Influences on Parliament Flashcards
What are the various influences on Parliament?
Public Opinion
Public Inquiries
The Media
Pressure Groups/Special Interest Groups
Emergency Situations
Lobbyists
The Law Commission
Political
Public Opinion
This can be an influence on the government, particularly when an election is imminent , and the public opinion and the media can feed off eachother.
Public Opinion Examples
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 followed public outcry after series of attack on children by dogs.
Followed by public outcry, and the News of the World’s “Name and Shame” campaign in 2000 concerning paedophiles, ‘Sarah’s law’ was passed requiring the police to keep a register of convicted paedophiles .
Public Inquiries
They may also happen as a result of public opinion.
Public Inquiries Example
The Cullen Public Inquiry was set up in response to Public horror after the Dunblane school massacre in 1996, and it resulted in the banning of handguns under the Firearms (Amendment) 1997
The Media and Public Opinion
They can feed off eachother
What have campaigns used to lead to law reform?
Television, radio, the Internet, newspapers, and social media
The Media and Public Opinion
The Snowdrop Campaign was set up after the Dunblane school massacre in 1996, and with media help it resulted in the banning of handguns.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 followed public outcry after a series of attacks on children by Dogs.
Pressure Groups/Special Interest Groups
They bring matters they are interested into the attention of the public and the government, they are “insider geoups” and are more likely to influence the givernment as they represent large+/powerful groups.
Sectional Pressure Groups
They represent the interests of a particular group of people
Sectional Pressure Groups Examples
British Medical Association-doctors
Trade Unions- different types of workers
Cause Pressure Groups
They represent a particular cause, they are “outsider groups” and are less influential.
Cause Pressure Groups Examples
Greenpeace (environment) , Extinction Rebellion/Just Stop Oil (environment), Amnesty (human rights).
Gina Martin launched an individual campaign that resulted in the Voyeurism Act 2019 which made ‘upskirting’ a criminal offence.
Emergency Situations
They influence swift chnages in law, for example, the response to the potential threat posed by the attack on Twin Towers in 2001 which led to the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
Lobbyists
They can persuade individual Mps to support their cause
“Lobbying”
This came from the gathering of MPs and peers in the corridors (lobbyists) of Parliament before and after debates.
What happens if lobbyists are succsesful?
An Mp may be persuaded to ask questions in Parliament about an issue, or to introduce a Private Members’ Bill with a view to reforming the law.
How many times are MPs approached by lobbyists weekly?
Over 100 times
By whom is most lobbyin done?
By professional lobbyists on behalf of businesses and pressure groups including trade unions and charities.
How much worth was the professional lobbyists industry in 2007 and how many people did it employ?
£1.9 billion, 14,000
What is the Law Commision?
It is a full body set up by The Law Commission Act 1965
What does the Law Commission do?
They research an area that needs reform and then publishes a consultation paper with suggestions for reform, and then following responses to the paper, it will draw up proposals presented in a research report.
Political Influences- Before a general election what do all the political parties do?
They publish a manifesto listing the Law’s they would carry out if elected as the next government
