other influences on government and parliament

Question 1

what’s a think tank?

Answer 1

-organisations that exists purely to develop new ideas and policies
-they provide advice and ideas on national or commercial problems
-some have a clear position on the political spectrum, whilst some are neutral
-many have links to political parties e.g. the think tank centre for social justice was set up by ian duncan smith the former tory leader
-they produce detailed reports and research which can be used by parties

Question 2

examples of think tanks:

Answer 2

1. King’s Fund focuses on improving health and care
2. IEA - institute of economic affairs - is right wing and supports free market ideas - during brexit it worked closely with the brexiteers and met with gov. ministers regularly to push for a hard brexit

Question 3

what are lobbyists?

Answer 3

-someone who attempts to influence gov. policy and legislation on behalf of another individual/group
-often retired politicians/ civil servants who use their contacts to help them
-usually employed by corporations or wealthy pressure groups, where some hire independent lobbying firms or have their own ‘in-house’ lobbyists

Question 4

examples of lobbyists:

Answer 4

-david cameron lobbied the gov. on behalf of financial firm greensill, which he had shares in
-he was investigated by his own watchdog that he set up to tackle the influence of lobbysists!
-‘cash for access’ scandal - 2015 - two former foreign secretaries were caught on camera offering to lobby for companies in return for large sums of money

Question 5

what are corporations?

Answer 5

-often invited by the gov. to contribute to policy discussions and to help provide legislation relevant to their business
-they lobby the gov. for favourable conditions of business e.g. low taxes
-governments are wary of alienating big business because they are crucial to the economy and employ lots of people
-many owners of large companies make donations to the parties

Question 6

examples of corporations’ influence:

Answer 6

-during covid-19, business groups lobbied gov. for a freeze on tax payments including national insurance and VAT

Question 7

the media:

Answer 7

-governments are scrutinised by the media, so communication with it is a key priority for each gov.
-politicians often have close links with the media e.g. Boris Johnson used to write a weekly column for the telegraph
-most UK newspapers are politically aligned
-rise in social media - opens up a whole new avenue for political advertising trending topics and fake news

Question 8

examples of the media’s influence:

Answer 8

-in 1992 the sun boasted ‘it’s the sun wot won it’ as it backed the tory leader
-however newspapers often prefer to back winners - the bulk of the national press supported blair in 1997