Internal Pressure Group democracy

Question 1

What did Wyn Grant say about pressure group internal democracy?

Answer 1

“We need [to be able] to ask questions about whom they represent and how their policies arrived at”

Question 2

What is an example of an entirely centralised pressure group regardless of having individual membership?

Answer 2

Greenpeace

Question 3

How are pressure group officers chosen?

Answer 3

They are appointed rather than elected by the groups members on an OMOV basis.
Leading pressure groups are often not directly accountable to members

Question 4

How do pressure groups make decisions?

Answer 4

• Not by members

- By a central committee or board which is itself unelected

Question 5

Which 2 pressure groups does Neil McNaughton suggest are particularly poor at consulting their members over questions of policy and direction?

Answer 5

BMA

AA

Question 6

What does Neil McNaughton suggest about the organisation of pressures groups such as the BMA and AA?

Answer 6

that they reflect elitism rather than pluralism

Question 7

Why have the sectional group trade unions been forced to become more internally democratic?

Answer 7

as a result of employment and union legislation passed in the 1980’s, such as the requirement to hold secret ballots before national strike action

Question 8

Do sectional groups such as those non-membership groups have internal democracy?

Answer 8

they have little internal democracy

Question 9

Why are individuals usually in control of cause groups as opposed to the members?

Answer 9

cause groups often start as a small group of committed individuals and control often remains with these individuals or their chosen successors even when the group’s membership expands significantly

Question 10

According to who is Greenpeace described as a hierarchical organisation that allows little democratic control over the direction of its campaigns ?

Answer 10

Wyn Grant 2002

Question 11

What 4 things does Wyn Grant (2002) point out about the hierarchal structure of Greenpeace?

Answer 11

• It has a strictly bureaucratic, if not authoritarian, internal structure
• Both at international level and national chapter the party is run by a small group of people
• Local action groups are completely dependant on the central body
• the rank and file is excluded from all decisions

Question 12

How do pressure groups occur which makes them good for democracy?

Answer 12

They occur naturally under any system of government. People have a natural desire to unite in protection of their own interests or in advancing a particular cause

Question 13

How are pressure groups good for democracy between elections?

Answer 13

They allow people to organise and articulate their views between the elections

Question 14

When party membership is waning, how are pressure groups good for democracy?

Answer 14

They provide an additional avenue for participation at a time when more traditional forms are waning

Question 15

How are pressure groups good for democracy particularly in a post-ideological age of catch-all parties?

Answer 15

The Pressure groups allow a wider range of opinions to be represented than is possible through political parties

Question 16

How are pressure groups good for democracy through moderating the views of their more extreme members?

Answer 16

because the individuals with extreme views might never have changed their views challenged and changed

Question 17

How is the fact pressure groups provide strength a good thing for democracy’s?

Answer 17

allows opinions to be expressed as opposed to simply counting the number of people supporting a view as happens with elections

Question 18

How are pressure groups good for democracy’s though using their expert knowledge?

Answer 18

They have a role in educating the public and providing the government with expertise

Question 19

How are some pressure groups not good for democracy due to ‘passive’ or ‘ cheque-book membership’?

Answer 19

This means that the quality of participation offered is often low even when membership is high. Many members do little more than pay their annual membership fee

Question 20

How are some pressure groups bad for democracy with lacking legitimacy?

Answer 20

because they exhibit low levels of internal democracy

Question 21

How are some pressure groups bad for democracy, especially core insider groups?

Answer 21

many non-membership groups are simply fronts for wealthy and influential business interests who many have little interest in the greater public good

Question 22

Financially, why are pressure groups not good for democracy?

Answer 22

Pressure groups do not compete on an equal financial footing and poorer groups find it far harder to access the policy-making process

Question 23

How are pressure groups not good for democracy due to the issue of human resources?

Answer 23

Groups tend to be more successful when they have articulate, educated leading members
Many have argued that this tends to favour groups run by the middle classes over those set up by working classes

Question 24

Why are pressure groups not good for democracy due to the disproportionate size and merit to their cause?

Answer 24

The small minority of a population should not be given a disproportionate influence on the decision making process undermining long term planning and joined up government

Question 25

Why can pressure groups be bad for democracy when giving information?

Answer 25

They could be ‘misleading’ the government and public with bias information. Groups can use their access to government to distort the evidence upon which policy is founded