Effectiveness of interest groups in the protection of rights in the UK 4.6

Question 1

Judicial Review and UK Interest Groups

Answer 1

Increased use of judicial review in UK courts has encouraged interest groups to campaign in courts, not just Parliament and government departments.

Question 2

Liberty: UK Civil Rights Group

Answer 2

Liberty, formed in the 1930s as the National Council for Civil Liberties, campaigns for various rights, including women’s rights, protestors’ rights, civil rights during Northern Ireland troubles, and gay rights.

Question 3

Liberty’s Role in Recent Decades

Answer 3

• Post-2005 anti-terrorist legislation, Liberty has defended civil rights in UK courts.
• Campaigns on issues like torture, extradition, asylum seekers’ rights, refugee children’s rights, armed forces’ rights, and against modern slavery.

Question 4

Conflict of Rights in the UK

Answer 4

Protection of one group’s rights may infringe another group’s rights, leading to clashes in court lobbying by pressure groups.

Question 5

Ashers Bakery Case

Answer 5

• Christian bakery owner refused to make a cake with “Support Gay Marriage” slogan.
• Prosecuted under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (NI) of 2006.
• Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ashers in 2018.

Question 6

Interest Groups in Ashers Bakery Case

Answer 6

• Christian Institute supported Ashers with Legal Defence Fund.
• Gay rights groups supported Gareth Lee.

Question 7

Role of Interest Groups in the USA and UK

Answer 7

• Interest groups are significant in both countries for protecting rights.
• In the USA, the use of amicus curiae briefs often pits powerful interest groups against each other.

Question 8

Impact of Interest Groups

Answer 8

• They add financial resources and publicity to key cases.
• They may also entrench and exacerbate strongly held views on both sides of policy debates.