Do Pressure Groups Concentrate Power?

Question 1

+ Represent minorities

Answer 1

+ Can represent interests who tend to be ignored by parties

+ APDA (Asian People with Disabilities Alliance)

Question 2

+ All have some power

Answer 2

+ In pluralism, power is distributed evenly among the people

+ Powerful in different ways

+ For example, the TUC isn’t rich but has a lot of members

Question 3

+ Unbiased government

Answer 3

+ Government will listen to all groups

+ Will work for the common good

+ Government has gone against rich pressure groups in the past, such as when it introduced the minimum wage in 1998

Question 4

+ More ways to access decision makers

Answer 4

+ Devolution

+ HRA 1998

+ CND have more influence in Scottish Parliament than Westminster as SNP are more sympathetic

Question 5

+ Competition

Answer 5

+ Unions counter business groups

+ Environmental and anti globalisation groups restrict power of corporations and employers

Question 6

• Access to resources

Answer 6

• Pressure Groups don’t have equal access to resources
• Leads to dominant pressure groups
• CBI and TUC have pretty much unrivalled influence

Question 7

• Government not neutral

Answer 7

• Biased towards groups with similar interests
• Makes some groups have disproportionate, selfish power
• NRA in America campaigns to allow for free and unregulated sale of firearms despite many gun massacres taking place

Question 8

• Bypass Parliament

Answer 8

• Some have direct access to ministers and civil servants

- Decisions made behind closed doors