Britain & the Federal Republic of Germany

Parliament and the Executive

Political Science Seminar Series

Enforcing NAFO Regulations: A European Union Perspective

Michele Del Zompo

Senior Coordinator of Control Operations with the (EU) Community Fisheries Control Agency

3:00 pmFriday, November 16th

AA1045

Research papers:

Due Friday, November 30th

_____________

Final exam

Saturday, Dec. 8th

9:00-11:00

AA1043

Party system:

A moderate multiparty system:

• 3-5 parties represented in the Bundestag

• Parties disagree on extent of government intervention, as well as foreign policy, but

• Substantial areas of agreement:– Commitment to social market economy,

welfare state

The Chancellor

Constitutional position – strong:• Elected by the Bundestag (lower house)• Appoints the cabinet• Constitutionally charged with responsibility

for overall government policy• Can only be removed through a positive

vote of non-confidence (Bundestag must elect a replacement)

Limits on the chancellor’s power

• Basic law gives cabinet ministers constitutional responsibility for their own departments

• Plus political limits…

Political limits:

• Multiparty politics• Coalition government: In order get power, a

chancellor must share power – example current cabinet – a Grand Coalition of SPD

&CDU

• Need to pilot legislation through both the Bundestag (lower house) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council) in which laender (provincial governments) have a veto

German Chancellors

Relatively few occupants:• Konrad Adenauer – CDU (1949-63)• Ludwig Erhard – CDU (1963-66)• Kurt Kiesinger – CDU (1966-69)• Willie Brandt – SPD (1969-1974)• Helmut Schmidt – SPD (1974-82)• Helmut Kohl – CDU (1982-98)• Gerhard Schroeder – SPD (1998-2005)• Angela Merkel – CDU (2005-present)

Chancellors and their power:

Political position: • Typically:

– leader of the largest party– Winner of the last election

• Position within cabinet:– Unlike British PM, unable to shuffle at will– However, strong backing from the chancellery – like

the Cabinet Secretariat, a strong central agency

• Need to maintain political authority within his party and the country as a whole

Stronger and weaker chancellors:

Stronger:• Adenauer• Schmidt• Kohl

Middling:• Kiesinger• Brandt• Schroeder

Weaker:• Erhard

To be determined:• Angela Merkel

Gerhard Schroeder’s position (1998-2005)

• Led a divided SPD

• Narrowly based coalition:– SPD and Greens had a narrow 10 seat majority

• Decreasing popularity– Impact of recent provincial elections

• Uncertain international stature

Comparing the British Prime Minister and the German

Chancellor:

• Which (if either) is most capable of acting without first securing the consent of others?

Bases of British PM’s power

• Written constitution?• Convention?• Politics & political support:

– the ways in which parties transfer the power and authority of parliament to cabinet and prime minister

Prime Minister’s advantage

• Hires and fires the cabinet: acknowledged right to do so (a convention of the constitution)

• Support of `10 Downing St.’ staff (Equivalent to Prime Minister’s Office, [PMO] in Canada) including policy unit, social inclusion unit…

10 Downing Street

• Support from Cabinet Office: (Equivalent of Privy Council Office [PCO] in Canada)

• Whip system

The whip system and how it operates

• Whip’s Office– Chief Whip

– Deputy Whip

– Assistant Whips

• Serve as two way channel of communication: – Convey frontbench opinions to the back benches

– Convey backbench views to the leadership

• Make sure that the votes are there when they are needed

The process of discipline:

• A matter of conveying information and persuading• Punishment: removal of the whip or ostracism

from the caucus – rarely applied• Dealing with dissent:

– Canada: minimum or zero tolerance– UK: both parties tolerate some rebellion

• Conservatives: – deep divisions over EU– Travails of Ian Duncan Smith (IDS)

• New Labour: Iraq

How Prime Ministers maintain support

• The consensus strategy: enlist ministers representing different wings of the party.– Harold Wilson (1964-70, 1974-76)

– James Callaghan (1976-79)

– Margaret Thatcher (from 1979-83)

– John Major (1990-1997)

• Damn the torpedoes/shoot from the hip:– Margaret Thatcher (from 1983-90)

– Tony Blair (1997-present)

How different are Germany & Britain?

• In both instances, parties matter:

• Neither the German chancellor nor the British prime minister would be able to lead, or govern as they do, without disciplined or cohesive political parties

• Even so, both are constrained & must retain political support

Political Science Seminar Series

Enforcing NAFO Regulations: A European Union Perspective

Michele Del Zompo

Senior Coordinator of Control Operations with the (EU) Community Fisheries Control Agency

3:00 pmFriday, November 16th

AA1045