Pressure Groups

Question 1

E+A 3 advantages possessed by insider pressure groups

Answer 1

1. close and frequent contacts with government and the civil service.
   insider groups (provide a couple of examples) usually enjoy regular and close contacts with policymakers.
   NFU’s campaign to secure financial support for farmers who were affected by the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. The outbreak had a devastating impact on the UK’s livestock industry, and secure emergency £1.1 billion for affected farmers. The NFU also played a key role in shaping the government’s response to the crisis, including measures to control the spread of the disease and to support farmers who were impacted by the outbreak.
   consultations prior to the drafting of bills or regulations. largely an advantage, it can sometimes mean that groups can become ‘prisoners’. Also, insider status and
   regular contact does not always guarantee positive outcomes, e.g. the British Medical Association (BMA) and junior doctors’ pay. they have to go on strike a typical grassroot activity
2. better resources, particularly financial.
   Confederation of British Industry has an annual income of £28 million
   FOE £14 million
   enable groups to employ professional lobbyists, produce professional campaign literature and set up permanent offices, for example in Europe like CBI, Greenpeace and Oxfam.
   money can be an advantage but again does not guarantee successful outcomes.
   Direct action and use of social media can enable outsider groups to achieve considerable success on occasion. Make the point that many insider groups are well-funded because they represent powerful and wealthy lobbies such as business groups like Barclays, HSBC and coke.
3. formal consultations and giving evidence to parliamentary or government inquiries
   2021 the NFU gave evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on the impact of Brexit on food prices and availability.
   BMA also gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee on the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS.
   The Fed of Small Businesses gave evidence to the Treasury Committee on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
   they are more likely to contribute to formal evidence gathering than outsider groups and gives them legitimacy. But
   exceptions could also be noted, such as the UK Cladding Action Group and Grenfell Tower. UK Cladding Action Group have been advocating for the rights of affected leaseholders and pushing for government action to address the issue. £5 billion cladding remediation fund is not enough to cover the full costs of fixing all of the dangerous cladding on buildings, leaving some homeowners facing large bills. There have also been delays in identifying and addressing the scope of the problem, with some buildings still not having been inspected for dangerous cladding.

Question 2

E+A 3 methods used by pressure groups to advance their policy objectives

Answer 2

1. lobbying, through direct contact with ministers and civil servants but also through professional lobbyists eg nfu with Blair and May conservative parties , Johnson supported cbi
   groups are often more successful. You should mention how sometimes groups are invited to contribute to consultations and select committees.
2. direct action, a tactic especially favoured by outsider groups. Provide
   Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, strikes and demonstrations
   this tactic often signifies weakness and an inability to influence via other methods, but it can often attract media attention. You could also explain how media coverage could
   be negative as well as positive, and how governments are often worried about giving in to direct action,
   particularly that which is illegal and/or violent.
3. celebrity endorsement by providing a couple of relevant examples, such as Joanna Lumley and Marcus Rashford
   celebrities can bring added
   He wrote an open letter to the UK government calling for the extension of the free school meal voucher scheme during school holidays, which gained widespread attention and support from the public, businesses, and other public figures. He also shared his personal story of relying on free school meals growing up and worked with food charities to address the issue. Rashford launched his own campaign called “Child Food Poverty” and used social media to further spread his message and engage with his audience. Through his efforts, he successfully influenced policy change and helped to raise awareness about child poverty in the UK.
   In 2009, the UK government announced that it would extend settlement rights to all Gurkha veterans who had served for more than four years in the British Army, following Lumley’s campaign and a high-profile debate in Parliament.
   Action for Children, the Born Free Foundation, and the Prince’s Trust.
   publicity to a cause and provide additional legitimacy. They can also encourage others to support the campaign. Celebrities often use their personal experience to support a campaign.
   For example, in 2014, Greenpeace launched a campaign against Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, featuring a number of high-profile celebrities including Emma Thompson and Jude Law. Despite the campaign, Shell was granted permission to drill in the Arctic, and the company went on to complete a well in 2015.

Question 3

E+A 3 factors that explain why some pressure groups are less successful than other

Answer 3

1. status, outsider and insider. Give a couple of examples of each type of group Justice for fathers, extinction rebellion
   discuss the advantages normally enjoyed by insider groups, such as resources and contacts with policy-makers and, conversely, the problems often encountered by outsider groups.
2. political context.
   trade unions often being more successful when Labour is in power
   party political agendas fare better when a sympathetic party is in power and can even acquire something approaching temporary insider status — ‘beer and sandwiches’. It should also be noted, though, that unions did not have that much success during the Blair/Brown years but it was reinstate under Corbyn.
3. public mood and social attitudes.
   the environment
   favourable popular mood makes it easier for pressure groups, and how changes in opinion, e.g. over gay rights, can enable
   previously marginal groups to become more mainstream. It should be noted, though, that countervailing
   groups, if powerful and well connected, can still wield much influence behind the scenes.