Cabinet

Overview

A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the top leaders of the executive branch. They are usually called ministers, but in some jurisdictions are sometimes called secretaries.

How it works

The functions of a cabinet are varied: in some countries it is a collegial decision-making body with collective responsibility, while in others it may function either as a purely advisory body or an assisting institution to a decision making head of state or head of government. In some countries, the cabinet is called "Council of Ministers" or "Government Council" or lesser known names such as "Federal Council" (in Switzerland), "Inner Council" or "High Council". These countries may differ in the way that the cabinet is used or established.

In some countries, particularly those that use a parliamentary system (e.g., the UK), the Cabinet collectively decides the government's direction, especially in regard to legislation passed by the parliament. In countries with a presidential system, such as the United States, the Cabinet does not function as a collective legislative influence; rather, their primary role is as an official advisory council to the head of government. In this way, the President gets opinions and advice in upcoming decisions.

Legally, under both types of systems, the Westminster variant of a parliamentary system and the presidential system, the Cabinet "advises" the Head of State: the difference is that, in a parliamentary system, the monarch, viceroy or ceremonial president will almost always follow this advice, whereas in a presidential system, a president who is also head of government and political leader may depart from the Cabinet's advice if he does not agree with it.

In nearly all parliamentary democracies that do not follow the Westminster system, and in three countries that do (Japan, Ireland, and Israel), very often the Cabinet does not "advise" the Head of State as he (or she) plays only a ceremonial role. Instead, it is usually the Head of Government who holds all means of power in his hands (e.g. in Germany, Sweden, etc.) and the Cabinet reports to him (or her).

Examples of cabinets

1. Cabinet of Iran
2. Cabinet of Iraq
3. Cabinet of Russia
4. Cabinet of Albania
5. Cabinet of Uruguay
6. Cabinet of Britain
7. Cabinet of America
8. Cabinet of France
9. Cabinet of Australia
10. Cabinet of South Africa
11. Cabinet responsibility

It's members

There are '5 key ministries' of a Western style government.

1. Chancellor of the Exchequer\Treasury Secretary\Fiance Minister\Financial Affairs
2. Secretary of State for the Home Office\Home Department\ the Interior\Home Affairs\Interior affairs
3. Secretary of State for Foreign Office\Foreign Affairs\ Secretary of State
4. Secretary of State for Defense
5. Secretary of State for Justice or Secretary of State for Health (depending on nation, era and circumstances)

Typical cabinet can be any mixture of the below ministers and Secretary of States plus the Prime Minister-

1. Prime Minister
2. First Lord of the Treasury\Chief Treasury
3. Minister for the Civil Service
4. Chancellor of the Exchequer\Treasury Secretary\Finance Minister\Financial Affairs
5. Secretary of State for the Home Office\Home Department\ the Interior\Home Affairs\Interior affairs
6. Secretary of State for Foreign Office\Foreign Affairs 
7. Secretary of State for Defense
8. Secretary of State for Justice
9. Secretary of State for Education
10. Minister for Women and Equalities
11. Minister for Utilities and infrastructure (during a major period of infrastructure development, major repairs after a war, major repairs after a disaster like an earthquake or during the mass upgrading of a underdeveloped 3rd World nation like Nigeria).
12. Minister for Information
13. Minister for Science
14. Minister of Propaganda (usually during wars or in collapsing dictatorships)
15. Minister of State Works and Building Projects
16. Minister for oil (in oil rich places like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela).
17. Minister for mining (in mineral and coal rich places like S. Africa and Kazakhstan).
18. Secretary of State for the Regions
19. Secretary of State for the Colonial and Dependent Territories
20. Minister for Homeland Security
21. Minister for Cyber Security
22. Minister for the Frontier Security\Borders\Border Agency\Border Integrity\Border Security (usually during wars, smuggling upswings or in collapsing dictatorships).
23. Secretary of State for Agriculture and Fisheries
24. Secretary of State for International Trade
25. President of the Board of Trade\Domestic Trade
26. Secretary of State for Energy
27. Secretary of State for Industry
28. Secretary of State for Environment
29. Secretary of State for Housing
30. Secretary of State for Aviation
31. Secretary of State for Procurement\Armaments\Munitions\War Effort (during wars).
32. Secretary of State for Production
33. Secretary of State for Telecoms\Telecommunications (during a major period of infrastructure development, major repairs after a war, major repairs after a disaster like an earthquake or during the mass upgrading of a underdeveloped 3rd World nation like Nigeria).
34. Secretary of State for Employment\Labour.
35. Secretary of State for Health
36. Secretary of State for Social securities and Pensions
37. Secretary of State for Transport\Transportation.
38. Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
39. Secretary of State for Rural Affairs
40. Secretary of State for Food and Water Supplies (often drought and famine hit lands like Ethiopia and Somalia).
41. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Overseas aid
42. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environmental issues and recycling
43. The 'City' Minister A unique UK post for monitoring the London financial district which the British call "The City".
44. Secretary of State for International Development
45. Secretary of State for Culture, Media, Tourism and Sport
46. Minister for the Cabinet Office
47. Paymaster General
48. Postmaster General
49. Attorney General

Also see

1. Cabinet of Britain
2. Cabinet of The Republic of the Congo

Sources

1. https://www.ghanastar.com/news/nana-addo-names-19-cabinet-ministers/
2. https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEVwhYfy1ZAEMA_zVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=Cabinet+goverment&fr=yset_chr_cnewtab
3. https://www.ghanastar.com/news/nana-addo-names-19-cabinet-ministers/
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers
5. http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Cabinet+(government)
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_(government)
7. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cabinet-government
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_(government)
9. https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet