Evaluate The View That Think-Tanks, Lobbyists And Pressure Groups Have Little Impact On Government Decisions. (30) Flashcards
key definition ; pressure group
groups that seek not 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
key definition ; think tanks
group of experts who are borough together too investigate topics and offer solutions to complicated economic social and political issues
key definition ; lobbyists
members of professional organisations paid by clients seeking access to government, mps and members of the HoL . their purpose is to gain influence on behalf of their clients and prevent/promote legislation damaging/promoting their interests
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arguments that insider pressure groups have a significant impact
- insider pressure groups exert influence on. uk politics through the close contacts they have with minsters government departments mps and civil servants. aligned with gov politically = close links can directly lobby the gov to achieve aims
EXAMPLE the national farmers union has close links with the department of the enviroment food and rural affairs DEFRA. provides the department with it is able to provide the department with specific experience and advice. influence based on the importance of farmers to the UK economy.
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arguments that insider pressure groups have a significant impact
NFU STATS
- group has over 55,000 members and organises national conferences every year the most recent one attended by Sunak , Starmer and ed Davey
- 2023 DEFRA state Barclay announced 45m in funding for farmers under the ‘ farmer investment fund’. NFU worked with DEFRA to lobby for this funding
- talk about a UK/Canda free trade agreement in 2024 were suspended after the government woudlnt change British food standards.NFU was important non lobbying the government not to change these standards as current standards protect British farmers.
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arguments that insider pressure groups have a significant impact
insider groups briefing gov
Due to their specific expertise, insider groups are sometimes able to brief the government on issues of concern, play a key role in drafting legislation, or give evidence to select committees.
EXAMPLE When New Labour were in power, for example, LGBT+ Rights Pressure Group Stonewall had insider status group and was able to play a key role in policy formulation. As a result, they had important successes including equalising the age of consent for gay and straight individuals to 16 years old as part of the Sexual Offences Act 2000, for which the Parliaments Acts 1911 and 1949 had to be invoked to overrule House of Lords opposition.
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arguments against that inside pressure groups have limited impact
overstated
depend on poltical situ
the influence of pressure groups shouldn’t be overstated the government does sometimes listen to them and does use their expertise , however it is still gov final decision
they have to be broadly aligned with government polices to have an impact ,n they are unlikely to majorly shift policy in a direction the gov would ben opposed to
EXAMPLE NFU has influence4 over conservative governments because the cons broadly support their aims anyways .
- also makes insider pressure groups very dependent on apolitical leanings of the government of the day and can quickly become outsider groups if poltical situ changes
EXMAPLE key trade unions wielded a lot of influence under lab gov of the 1970’s bathed little to no influence nonce thatcher was elected and was intent on curtailing trade union power
- very hard not judge success of insider pressure groups as they often dont publicise success they have had as toot offend or risk loosing their gov contacts
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insider pressure groups mini conclusion
Overall, though it is difficult to judge the success of Insider Pressure Groups as they work behind the scenes, it seems fair to argue that they can often have a significant impact on government decisions, particularly when they can provide the government with specific expertise.
This being said, they are unlikely to instigate major policy shifts and it must be recognised that the government ultimately makes the final decision on policy.
Their impact on government decisions can therefore sometimes be significant, but their overall influence shouldnʼt be overstated.
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for arguments that outsider pressure groups have a significant impact
- outsider pressure groups seek note exert power over government policy by mobilising public opinion and support through use of the media , public protest and other non discrete methods
are able to raise salient of an issue in the UK politics and put pressure on the government to change policy. social movements= success as can demonstrate to gov their goals have significant public support and could influence their popularity and election outcome.
EXAMPLE 2020 campaign ran by Marcus rashford ,the campaign effectively used social media , traditional media and e petitions to generate a social movement and demonstrate public support which made government u turn and accept the groups demands on 16 June 2020.
EXAMPLE seen first half of 2024 when there was constant protests in London and across the uk for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, this social movement has been important for both lab/con to weaken their support for Israels war . lab feb 2024 = immediate humanitarian ceasefire cons forgets secretary David Cameron = de escalation
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for arguments that outsider pressure groups have a significant impact
another effective method
- another effective method often used by well funded outsider pressure groups are legal challenges with the interaction of reversing government policy.
EXAMPLE recent human rights legal challenge to the governments deal not send illegal immigrants to Rwanda . Care4Calais a pressure group that campaigns for rights of refugees in then uk has been important arguing that it is unsafe to send people to Rwanda and that it violates the human rights act , due to discriatory acce to asylum for diff groups in Rwanda esp LGBTQ people.
Along with other human rights campaigners, it had a notable success on 14 June 2022 when the first planned deportation flight to Rwanda was emptied one by one due to successful human rights legal challenges in the European Court of Human Rights.
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agaisnt arguments that outsider pressure groups have a significant impact
- outsider pressure groups struggle to have an impact on government policy because they lack contacts within government and are often very far from being aligned with gov attitudes . also struggle if they fail to get significant public support which is often the case if their methods are disruptive/violent
EXAMPLE just stop oil movement , gained a lot of media attention in 2022 due to disruptive public behaviour incl blocking non roads and stopping pl football matches. This alienated a lot of the public to their cause of ending all new licenses for the production of fossil fuels in the UK and made it easier for Sunak to announce in July 2023 that he was going to grant 100 new North Sea oil and gas licenses.
SHOWS outsider pressure groups can be ineffective if they are not supported by the gov
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agaisnt arguments that outsider pressure groups have a significant impact
the public order act 2023
the public order act passed in may 2023 was also introduced by the government to limi the effectiveness of outsider pressure groups that use disruptive tactics to draw attention to their causes by imposing stricter penalties and giving law enforcement new tools to manage and respond to protests .
the act introduced new offences such as ‘ locking on’ and interfering with national infrastructure , became punishable by imprisonment or unlimited fines.
EXMAPLE October 30th 2023 the metropolitan police swiftly inteviened in a just stop oil slow march around parliament square arresting over 60 activists within minutes under the new legislation .
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outsider pressure groups
mini conclusion
Overall, the majority of Outsider Pressure Groups struggle to have an impact on government policy, because their views arenʼt aligned with the government and they are very dependent on gaining significant public support.
When Outsider Pressure Groups are able to gain major public support and generate a social movement, however, they can have a significant impact on policy and cause major u-turns.
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for arguments that think tanks and lobbyists have a significant impact
THINK TANKS
think tanks ; can be an altenative source of ideas to civil service with more time and expertise than parties to carry out research. as result they can influence the policies of parties and actions of government . strong political leanings and party allegiances.
EXAMPLE In late 2023 and early 2024, it has been reported that the Tony Blair Institute For Global Change, has been consulted and had considerable influence on Labour Party Policy under Keir Starmer. The think tank set up by former Prime Minister Tony Blair offers policy advice that aligns with centrist and progressive ideologies.
Its influence can be seen in the Labour Party shift under Starmer to centrist policies and messaging that are similar to New Labour. This includes emphasising that the party is once more ‘pro-businessʼ and tough on crime and antisocial behaviour. Labour has focused on policies such as increasing police numbers, investing in community policing, and supporting tougher sentences for serious offenses.
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for arguments that think tanks and lobbyists have a significant impact
LOBBYISTS
lobbying is big in the UK employing 4000 people with a total of 2 billion spent on it each year , they frequently discuss their concerns with mps and government departments and can use the economic importance of their clients as well as the potentially corrupting influence of money to try and influence politics
EXAMPLE cott Benton, former Conservative MP for Blackpool South, was caught in an undercover sting operation by The Times in late 2023, where he was filmed offering to lobby on behalf of a fake gambling company.
During the meetings, which were secretly filmed, Benton proposed to ask parliamentary questions and leak confidential policy papers for the company, suggesting he could do so in exchange for payments of up to £4,000 a month.
- Many lobbying firms and individual companies also hire former politicians to lobby on their behalf, due to the importance of their contacts and friends in Westminster.
EXAMPLE former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was paid £50,000 to be an adviser to RTC Education, a firm run by the Tory donor Selva Pankaj.
