Prime ministers, presidentialism and westminster smokescreens

Mark Bevir*, R. A.W. Rhodes

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    44 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article asks, 'how do practitioners understand the relationship between the prime minister, ministers and the rest of Westminster arid Whitehall?' We focus on three topics. First, we review tales of a Blair presidency. Second, we explore the governance paradox in which people tell tales of a Blair presidency as they recount stories of British governance that portray it as fragmented with several decision-makers. Finally, we argue that this paradox reveals the distorting influence the Westminster model still exerts on many accounts of British politics. It acts as a smokescreen for the changes in executive politics.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)671-690
    Number of pages20
    JournalPolitical Studies
    Volume54
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Dec 2006

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