pressure groups Flashcards
what is a casual group?
a pressure group who’s goal is to promote beliefs
examples of casual groups (2)
- friends of the earth
- greenpeace
- Friends of the Earth
what is a sectional group?
a pressure group representing a group in society
examples of sectional groups (2)
- Age Uk
- Muslim council of Britain
what is an insider group?
pressure groups that have close links with decision makers (the government)
tactics of insider groups:
- make presentations of their case to decision makers
- offer expert advice to the government
what is an outsider group?
pressure groups that don’t have close links with the government, and have to use external links
tactics of outsider groups:
- protests
- public campaigning
- petitions
what is RRPE?
what makes a pressure group successful: R: resources (money/equipment) R: relationships with the government P: popularity E: expertise (knowledge)
what is lobbying?
large gatherings at Parliament/ council offices, and making direct meetings with decision makers
what is media campaign?
groups that hope to gain recognition from press/TV
what is direct action?
violent approaches top getting a point across (e.g. suffragettes)
what is the ASH pressure group and what did they try to do?
a pressure group spreading knowledge about tobacco use and they wanted to pressure governments into adopting policies and laws to reduce tobacco use
what methods did ASH use?
- conducting research to try and educate the government into the effects of smoking etc
- they are insider, therefore they used presentations etc
ASH successes:
- restrictions on advertising tobacco products were implemented
- health warnings on cigarette packs
- increased taxes on tobacco
what is the RMT union? and what do they want to achieve?
the national union of rail, maritime and transport workers, they aimed for better pay and working conditions, including shorter hours and safer working environments
what methods did RMT use?
- negotiate contracts with major transport companies
- lobbies governments for Bette protections and safeties
- organise and conduct strikes to pressure employers to meet demands
RMTs successes:
- helped members bring legal cases following injury
- securing bonus payments for workers during the 2012 Olympics
- improved safety standards on offshore oil platforms
what is a think tank?
a group of experts brought together to collectively focus on political, social or economic topics to offer solutions and develop policies to be adopted by political parties or government
what is the Institute of Economic Affairs?
a free market think tank that has close links to the Conservative party. they are critical on the governments measures to restrict/reduce smoking, the sugar tax etc
2 neutral think tanks:
- centre for social justice: policy on welfare issues
- respublica: general policy issues
what is a lobbyist?
they are paid to influence the government to act in their clients interests, this can be through writing a letter to a local MP, at a more extreme level, they would arrange events for their clients to meet those in power, for example, offering political figures to sporting or cultural events
what influence does the Institute of Economic and Social Research have on the government?
in 2020, they scrutinised the governments budget, raising questions on the governments viability of its growth and targets
what is the liberty pressure group and what did they want to achieve?
they aimed to challenge the government measures to restrict freedoms, they wanted to protect civil rights and liberties
what methods did liberty use?
- media campaigns
- they work with the government to advise on legislation to ensure it complies with the human rights act
- organise protests
- they provide legal advice on cases of discrimination against gays, women’s rights and disability rights
liberty’s successes:
- they launched a campaign to ‘save the human rights act’ to oppose the Conservative Parties idea to replace the human rights act with the bill of rights act
- in August 2020, they won a court of appeal
what is amnesty international and what did they aim to achieve?
they are a global campaign group that aims to protect people where their freedom, liberty or justice has been denied. they also aim to educate society
what methods does amnesty use?
- lobbying to influence the government
- email and twitter to raise awareness
- organise petitions and public demonstrations
what were amnesty’s successes?
- India decriminalised same sex relationships
- 8000 prisoners were released from Myanmar
- the government of Malaysia, and the US announced plans to abolish the death penalty
what influence do large corporations have on the government?
they have great insider influence as they play a big role in the economy, as they employ many people and account for a large proportion of economic activity. they also have their own think tanks and lobbyists
give an example where a large corporation has had a large impact on the government
large companies like Google, Starbucks and Microsoft have resisted to calls for them to pay more in UK tax
large alcoholic drinks manufactures have also campaigned against price controls to reduce excessive drinking
the confectionary industry have resisted and toned down the governments’ attempts to reduce the sugar content in their products
contemporary insider and outsider group
insider: federation of small businesses
outsider: just stop oil
contemporary sectional and cause pressure groups
sectional: RMT
cause: refugees welcome
contemporary example of minister resigning
Rishi Sunak re: Boris Johnson
contemporary example of a prime minister having to keep a ‘big beast’ in cabinet
Lizz Truss appointing Jeremy Hunt
contemporary example of legislation impacting on citizens’ rights
police, crime, sentencing and courts Act 2022
which Strengthens the police’s power to tackle disruptive protests and protect the public by increasing the range of conditions police can impose on public assemblies
contemporary example of a minority party
Green Party
