ETVT that the largest pressure groups in the UK are the most powerful Flashcards
Line of argument and structure
- Popular support and size
- Compatability with government
- Wealth
Popular support and size IS the most important reason
The largest pressure groups that also have the largest public support are the most powerful. Governments are more likely to listen to them as their members will have a electoral impact.
The National Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Children ensure that their membership levels remain high, with hundreds and thousands of supporters, the NSPCCs ‘Flaw in the Law’ campaign in 2014 led to the government making the sending of sexual messages to children and young people a offence as part of the 2015 serious crime act.
More members means more subscriptions and donations, this links to WEALTH, this enables full time professionals to carry out research and run campaigns. In 2018-19 the NSPCC had a total income of £117.9 million, with 90% of that coming from supporters.
Groups such as Trade Unions use their members as a key resource, to organise political campaigns and protests, in 2011 the TUC organised ‘The March for the alternative’ to protest against spending cuts by the coalition government, 500,000 attended. 2022 40,000 RMT strikes.
Popular support and size IS NOT the most important reason
The largest and most popular groups are not always the most powerful.
Huge membership cannot usually compensate for lack of insider status, the trade union movement has the largest membership base, can organise large campaigns and protests, whilst making large donations to the labour party, yet it has lack the insider status under conservative governments since 2010.
Small membership groups which are highly specialised can exert influence through their expertise, the Howard League in 2019 had only 19 staff but was regularly consulted by parliamentary committees, and was included being quoted by over 500 media sources on the government plans to build more prisons.
The BMAs influences stems from the fact that about 80% of doctors are members allowing it to claim to speak on behalf of the medical profession generally, however they only have just over 150,000 members
Compatability with government IS the most important reason
Groups are far more likely to succeed when the government is broadly sympathetic of their goals.
The 2011 ‘March for the Alternative’ made very limited impact on policy because the government of David Cameron were committed towards spending cuts, believing the debt and deficit are the main issues effecting the UK after the economic crash of 2009.
The institute of directors, a group representing the Taxpayers Alliance, a thinktank and lobbying group that campaigns for lower tax published a report in how to save £50bn, showing the debt and deficit could be cut through spending cuts and not tax rises.
Some of the ideas found their way into policy including a public sector pay freeze, shifting the funding for free TV licenses to the BBC and reducing the benefit cap to £20,000 a year.
It was more in line with Cameron’s government.
Compatability with government IS NOT the most important reason
Pressure groups can mobilise public opinion and illustrate the depth of opposition to a view if they are large and have a significant membership and popularity. Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation was a pressure group that led public demonstrations and had significant support, on the 31st March 1990 there were mass demonstrations in London. This led to Margaret thatcher’s removal from office and a U turn on the controversial Poll tax.
Wealth IS the most important reason
The most powerful groups in the country have financial and economic power, this largely explains the power of corporations and business groups.
For example the British Bankers Association whose tag line is ‘the voice of banking’ have built strong ties with the government in order to influence policy, it is made up of 230 banks with significant funds.
These industries are the main sources of investment and employment in the economy, parties must therefore seek the cooperation of such industry.
Wealthy interest can afford to have influence in the sense that they can pay full time lobbyists to work on their behalf, Transparency international reported that between April and June 2014 8/10 of the most frequent lobbyists of UK ministers were from large corporations listed under the top 100 companies on the stock exchange.
Wealth IS NOT the most imporntant reason
Wealth does not always buy success, particularly where wealthy groups are out of touch with the party in power or where they run up against hostile public opinion.
In 2019 Boris Johnsons announced at the CBI conference that he was shelving the cut to corporation tax from 19% to 17% as he felt the tax cut would fall foul to public opinion.
This is despite that the conservatives received nearly £6,000,000 In donations before the 2019 election.
In 2021 the conservative government announced it would increase corporation tax to 25% in 2023 to help pay for pandemic incurred costs.
Furthermore in the modern world there has been a growth of social media where people can express issues to politicians, e-petitions, email, twitter.
E-petitions have also grown in importance, in 2019 the Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU petition secured 6,000,000 signatures and triggered a debate in parliament. A further 1.1 million signed a petition committing to End child food poverty in 2020.
