Pressure Groups Flashcards
What is a pressure group?
A group that tries to influence public policy in the interest of a particular cause
They don’t usually enter candidates or seek to exercise power themselves
What does a sectional (interest) pressure group do?
Promote interests of an occupation/societal group
i.e. Trade Unions representing their members in negotiations with employers
Case study of sectional pressure group?
National Farmers’ Union - goal is to achieve agricultural policies which bring security of income to farm families
Slogan - ‘Back British Farming’
Recent NFU campaign?
Trying to ensure free trade in agricultural goods with the EU market after Brexit
Successful NFU campaign?
Lobbied to obtain funding for Anaerobic Digestion plants on farms as it saves famers money on energy and has positive environmental outcomes
Example of NFU acting as an insider group?
Worked closely with MP Dr Luke Evans to call for supermarkets to add ‘buy British’ tabs to their websites
What does a cause group do?
Promote a particular goal or draw attention to a particular issue
Membership of sectional groups?
Restricted membership to those who meet specific requirements (e.g. BMA is open to those working in medicine)
Membership of cause groups?
Open to anyone who sympathises with their aims (e.g. Client Earth is made up of lawyers, environmental experts and activists to fight climate change by changing the law)
Client Earth recent campaign?
Trying to ensure government maintains strong legal protections for the environment post-Brexit
Client Earth successful campaign?
2009 - Lobbied EU commission to reject the UK’s government’s request for an extension on improving air quality in the most polluted areas
What does a social movement do?
Seek to achieve a particular objective, usually more loosely structured than cause
Often have radical objectives
e.g. Occupy, Just Stop Oil
What are outsider groups?
PGs that are not consulted by the government, usually because their objectives are far from the political mainstream
e.g. Extinction Rebellion
Examples of Extinction Rebellion’s radical methods
2018 - blockaded 5 major bridges in London
2020 - blocked roads outside printing presses for several national newspapers
2022 - protested outside Downing Street
What are insider groups?
Relies on contact with ministers and civil servants to achieve their aims
e.g. NFU have close contact with DEFRA
Evidence that insider PGs have waning influence?
National Trust complained that they did not get the audience with a minister that they had expected at the start of Liz Truss’ premiership
Pressure group methods
Negotiations/ talks with government - NFU/DEFRA
Strikes - sectional groups coordinate strike action, e.g. BMA - 2023/4 Junior doctors’ strike
Radical action - e.g. XR, Just Stop Oil
Downsides of radical PG action
Can hinder group’s progress (e.g. Feb 2024, 3 Greenpeace protestors charged with criminal damage after a protest at Rishi Sunak’s home)
Can damage public opinion with divisive methods (e.g. Just Stop Oil ridiculed for soup protest, XR caused huge disruptions by blockading roads and bridges)
Functions of PGs
Keeps the government responsive to the people
Represent groups in society (e.g. WASPI, Stonewall)
Provide government with knowledge and expertise (e.g. Action on Smoking and Health)
Citizen education (e.g. Greenpeace sends speakers into schools)
Pressuring companies into social change (e.g. PETA throwing paint on models wearing fur for their anti-fur campaign)
Examples of insider group methods
Human rights group Liberty gave evidence to the Justice Select Committee in 2021 about how the proposed Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill would curtail protest rights.
e.g. proposed amendment to remove the increase in sentencing for those involved in non-violent protests
Causes of varying PG influence
Practical achievability
Changing political circumstance
Human and material resources
Group status
Group methods
How does practical achievability affect PG influence?
Those with smaller, more practical aims (e.g. Gurkha Justice Campaign aiming to gain the right for all Gurkhas who served in British army to settle in the UK) are likely to have more success.
Those with long term/larger goals (e.g. Make Poverty History) less likely to be achieved in the short term.
How does public support affect PG influence?
Groups in line with public opinion more likely to be successful (e.g. Jamie Oliver’s ‘Feed Me Better’ campaign to improve the quality of school meals.
Celebrity endorsement is also helpful (e.g. Marcus Rashford worked closely with Fare Share in a free school meals campaign over the Covid period)
Mermaids has less favourable public opinion as it is centred around a controversial topic (e.g. came under fire for offering trans children chest binders without parental consent)
How does changing political circumstance affect PG influence?
Different governments prioritise different things (e.g. campaigns for gay rights only gained headway under Tony Blair’s government - groups like Stonewall became far more influential)
How does human and material resources affect PG influence?
Groups with large membership have greater legitimacy and funds (e.g. National Trust have almost 5.4 million members)
Trade unions more influential against employers if they have a larger membership
How does group status affect PG influence?
Insider groups benefit from regular consultation with the government with possible involvement in draft legislation.
Groups with financial/economic leverage have advantage (e.g. CBI represents 190,000 businesses) - their values align heavily with government
How do group methods affect PG influence?
PGs using more conventional methods such as lobbying ministers more successful (e.g. Liberty)
Groups with extreme methods alienate the public (e.g. XR caused public outrage with its disruptive methods, such as blockading 5 major bridges in London in 2018)
What constitutes success for PGs?
Legislation being passed (e.g. Wild animals have been banned from circuses since 2020 due to PG activity)
Legislation being prevented (e.g. in 2016, HoL blocked the government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits due to PG activity)
Legislation being amended (e.g. the Lords forced a number of amendments to the 2012 Health and Social Care Act due to PG activity)
What are think tanks?
Groups of experts who investigate topics and offer solutions to complicated economic, political or social issues (e.g. Institute of Economic Affairs, Fabian Society - represent diversity of opinion)
What are lobbyists?
Members of professional organisations who are paid by clients seeking access to the government
Fairer system now? - in 2014 it was made a legal requirement for lobbyists on behalf of a third party to register their activities (still unfair system - David Cameron (the man who set up this register) failed to register his lobbying activities for Greensill Capital)
What are corporations?
Large businesses with significant sway in government policy.
Close links between politicians and business due to ‘revolving door’ process.
Arguments that PGs enhance democracy in the UK?
Education and participation argument
Protection of minorities argument
Accountability of government argument
Explain the education and participation argument that PGs enhance democracy
Represent diversity of opinion so people can reach informed conclusions (e.g. BPAS and Right to Life UK)
PG activity offer political participation, something which is desperately low in the UK (e.g. 2019 election has only 67.3% turnout)
PGs offer participation without having to align to a party (e.g. Labour/Conservative party membership used to be in the millions and was only 485,000 and 180,000 in 2019)
Explain the protection of minorities argument that PGs enhance democracy
Pressure groups can defend the rights of the marginalised (e.g. in 2021, protests were held outside Downing Street due to trans people’s experiences of feeling failed by the healthcare system)
Groups like Stonewall and Mermaids push for equality.
Explain the accountability of government argument that PGs enhance democracy
PGs help highlight the government’s shortcomings and encourage change (e.g. in 2020, PM Boris Johnson pledged to ban conversion therapy. A year later, a petition was signed by 250,000 people to put pressure on him to stick to the promise)
National Trust started online campaign against Liz Truss’s government when they did not get the audience with the DEFRA minister that they had expected.
Arguments that PGs do NOT enhance democracy in the UK?
Tyranny of the minority
Empower the powerful
A revolving door
Explain the tyranny of the majority argument that PGs do not enhance democracy
Certain PGs/corporations dominate the system (e.g. Shell, BP, Barclays, Tesco and other large corporations have strong political influence)
In 2012, the British Bankers’ Association held meetings with government officials, such as Nick Clegg’s political adviser, which were not required to be recorded - this hinders democracy
Explain the argument that pressure groups empower the powerful
Insider groups, who already have the eyes and ears of government, have an undue amount of influence (e.g. NFU and XR, who have competing aims regarding meat consumption, are treated very differently by government. The NFU is far more likely to influence policy and XR is likely to be ignored).
Corporations also have vast funds to pay for lobbying and campaigns, which is not the case for grassroots PGs. Therefore, it is the wealthy whose voices are strengthened while some marginalised groups are unable to participate.
Explain the revolving door argument that PGs do not enhance democracy
Key criticism of the lobbying and pressure group system is the ‘revolving door’ between Parliament and big business - former ministers are able to use their close connections with government to enhance the standing of their new company. (e.g. David Cameron/Greensill scandal)
Recent example of successful social movement
Throughout the first half of 2024, there have been large protests putting pressure on the government to stop supporting Israel.
This has been quite successful as it led to Labour supporting an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ and the conservative foreign secretary David Cameron calling for a de-escalation
Explain how the Public Order Act bans certain outside group methods
Enacts legal repercussions for highly disruptive protests
‘Locking on’ is now punishable by imprisonment
October 2023 - the Metropolitan Police arrested over 60 activists participating in a Just Stop Oil ‘slow march’
Explain Scott Benton lobbying scandal
Former conservative MP Scott Benton was caught offering to lobby (and leak policy documents) on behalf of a gambling company in exchange for payments of up to £4,000 per month
Shows how damaging lobbying is for UK democracy
Recent ‘revolving door’ example
Over 170 ex-ministers and senior officials since 2017 have taken up jobs that relate to policy areas they previously managed. This raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest as these individuals may leverage their insider knowledge and connections to lobby on behalf of provocateur companies
