Pressure groups

Question 1

What is a pressure group?

Answer 1

• an organised group of individuals brought together for the purpose of fulfilling a specific goal or because of common cause.
• aim to influence policies/political designs/change public attitudes without looking to gain political office.

Question 2

What are the main categories of pressure groups?

Answer 2

• insider groups
• outsider groups
• interest groups
• promotional groups

Question 3

What are insider groups?

Answer 3

• have close relations with gov; often rep powerful, well-resourced groups or offer specialist knowledge that can be useful.
• eg NICE (National Institute for Health Care and Excellence) work with gov to create policy around healthcare/NHS.
• eg Confederation of British Industry (CBI)/National Farmers Union (NFU) both regularly consulted.
• TaxPayers’ Alliance has close links to Tories.

Question 4

What are outsider groups?

Answer 4

• lack established links with gov; often rep more marginalised or radical policy agendas/frequently use direct action to publicise aims.
• aim to gain support of public opinion.
• ‘potential’ insiders may aim to work within political system.
• eg Fathers4Justice - for fathers to have equal rights after separation.
• eg Amnesty International - potential insider.

Question 5

What are interest groups?

Answer 5

• exist primarily to defend/advance specific interests of members eg TUs/business groups.
• rep specific section of society/don’t campaign for broader issues.
• eg House Builders Federation reps voice of house building industry.
• eg British Medical Association reps 160,000 doctors.

Question 6

What are promotional groups?

Answer 6

• have single issue which they’re concerned with promoting; don’t directly benefit members; eg human rights, nuclear disarmament.
• eg Greenpeace - wish to end destruction of environment.
• eg Mediawatch-UK - want to promote family values in the media.

Question 7

What are the 4 divisions of insider groups?

Answer 7

• core insider - have longstanding bilateral relationship with policymakers eg NFU.
• specialist insiders - have insider status but only within narrow/specific area where specialist knowledge required.
• peripheral insiders - have insider status but rarely needed by gov due to nature of interest/cause; eg Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society managed to get definition of stillbirth lowered to 24 weeks.
• prisoner groups - find it almost impossible to break away from insider status because of reliance on gov, or because they are public body; eg Historic England - gov-funded by gov department; harder to resist policy generated by other parts of gov eg HS2.

Question 8

Advantages of insider groups

Answer 8

• proximity to gov - have channels of communication/often enables informal lobbying before draft legislation drawn up.
• resources - usually well resourced/funded, so often hire professional lobbyists/sponsor relavent APGs.
• gov inquires - often invited to take part in/give evidence to select/public bill committees; eg 2013 - King’s Fund gave evidence to Health Select Committee inquiry into emergency services.
• historic ties to political parties - TUs and such have historical/institutional ties; can also be important donors.
• laws/regulations - public consultation processes eg during Green Paper stage of legislation, can involve evaluating large amounts of specific info; detailed info lies with TUs/professional bodies; direct influence.

Question 9

Disadvantages of insider groups

Answer 9

• proximity to gov - getting too cosy can lead to policy entrapment/unwillingness to criticise or speak out against political establishment; diminishes independence/freedom.
• resources - not guarantee of success; unlike USA, UK PGs not allowed to aid political ads; limited involvement in election campaigns.
• gov inquiries - not just insider groups called to give evidence eg UK Cladding Action Group (more of outside group) to Communities select committee in inquiry about cladding used on Grenfell Tower.
• historic ties - PGs associated with party out of office left outside corridors of power; most prefer to keep away to have relations with range of political groups.
• laws/regulations - often those most directly affected by changes in law; shouldn’t be playing major part in writing rules.

Question 10

CASE STUDY: the National Trust

Answer 10

• founded in 1895; membership of over 5m
• aims to preserve through ownership of nation’s historical properties; preserve buildings/landscapes forever; promote biodiversity/nature conservation; lobby gov on issues eg preserving green belt, climate change.
• membership disproportionately white/middle class; has formal organisational structure/paid-up members.
• ties with political establishment; receives gov grants for specific projects eg National Heritage Memorial Fund/is routinely consulted.
• does speak out against gov policies; 2011 - took strong public stance against proposed changes to land-use planning in England; gov later modified plan.
• has been influenced by other PGs; BLM protests - accelerated research into links between historic properties with slave trade, pledging to inform visitors.

Question 11

What are the divisions of outsider groups?

Answer 11

• potential insiders - seeking to be insiders, but lack experience/connections; status can be achieved by usually peaceful high-profile campaign eg Gurkha Justice Campaign lobbied Blair/Brown govs for 4 years; gov conceded settling to all Gurkhas in 2009.
• outsiders by necessity - by virtue of cause/nature of tactics; violent actions/law breaking make it hard for gov to have connections; eg Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament - directly at odds with policy.
• outsiders by choice - to retain independence/ability to critique policies eg Liberty and Amnesty International.

Question 12

Advantages of outsider groups

Answer 12

• media - high profile/sometimes illegal protests make headline; can raise publicity/awareness; eg Palestine Action 8/3/24 - slashing of portrait.
• direct action - striking, closing down airports can result in fines/imprisonment; shows commitment; eg XR - mass protest in central London April 2022, 70 arrested.
• links to gov - have freedom to act/take stance without being constrained; eg Amnesty International - only interest is in achieving human rights for all.
• developing insider status - due to public attitudes (eg LGBTQ+ rights) or change of gov - LGBT Foundation consulted more frequently since 70s.

Question 13

Disadvantages of outsider groups

Answer 13

• media - making headlines doesn’t translate into public support; too much disruption negative; eg Just Stop Oil, Oct 2023 - 60 arrested, blocked ambulances, condemned by police
• direct action - those who face prosecution easily labelled as fanatics/extremists; eg Fathers4Justice - members of group have been accused of conducting intimidating attacks to upset court staff, family lawyers, MPs.
• links to gov - cannot be guaranteed influence; eg NFU pres refuted some of Sunak’s comments at annual conference.
• developing insider status - many never achieve/some choose not to; eg Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament founded in 1952.

Question 14

How do insider pressure groups achieve success?

Answer 14

• up to political decision makers to decide role of PGs.
• specialist knowledge/info, especially when govs seek to advance rights of certain people eg LGBT Foundation.
• political circumstances can determine influence/insider status.
• environmental issues (what is relavent) eg Friends of the Earth.
• political bias - TUs more likely to exercise insider influence during Lab gov; big businesses eg Institute of Directors, TaxPayers’ Alliance - Tory.
• access points can determine location of PGs, therefore their power

Question 15

What are the arguments that PGs are elitist?

Answer 15

• minimal groups to support many of most marginalised/poorly resourced ppl such as homeless/unemployed.
• powerful/well-resourced can use insider status to manipulate legislation, often before it’s public.
• some corporate interests such as banks, big businesses, billionaires have become too big to confront (esp w/donations).
• many pressure groups undemocratic in structure/dominated by own internal elites eg accusations at Greenpeace.

Question 16

What are the arguments that PGs are pluralist?

Answer 16

• nearly all groups in modern British society have pressure or interest groups that represent them.
• govs keen to not alienate voters; govs wary of being too close to group that could be seen to be hostile to large body of public opinion eg select committees listening to array of people.
• checks in place to limit even most powerful interest groups eg BMA resorted to strike action in response to health service/doctors pay and conditions; suggests lobbying failed.
• balance of democratic society reflected in the structure of pressure groups.

Question 17

What factors affect pressure group success?

Answer 17

• Achievability of aims; 2000 - protestors against easing fuel duty succeeded; policy U-turn cost gov £2b loss; considerable public support/specific.
• Insider status; announcement in 2019 Queen’s Speech of a Police Protections and Powers Bill/of est. of Police Covenant in part due to lobbying by Police Federation.
• in tune with gov policy/ideology; 1997 gov more positive about gay rights; repealed Section 28/intro of civil partnerships.
• in tune with public opinion; 1996 - following shooting in Dunblane, Scotland, public outcry; Snowdrop Campaign formed to ban private ownership of all handguns; achieved by passing of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997.
• large membership; National Trust; membership disproportionately middle class/education, so more confident engaging with politicians.
• financial resources - professional lobbying firms can shift debate on to group’s strong points; Campaign for High Speed Rail hired lobbyist to shift debate to economic benefits/deflect from environmental impact of HS2.
• celebrity endorsement - Marcus Rashford.
• legal challenges; 2019 - Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants won case against gov to end right to rent scheme, which required landlords to check immigration status of tenants.
• media support; Howard League of Penal Reform overturned ruling after home secretary tried to ban sending books to prisoners in England; much support from media.

Question 18

What factors affect pressure group failure?

Answer 18

• objectives that are too extreme/unworkable in current political climate; anti-capitalist groups eg Occupy.
• lack of resources; unable to present case professionally/with evidence from proper research.
• association with violence/disorder
• links to gov
• hostile political climate; Stop the War Coalition organised rallies against 2003 invasion of Iraq; PM committed to cause.
• strong countervailing forces; Coalition for Marriage resisted same sex marriage; considerable oppositions from groups such as Stonewall.

Question 19

Other influences on parliament/gov — Corporations

Answer 19

• big business constantly in contact/carry considerable weight providing jobs and paying tax.
• in increasingly globalised economy, can threaten to move eg during Covid, business groups lobbied for freeze on tax payments including NI/VAT.
• don’t always get own way; March 2020 budget - 2% digital sales tax on UK revenues of search engines/online marketplaces, despite opposition from Google/Amazon.
• can become target as well; Barclays announced intention to become net zero by 2050.

Question 20

Other influences on parliament/gov — Lobbyists

Answer 20

• firms hired to help target group’s message as effectively as possible.
• professional advice, strategies, arrange meetings.
• no. of former ministers - revolving door; must seek permission.
• 2017 - veteran Lab MP Barry Sheerman became chair of non profit lobbying firm Policy Connect.
• has potential for corruption/scandal; often keep low profile.
• small firm Morgan Roberts worked with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust 2006-8 to campaign for early intro of HPV immunisation programme; adopted in 2008.

Question 21

Other influences on gov/parliament — think tanks

Answer 21

• undertake policy research/development; research often used by PGs with similar priorities; normally privately funded.
  eg Lord Sainsbury donated £260,000 in 2016 to Progress.
• report in 2019 found that 11 right-leaning think tanks receive £15.5m compared with £12.9m that went to left-leaning; £35m to neutral.
• highly ideological; Fabian Society - Labour.
• Policy Exchange claimed credit for number of policy ideas taken up by gov; directly elected police commissioners.
• 2018 - Centre for Social Justice called on gov to scrap plans for five new women’s prisons/replace with community based alternatives; adopted by gov.

Question 22

Other influences on gov/parliament — media

Answer 22

• most UK national newspapers politically aligned; ‘It’s The Sun Wot Won It’ - 1992, crediting self for Tory victory; campaign against Kinnock.
• circulation of national newspapers halved between 1992-2019; rise of social media/internet.
• change in ownership/editor can bring about shifts.
• newspapers prefer to back winners; bulk of national press supported Blair between 1996-2010.
• 2019 - Twitter itself accused Tories of misleading the public; changed name to factcheckUK.

Question 23

What are the arguments that PGs help democracy?

Answer 23

• play key representative function; for third parties eg Green that have little rep in Parliament, PGs provide another form - XR, Just Stop Oil; ensure issues debated outside election campaigns.
• can contribute to public awareness/knowledge on specific issues; array of issues often with one ‘for’ and one ‘against’; abortion - British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Right to Life UK; plethora of info/stimulates discussion.
• all PGs make use of wide range of democratic bodies to make case; includes Westminster, local councils, devolved assemblies; variety of bodies held accountable, as well as unelected quangos/gov departments.

Question 24

What are the arguments that PGs hinder democracy?

Answer 24

• many small/have unrepresentative membership; many not be truly representative of public opinions; large corporations eg Shell; empower those who are already powerful.
• info out into public area by PGs often one-sided/selective; groups highlight positive aspects of stance/ignore other viewpoints; eg For Women Scotland.
• use of access points doesn’t automatically mean that they benefit democracy; often trying to persuade unelected officials such as civil servants, as they make many decisions.