroad. Fartnoise Fartnoise junior rated it really liked it Oct 30, Dominic Raab C. Monetary Policy Committee. On some occasions the post of First Secretary of State has been similarly used: when John Prescott lost his departmental responsibilities in , he was given the office to enable him to retain a ministerial post and Michael Heseltine was similarly appointed. Some of this seems to matter from a constitutional point of view and some not. Liberal Democrats Leader [note 4]. From to , he was professor of contemporary history at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. He entered into a secret agreement with France and Israel to retake the newly nationalized canal by force, but informed neither his cabinet nor his U. One reason the second, non- departmental, phase of the premiership has persisted is that some Prime Ministers feared that formally establishing a 'Department of the Prime Minister', rather than simply strengthening No. Like Caesar he bestrides the word like a colossus. But this trend in itself does not establish that they are 'much more involved in' a 'global role'. Tony Blair, Hennessy asserts, has increasingly used his cabinet for purposes of media "spin control" rather than policy deliberation. Overall an Excellent guide to how the role of prime minister has evolved since up until about Following the general election , which returned a hung parliament , the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats agreed to form a coalition government. As a cabinet minister, however, they may have the use of a grace and favour London residence and country house. UK Referendums. James rated it really liked it Oct 21, Labour Party leader Clement Attlee held the post in the wartime coalition government led by Winston Churchill , and had general responsibility for domestic affairs, allowing Churchill to concentrate on the war. Except in exceptional circumstances it is thought unlikely that a prime minister would ever be dismissed. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 Read Online Prime Ministers inevitably are going to be much more involved in that global role and I think that is important. Other countries. He entered into a secret agreement with France and Israel to retake the newly nationalized canal by force, but informed neither his cabinet nor his U. Quite an academic overview outlining the political journey of the UK since When the office has been used in the past, the Deputy Prime Minister has deputised for the Prime Minister at official functions, such as Prime Minister's Questions. Get it? Does Mr Baldwin's observation help explain the relationships that can exist between serving and former prime ministers? The uses of historical research in child abuse inquiries. Although he served in cabinet from to he never officially acquired the title of Deputy Prime Minister. Between the mid-nineteenth century and the Blair premiership, the non-departmental nature of the premiership broadly persisted, but, as Lord Butler's comments suggest, from there were signs that a third phase of the office was emerging, with the large-scale staff associated with phase one used to augment the cross-departmental role that had become more prominent in phase two.