Available online
Description
This programme is a filmed interview of the Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson, M.P. It is concerned with Prime Ministerial office and power. Mr. Wilson is questioned by Dr. David Murray of the Open University... and Dr. Norman Hunt of Exeter College Oxford. They question Mr. Wilson from a sceptical attitude concerning the extent of Prime Ministerial power. The interview ranges over the many constraints - political, administrative, Parliamentary, social and economic - on the Prime Minister's influence. The interview is intriguing because Mr. Wilson is being questioned about the office of Prime Minister and not about Party political matters. This leads to a candid and frank exchange of views that allows us to observe how a man who has held that office perceives the role of the Prime Minister.
This programme is a filmed interview of the Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson, M.P. It is concerned with Prime Ministerial office and power. Mr. Wilson is questioned by Dr. David Murray of the Open University... and Dr. Norman Hunt of Exeter College Oxford. They question Mr. Wilson from a sceptical attitude concerning the extent of Prime Ministerial power. The interview ranges over the many constraints - political, administrative, Parliamentary, social and economic - on the Prime Minister's influence. The interview is intriguing because Mr. Wilson is being questioned about the office of Prime Minister and not about Party political matters. This leads to a candid and frank exchange of views that allows us to observe how a man who has held that office perceives the role of the Prime Minister.
| Module code and title: | D203, Decision making in Britain |
|---|---|
| Item code: | D203; 16 |
| First transmission date: | 20-08-1972 |
| Published: | 1972 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:32 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | John Radcliffe |
| Contributors: | Norman Hunt; David Murray; Harold Wilson |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Subject terms: | Ministerial responsibility--Great Britain; Political leadership; Prime ministers--Great Britain |
| Footage description: | David Murray introduces the programme and the participants. The programme will deal with the degree of actual power controlled by the Prime Minister. Harold Wilson responds to questions on the constraints in choosing his cabinet colleagues that are imposed on the Prime Minister. Constraints or the lack of them in allotting cabinet posts to individuals are also touched upon. Size of cabinet is also discussed. The machinery of government question is now discussed, i.e. the relations between Prime Minister and his cabinet members, their respective standings and the resolution of conflicts between each other. Harold Wilson describes the role of the Prime Minister as he sees it in these conditions. The participants now discuss the degree to which Cabinet and Cabinet committees act as restraints upon the Prime Minister's power. The role of Wilson's Parliamentary Committee (an inner cabinet) is also discussed as is the statement by Richard Crossman that the Prime Minister's power over Ministerial action is greater at the beginning of his term of office than later. Norman Hunt asks Harold Wilson how far he thinks that he was reacting to events during his term of office rather than shaping. Examples are used, i.e. historical cases such as devaluation and the East of Suez policy. The discussion is continued on the subject of the constraints imposed on the cabinet and the Prime Minister by Parliament. Wilson uses examples from his own term in his reply. Moving on from restraints on decision-taking, the participants now discuss implementation of taken decisions. David Murray poses the question of whether in Harold Wilson's opinion the office of Prime Minister is in need of some change or strengthening. Credits. |
| Master spool number: | 6LT/70758 |
| Production number: | 6LT70758 |
| Available to public: | no |
