Comparing Pressure Groups Flashcards
1
Q
Role of pressure groups in democracy
A
- Important to democracy in both
- Allow citizens to participate in politics
- Both - membership increased in last few decades
- Well-funded groups and corps. disproportionate influence on government
2
Q
Interest Group comparison
A
- Similar interest groups in both countries
- US Chamber of Commerce & Confederations of British Industry
- AFL-CIO federations of US unions, Trade Union Congress UK
- Professional organisations - BMA & AMA representing doctors
- National Organisation for Women USA, Fawcett Society UK
3
Q
Promotional Group comparison
A
- Defend similar causes
- ACLU supports civil liberties, Liberty similar aims UK
- Greenpeace multinational - USA and UK organisations
- UK’s Extinction Rebellion founded 2018, quickly spread to USA
4
Q
Comparing structures
A
- Similar organisation and structures
- US pressure groups often both federal and state-based offices
- Insider/outsider and promotional/interest typologies apply to both
- Both seen rise in social movements - BLM and youth climate movement international
5
Q
Structural Comparison - Access points
A
US - federal system provides more access points, more elections
UK - general elections, devolved assembly elections, local elections
6
Q
US Access Points
A
- Indirectly elected president + 2 elected chambers of legislature
- House every 2 years - more frequent than UK at 5 years
- USA direct primary elections to select candidates
- US 50 state legislatures, 49 bicameral (Nebraska unicameral), all UK devolved legislatures unicameral
- Each state a directly elected govenor - 50 state govs
- 19,000 directly elected mayors locally, city councils, 25 UK
7
Q
Structural comparison - Direct democracy
A
- More access points USA - ballot initiatives on broad range of issues - marijuana, felony disenfranchisement
- PG’s campaign to get priorities on ballot
- UK referendums less common, usually constitutional issues - apply to narrower range of PG’s
- EU ref - sweeping changes to UK law, gov and politics, engaged many promotional groups - Greenpeace keen to remain, take collective action on climate change
8
Q
Structural comparison - involvement in elections
A
- US right to spend unlimited amounts on electioneering, donate millions each election cycle
- UK tight restrictions on campaign finance - many PG’s registered charities, must be independent of policial parties so cannot make political donations or endorse candidates
- UK trade unions must have permission from members to operate political funds
9
Q
UK electoral finances
A
Must be registered with electoral commission if non-party campaigner:
- Spend >£20,000 in England on electoral campaigning in single election
- Spend >£10,000 in devolved nations or in referendums
Subject to regulation and restriction:
- General election max spending £319,800 in England
- £9750 in each constituency
- Must declare donations to party >£7500
- Leave.EU fined £66,000 and Vote Leave £61,000 for breaching regulation
10
Q
Pressure group election spending
A
- Spend far more in US
- 2020 - Super PACs spent $1.8 bn. of total $14 bn.
- 2017 UK - non-party campaigners spent £2.5 mn. of total £41.5 mn.
- Political TV ads banned UK except small number of party political broadcasts in run-up to elections
- USA PG’s spend large sums on TV ads attacking or endorsing candidates
11
Q
Structural comparison - lobbying
A
- USA professional lobbying industry more develope, >11,000 professional lobbyists
- UK 1,400 registered firms and individuals in Scotland, grown since Brexit - lobbied for interests in Brexit deal
- Alliance for Lobbying Transparency estimated UK lobbying industry worth £2 bn. per year 2017, opensecrets.org estimated US industry worth $3.5 bn. 2019
12
Q
Structural comparison - revolving door
A
- Former ministers and MPs regularly work for professional lobbying firms
- “Cash for access scandals” - former ministers use influence for private clients
- Ministers’ former staff use contacts and expertise for lobbying
- UK - former ministers cannot lobby gov for 2 years after leaving office
- 2017 - Trump placed 5-year ban on former officials lobbying gov
- Loopholes used in both
13
Q
Structural - impact of legal challenges
A
- Both use legal challenges to hold gov to account
- More limited UK - only applies to gov not Acts of Parliament
- US landmark rulings fundamentally change law - PG’s spend more time & money on legal challenges and amicus curiae briefs
14
Q
Pressure Groups challenging UK law
A
- Public Law Project, UK legal charity, successfully challenged residence test for legal aid - residence test removed 2016 - Gov often accepts decisions of Court
- Miller cases - Gina Miller used crowdfunding to finance successful legal challenges to EU withdrawl plans + prorogation of parliament
- Gov can pass retrospective legislation to change law in favour and overcome SC decision - Miller cases majoirty support in parliament
- UKSC makes declarations of incompatibility with HRA 1998 - parliament can choose to ignore ruling
15
Q
Pressure Groups using the ECtHR
A
- Legal challenges via European Court of Human Rights
- Campaigned for prisoners’ voting rights - minor change 2017 to allow ~100 prisoners temporary release to vote, successive govs ignored ruling
- Repeatedly found UK in breach of ECHR - Rwanda
16
Q
Comparing methods - electoral campaigning
A
- Differences in law - US unlimited spending on electioneering, UK spending heavily restricted
- US lots of money involved, Congress members spendup to 50% time campaigning
- 2016 cost of winning 1 house seat $1.5 mn., Senate $19 mn. - strong incentive to keep financial backers happy when voting
- US spend heavily on TV ads, influence public directly
- Political TV ads banned UK
- Both use online and social media to advertise
17
Q
Comparing methods - Links to local parties
A
- US Promotional groups close links to policital parties
- UK Promotional groups often charities so not allowed to endorse political candidates
- Big Business traditionally Reps and Conservatives
- Dems and New Labour do receive large sums from big business - centrist economic policy
17
Q
Comparing Trade Unions - parties
A
- Trade Unions support both Dems and Labour, more influence over Labour
- Labour founded w/ union support, many affiliated members w/ voting rights & essential to financing
- 2019 - 93% of registered donors (£5 mn) from unions
- Union funding less important to Dems - receives large sums from big business and wealthy individuals
18
Q
Comparing Trade Unions - government
A
- Unions more influence on government UK - 23% of UK employees union members (6.4 mn 2018), 10% in USA (14.7 mn 2018)
- Power decreasing - 50% fewer union members than 1970s both
- Redcued impact of strike action, historically low in recent years
- 2018 - 2.8 million working days lost to strikes US, 273,000 UK
19
Q
Comparing methods - lobbying
A
- US - weaker party discipline + separation of powers = more to gain by lobbying
- UK - party discipline stronger - lobbying focuses on gov not MPs
- More access points for US lobbyists - fed & state level
20
Q
Comparing methods - use of courts
A
- US - legal action used more, USSC greater power
- Won landmark rulings - desegregation (Brown), abortion rights (Roe), same-sex marriage (Obergefell)
- Alliance Defending Freedom (US) in Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) and Christian Institute (UK) funded Lee v Ashers Bakery Company (2018) - both protected baker owners’ religious rights not to make a cake promoting same-sex marriage
21
Q
Comparing methods - campaigning for/against judicial appointments
A
- More US for appointments to SC
- Kavanaugh’s 2018 appointment backed by pro-business groups - US Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity - opposed by liberal groups
- UK appointments by independent selection committee, not politicised - Pressure Groups do not campaign
22
Q
Comparing methods - grassroots campaign and direct action
A
- Used widely in both
- Grassroots campaigning - pressure on elected representatives
- Raise revenure through membership donations
- Direct action tends to be used by outsider groups - generate media attention & public support
- 2019 UK’s Extinction Rebellion attempted to spray 1800L of fake blood on UK Treasury in Westminster
23
Q
Comparing influence
A
- US usually more
- US separation of powers - target all 3 branches
- Right to make unlimited independent expenditure - significant power and influence over members
- Strict restriction UK - easier for smaller groups to achieve objective, especially w/ gov or public support
- UK Gurkha Justice Campaign national attention 2008, support from actress Joanna Lumley - convinced Brown to allow Gurkha veterans to settle in UK
- UK parliament sovereign - rapid and significant change with parliaments support
24
The Brady Campaign
- Named after James Brady, Reagan's press secretary
- Brady and Reagan shot in assassination attempt 1981
- Convinced Congress to pass Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act 1994, introduced federal background checks to buy guns
- Supported by Biden as Senator, 2020 promised to end "gun violence epidemic"
- Gun deaths and school shootings increased since 1990s
25
Why have gun control groups been unsuccessful?
- Gun rights protected by 2nd amendment, only constitutional amendment can erode, not Congress
- SC defined 2nd as inferring individual right to bear arms in DC v Heller 2008
- NRA successfully defended gun rights, made donations to many members of Congress
- Congress unwilling to pass mild gun control legislation proposed by Obama after 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting
26
The Snowdrop Campaign - structure
- Formed 1996
- Response to massacre of 16 children aged 5 and 6 and their teacher at Dunblane Primary School, Scotland - deadliest mass shooting in British history
- Set up by locals and bereaved families
- Lacked huge funds, membership and complex organisation of US gun control groups
27
The Snowdrop Campaign - campaigning
- Petition calling for total ban on handguns 700,000 signatures
- Advert calling for public support voiced by Sean Connery, shown in ~1,000 cinemas
- Members travelled to London and met with PM John Major and leader of opposition Blair
- Conservative gov persuaded to introduce ban on larger handguns, extended by Labour after 1997 election to all handguns
- Achieved objectives in just over a year - one of most successful single-issue campaigns in UK history
- Disbanded 1997
28
US pressure groups have more influence
- More access points to target - federal system, more regular elections, separation of powers
- Weak party discipline - encourages groups to target Congress
- Can spend unlimited independent expenditures
- Iron triangles between gov, Congress, and interest groups
- Use legal challenges to achieve landmark rulings
- Amicus curiae briefs used to lobby supreme court
- Poweful "K-Street" professional lobbyists influence policy-makers in DC
- Revolving door - former lobbyists in Trump gov
29
UK pressure groups have more influence
- Can achieve objectives quickly if convince majority government
- No entrenched constitution - can influence parliament to make sweeping changes to law - same-sex marriage, gun control, abortion
- Tight electoral finance laws - small groups less disadvantaged
- Unions considerable influence on Labour - main financial supporters
- Professional lobbying industry growing
- Revolving door in UK as well - "cash for access" scandals
30
Structural comparison - access points
- More access points USA
- More pressure groups
- campaigning at federal and state levels
31
Structural comparison - separation of powers
- Congress more independent than UK Parliament
- US PG's more able to influence politics - lobby legislature
- UK PG's tend to focus on executive
- UK - Lords less control to party whips, many crossbenchers - can make amendments to relevant legislation
32
Structural comparison - election spending
- Unlimited independent expenditure USA
- Restrictive campaign finance and advertising laws UK
- More money spent by US PG's in elections
- US PG's more influence on members of Congress
- Spending contributes to formation of Iron Triangles
33
Structural comparison - Courts
- USSC more powerful as constitution sovereign
- Legal challenges more common US
- More significant victories in US than UK
34
Structural comparison - trade unions and party links
- Weak trade unions USA
- Strong party links UK
- Workers rights better protected UK - successive govs sustained pressure from unions, Labour gov partly funded by unions
35
Rational comparison - lobbying
- Response to lobbying varies
- Congress members more likely to be influenced by lobbying - hope for support during campaigns, fear condemnation
- Scorecards e.g. NRA grades can influence result of close elections
- UK electoral finance laws + party whips stronger - less influence from lobbyists
- Revolving door in both - monetarise contacts and experience in private lobbying firms or corporations
36
Rational comparison - Political Alliances
- Unions help fund Labour and Democrats, share political objectives
- Dem/Labour-led executives generally allow unions more influence, Rep/Con-led tend to favour big business
- Campaigning on abortion, gay rights, civil rights etc. different receptions depending on gov - Trump and BLM
- Presidents and parties favour groups whose aims appeal to their voters
- Influenced by past and future donations
37
Rational comparison - Direct action
- Last resort for both
- Insider groups influence via lobbying, meetings and providing policy info
- Risks alientating gov even if successful in media and public
- Outsider groups may feel forced to direct action to put issue on political agenda
- BLM mass protests in both June 2020 put spotlight on systemic racism and inequality
- Insider groups who cannot convince gov driven to direct action - BMA called junior doctors' strike 2016 over gov changes to contracts
38
Cultural comparison - shared ideas and culture - pluralism
- Both value political pluralism
- USA protected by 1st amendment, spend unlimited amounts
- UK charities not allowed to be political, election funding and advertising highly restricted
39
Cultural comparison - elitism
- Inflated role of wealthy groups
- More USA - millions in spending each election cycle, liberals see iron triangles as undemocratic
- UK trade unions provide more balance to big business power, limited election spending
- 2019 - Conservatives 4x as much money in registered donations as Labour, largely big business
40
Cultural comparison
- Both - tradition of public protest
- Marches, demonstrations, direct action - used by marginalised groups to win civil rights
- US more rebellious culture - war of independence
- UK traditionally favours less disruptive methods
