ABSTRACT
The evolution of the Executive in the Free State on the broad principles of the Cabinet system is now complete, in that no party sponsors an appointment to the extern ministries. The Executive Council fills the rôle of the British Cabinet. It is the centre of gravity in the parliamentary system. In the Constitution the position of the Executive Council is defined with precision. The manner of its appointment differs from that of the British Cabinet in that the President is not nominated by the Head of the State, but is directly elected by the Dáil. The President of the Executive Council fills a position corresponding to that of the Prime Minister in Great Britain. In spite of these limitations, there can be no doubt as to the remarkable extent of the President’s authority. In accounting for this pre-eminence there is no need to belittle the significance of the constitutional limitations on the President’s discretion.
