The comparison of authority between the United States President and the British Prime Minister appears from the onset, to provide some interesting differences. To clearly define who holds the supreme position, several factors must be taken into consideration. Though there are several similarities between the two strongholds, this research will only recognize a select amount of issues and concerns. Some of these topics to be dwelled upon include current events, survey of opinion, responsibility within position, bodies of support, legislation, foreign and domestic affairs, Discussions of who holds the most influence are extraordinarily sensitive to the tides of current events. Models of this power are then shaped out of these most recent images which factor into the race. Indeed the 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 in domestic, able to dominate his part, legislat!

ure and to an extent, executive branch. The US President, on the other hand, appears to have the position of supremacy in do

y having real influence when the government is in a small majority, as shown during the time of Major when the debate over coal mines in 1992 led to Major's back down over shutting them down. Adonis argues that debates on international issues are of great value as they force the Prime Minister to defend his actions and help in the area of sound policy making, a recent example being the debate on Kosovo and the subsequent decision to send in British troops. Question Time too has come under attack for its ritualistic nature and often, 'rowdy' nature in which it becomes a mere point scoring match, a situation which appears to have continued despite Blair's reforms in 1997. Such politics has led to, according to many analysts, the apathy towards politics felt by many in Britain today. It would appear that the President is more extensively scrutinized than the Prime Minister, and thus his power is greatly limited in order to provide accountable government for the United States. The!

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f the 1980's, when the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and the Constitution were successfully sidestepped. The British Prime Minister cannot expect to hold so much foreign influence, as the question of foreign policy appears to spark the interest of Parliament, shown by the quality of debates on foreign issues. The Prime Minister does not have the ability to use Executive powers in this area either, and he does not hold the position of Head of State. It would appear therefore that both the President and Prime Minister have extensive powers in legislating, both having the most control within their respective systems. The Prime Minister though, appears to have the most influence over legislation, when compared to the President, as his dominance over the legislature is much more secure and faces less opposition. The president though, through his use of executive powers, appears to have almost unlimited powers in foreign affairs, whereas Congress are more concerned with domestic iss!

lesser degree of government secrecy and the 'separation of powers' provide, it would appear, a more adequate form of scrutiny. The power of each office can also be measured by the degree of control they exercise over their cabinet and executive. In theory, the British Prime Minister is merely regarded as the 'first among equals' within the cabinet, and is usually expected to meet with cabinet, which is a formal unit. The President though, is not obliged to meet with his cabinet or consult them on policy, as cabinet is not a formal unit contained within the constitution. There is no doctrine of collective decision making, and the President holds the power of supreme decision maker when consulting cabinet and may ignore the views of his cabinet, a policy favored by Presidents such as Kennedy and Bush, who formalized meetings and paid little attention to the views of their cabinets. In Britain there exists the doctrine of collective decision making, which is supposed to help in !

ove, is able to exert considerable influence to merit a comparison with the President. The Prime Minister, it would appear, has more influence in domestic politics and is able to successfully dominate the legislature due to a lack of 'separation' between the executive and legislature, avoid the intense scrutiny of Parliament, and keep a firm grip over his party which the president cannot. The US President, on the other hand, appears to have the position of supremacy in domestic politics, although not to the degree of 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 is therefore difficult to assess which office is more powerful, but it would appear that the President is more powerfu

Some common words found in the essay are:
Prime Minister, Policy Committees, Senators Representatives, Select Committees, President Commons, November Bush, prime minister, Prime Ministers, Kennedy Bush, Powers' Executive, British MPs, british prime, british prime minister, party loyalty, president british prime, domestic politics, minister appears, party president, position head, appear president, prime minister appears, president british, power british, prime minister position, prime minister appear,
Approximate Word count = 3085
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)