• Knowledge points (facts)

.  The Prime Minister is elected through the popularity of their party; If one political party has a majority in the Commons, then the leader of that party will be appointed Prime Minister and act as the chairman/woman of the Cabinet

.  The President, elected separately from Congress, is its political head.  He/she is advised and assisted by a Cabinet, but all Executive power is his/hers and they are in no way their equals

.  The President, as the most high profile single politician in the US, is able to set the tone for the legislative programme

.  Lack of Presidential control over Congress significantly limits the President’s power in the legislative process

Government Bills are presented by and in the name of, the Secretary of State in charge of that Department and they are responsible for steering it through the legislative process

.  Since 1992, only eight legislative votes have been lost by the Crown and no complete Government Bill has fallen

Crown is able to implement legislation and policies as it sees fit, but it is limited by the need to cooperate with professional interests and local government

The President’s extremely public and central role as the figurehead of the US government makes it easy for he/she to be blamed in times of crises

• Knowledge points (explanations or specific examples)

The most important of these is the annual State of The Union Address, which President Obama used to announce the introduction of Obama-Care among other things

Affordable Care Act, President Obama achieved health care reform, but it did not include provision for the Federal Government, which was part of his original plan

Much like the President, they are able to voice their proposed agendas through speeches such as the annual State Opening of Parliament where these are outlined by HM the Queen.  

1979-1997, a majority of Scottish MPs favoured devolution, but the Crown was able to prevent any relevant Bill from being legislated on

15 Departments, 60 Agencies and staff of some three million civil servants in the Presidency work to implement Presidential decisions, within the limits of Congressional laws

For example, Ron Davies, the Secretary of State for Wales resigned after controversy surrounding his private life.  However, there have been instances where MPs have been able to avoid resigning

explains Obama’s prioritisation of health care reform and economic recovery, while President Bush prioritised defence and national security, and education reform.

the Prime Minister is expected to provide national leadership in the sense of crisis management when the Head of State cannot do so

• Analysis points (comments on the knowledge, comments that highlight importance, significance, comparison, differences, viewpoints etc

the President is able to write Bills through the office of legislative affairs and also has significant veto powers.  A President will find a member of Congress and a Senator willing to table to the Bill

there is no guarantee that Congress will pass a Bill in the form that the President would like as members of both chambers have their own political agendas.

the President has superior power, as he is able to influence the legislative agenda, the President is not able to decide the outcome of the process

Prime Minister in the legislative process allows legislative supremacy of the crown as they are able to ensure their Bills will be passed through Parliament

Although technically the US President has more power individually, it is arguable that the supportive nature of the UK Parliament towards the Prime Minister reinforces his power to implement legislation and participate effectively in the decision making process.  

This effectively extends beyond Parliament, as the media will expect the Minister to answer for their department’s work.  Part of this convention outlines that a Secretary of State should resign if their department has caused or overseen a significant policy or administrative failure

.  It would be fair to say that the President’s power as a overall political leader is limited by the amount of responsibility he holds surrounding events that are outwith his control, such as natural disasters.  In the UK, however, the Prime Minister does not have to act as the Head of State as this position is filled by HM the Queen

The Prime Minister has far more power over legislation as he is the majority party leader, resulting in his Bills and policies being supported through Parliament.  In terms of implementing legislation and policy, the difference comes down to the different nature of the two Executives

250-word synopsis

The overall argument of this essay is that the UK prime minister has more overall power than the US president. This is because anything that they want to get through parliament they get fully supported upon and due to their party having the most MPs this means that they will be able to get a majority vote to pass the bill because of their whips. Because of this it re implements the PM’s ability to legislate while also, still being able to participate within the politics themselves. While the American president does have this much power because they have a lot less support as they are only a single person and not an entire party. The president is still advised by congress however they can vote and act against them as unlike the Prime Minister the president doesn’t have the power of whips. Overall while on the outside the president had much more power when evaluated the reality is that the British Prime Minister has much more power.