Pressure groups

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

An organised group of people that aim to influence policies and actions of the govt in favour of a specific cause or interest

Question 2

Sectional/interest groups

Answer 2

Represent a particular section of society: workers, religious groups, employees etc. e.g National Education Union.
Main concern is advancing the interests of their members- self-interest.
Membership is limited as you have to fall into that category of society

Question 3

Promotional groups

Answer 3

Have a wider range of ideas they support.
Membership isn’t restricted
More likely to be a ‘fire brigade’ group that disbands after they achieve their goals.
E.g Green Peace- concerned about all environmental issues.

Question 4

Insider groups

Answer 4

Rely on close contacts with senior ministers or civil servants to achieve their aims e.g NFU has a close link with DEFRA- a govt dept.,
Insider objectives are usually in line with the views of the govt
Not radical
Have influence due to their special access; play a part in the decision making process
CBI was an insider group till their sex scandal which led to them becoming an outsider group

Question 5

Outsider groups

Answer 5

Aren’t consulted by the govt, so their objectives and methods may be a bit radical from the political mainstream e.g Animal Rights protesters who tried to intimidate animal testing labs into stopping their work- this is why the govt is unlikely to talk to them.
Due to having no access to govt, they resort to taking direct action e.g Just Stop Oil, they had recently protested by throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh’s sunflower painting.
More examples:
-Countryside alliance who campaigns on behalf of field sports e,g shooting, hunting in rural communities, their ideologies contradict govt policies e.g the banning of fox hunting.
-AFL (animal liberation front)- did a 6 year campaign as they are militant in trying to save animals, opposed the breeding of guinea pigs for animal testing, released 600 guinea pigs, threatened them w/ a bullet in an envelope, dug up their grandma’s dead body and blackmailed them

Question 6

Pluralism

Answer 6

‘Rule by the many’., the antithesis of elitism
-pluralism aids the wide dispersal of power.