ETVT pressure groups are successful cos of mass support Flashcards
what are PG
Pressure groups are groups that seek to influence politics in order to achieve particular goals.
They don’t seek political office, but seek to change policy through influencing public opinion,
parliament and the government
1.yes- support is vital for outsider groups
more likely to change policy if backed by public and pressure for govt to comply so they don’t aleinate voters the next election
2020 rashford school meals
thru social media trad media and e petitions
generate social movement
compare to just stop oil 2022
easier for Sunak to announce 100 new north sea oil and gas liscences
1.YES- govt attitudes and being an inside group
insider groups contacts and aligning with govt attitudes
minsters civils contacts to relevant govt dept. most insider groups align
stonewall and TB lobbying and sexual offenses act 2000
NFU close links with defra (dept environment food rural affairs
expertise and advice
famers and uk economy importance
55,000 members
2023 defra sec 45 mill funding for farmers
NFU lobbied this
2024 Uk Canada free trade agreement suspended due to NFU
failure of stonewall contrasts to this with cons govt who didnt ban trans conversion therapy
govt anti woke agenda contributed to this
2.no- still difficult for pressure groups to change policy even with mad support
would make govt admit they are wrong
espc on policy issues that are key to ideology
2003 iraq war protests arranged by stop the war caoliton and 2019s people vote for a sec ref on brexit had over 700k signatures but failed to change policy
publiv support must be combined with effective strategy and leadership
occupy London movement in 2012 proof of this
anti capitalism lacked a figurehead and unattainablbke goal
2.no- importance of govt attitudes shouldn’t be overstated
Outsider
groups can have significant success even when the government isn’t aligned with their policies,
whilst insider groups are very dependent on their contacts with the government of the day.
when govt changes ability goes overnight
1979 TU under thatcher no power
govt still makes final decision doesn’t listen to insider lobbying on issues that differ from policy
Insider Pressure Groups will also be a lot more likely to have success in relation to issues
that have significant public support.
3.against- PG success highly dependent on strategy and leadership
support must be combined with this
particularly outsider pg who use media and public opinion
well known figurehead important
rashford school meals engaged on twitter wrote to govt described as more effective opposition than starmer
strategy essential
knowing which access points to target how to articulate an attainable goal
‘BMA ban smoking in cars originally said always then switched to only with kids in the car
used tech to allow supporters to lobby mps
and make it a case in the HOL
Another effective method often used by outsider pressure groups are legal challenges with
the intention of thwarting/reversing government policy.
2024 rwanda care 4 calais PG campaigned for this to be reversed
3.yes- Strat and leadership less important than public support and govt attitudes key determiners of success
This can be seen in the failure of Liberty to prevent the Police, Crime, Sentencing and
Courts Act from being passed in 2021, which they saw as limiting the right to protest in the
UK. Liberty organised widespread protests under the slogan #KillTheBill and is a very
experienced organisation, but was nonetheless unable to stop the bill being passed, due to
sections of the public opposing disruptive protests by Just Stop Oil which the bill was in
response to, and the fact that the government was intent on passing it.
