I. Europa. 610 35. Großbritannien und Irland.
“© The Cabinet,
The most important factor in the British legislature, politics and constitution is the Cabinet;
and yet constitutionally and legally spoken no such institution exists!. Practically speaking
the English Government is neither carried on by the Crown, nor the Parliament, but the Cabinet;
which however is recruited from Parliament, and still dependent on the Commons. though not
by far to the extent usually supposed. ‘Our cabinet system is the solution of the puzzle of the
17th century: we fix responsibility upon a group of ministers who can be removed if they fail;
we are therefore in less danger of a rash exercise of power, while at the same time the Crown and
the nation possess a body of servants who are bound not to shirk from responsibility if occasion
should arise when responsibility must be incurred’. Its origin is to be found in the Privy Council.
Low defines the Cabinet as a “‘cross between a committee of the Privy Council and a committee
of the two Houses of Parliament’. (Governance of England, p. 21.) And further he remarks
(p. 125): Harley is repestediy described by Swift as first Minister, or chief Minister, and it is in
the writings of Swift that we first find the term Prime Minister. But Harley did not choose his
own collegues, nor could he exclude from the Cabinet persons opposed to his policy.
The Cabinet meetings are secret, and proceed in camera; no records are kept. It has
no regular time of assembly, nor has it a fixed place of meeting?.
The number of ministers who go to form & cabinet is not fixed; it usually fluctuates
between 18 and 22. At present (1909, Liberal Gov. under Mr. Asquith) there are 20. The
Ministry and Cabinet(*) are composed as follows: —
1* Prime Minister (unpaid);
2* Lord High Chancellor (£ 10 000);
3* Lord President of the Council (£ 2000),
4* Lord Privy Seal (unpaid)?.
(1)* First Lord of the Treasury (£ 5000)%,
6* First Lord of the Admiralty (£ 4500).
6* Secretary of State for Home Affairs (£ 5000),
7* Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ( £5000),
8* Secretary of State for Colonies (£ 5000),
9* Secretary of State for India (£ 5000),
10* Secretary of State for War (£ 5000),
11* Chancellor of the Exchequer (£ 5000),
12* Secretary for Scotland (£ 2000),
13* Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (£ 4425),
Secretaries
of State
tional Mistory of England”, 1878; E. A.Freeman’s “The Growth of the English Constitutions
from the Earliest Times”, 1873; Lord Brougham ,“The British Constitution’, 3rd ed,
1863; Sir Thomas Erskine May, ‘Constitutional History of England”, 2nd ed. 1871; Hennis
Taylor, “The Origin and Growth of the English Constitution’, 1889; Albert V.Dicey, “The
Law of the Constitution”, 3rd ed. 1899; L. Courtney, ‘The Working Constitution of the
United Kingdom”, 1901, W. Bagehot, “The English Constitution”, 1872; Sir Edward
Creasy, “Rise and Progress of the English Constitution”, 15th ed. 1886; also Vachel’s
“«Parliamentary Companion ’ (yearly); and ‘“Parliamentary Gazette” (3 Times during Session).
1 «The Cabinet is to us a definite body, unknown to the law but known well enough in fact:
it consists of a group of persons who are collectively responsible for the policy and government
of the country; it is not the Executive, but it controls and guides the Executive, and it contains
the chiefs of the great executive departmente; these persons are selected by, and work under,
& chief whom we call the Prime Minister, and he is the most important member of that political
party which for the time is in a majority in the country and the House of Commons.“ Anson,
vol. II. p. 105 (1892 ed).
3 «It has no office,‘ writes Sidney Low “no staff, no secretary, no rules, no corporate
funds, no permanent location. It could not receive a letter or answer it, except through the First
Lord of the Treasury or some other of ite members, for it has no note-paper, and no seal, and no petty
cash to buy stationery or pay messengers.“
® Office held by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
« The Prime Minister.
