Pressure Groups Flashcards

0
Q

What are the 8 functions of a pressure group? Give examples for each.

A

1) Represent our interests to the government (Eg: trade unions/ Age UK)
2) Promote social progress and liberal ideas (Eg: Stonewall and gay marriage)
3) Help to educate the public ( Eg: Greenpeace CND)
4) Help government gauge pinko opinion (ID Cards scrapped because of Liberty and No2ID)
5) Provide stability by enabling people to ‘let off steam’ (Eg: 2014 Gaza protests)
6) Providing specialist knowledge (Eg: BMA and the 2012 H&SC act)
7) Maintaing a healthy pluralist democracy (Eg: EDL and Britain First being tolerated)
8) Scrutiny function (Eg: Shelter)

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1
Q

Why are the House of Lords easier to target for Pressure Groups?

A

They’re less disciplined than the Commons.

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2
Q

Give 2 examples of pressure groups that only exist on social media.

A

Britain First and Another Angry Voice.

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3
Q

Give an example of a pressure group targeting the House of Lords.

A

Christian groups like ‘Christian Voice’ targeting a number of key Lords including the Bishops to have exemptions placed on the 2010 equality act so they could discriminate against gay people for religious reasons.

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4
Q

Give an example of non payment of taxes.

A

1990 Poll Tax protests.

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5
Q

Give two examples of MPs that support a particular pressure group.

A

Caroline Lucas and no more page 3. And Sarah Champion and Barnardos.

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6
Q

In what year did CND make their inaugural march at Aldermaston?

A

1958.

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7
Q

What are sectional/interest pressure groups? Give examples.

A

A pressure group that represents a specific section of society and promotes the best interests of their members.
Eg: The Taxpayer’s Alliance, NFU, RIBA, BMA, GMB and the Law Society.

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8
Q

Give two examples of boycotts.

A

Anti-apartheid boycotts in the 1980’s and Anti-Israel boycotts in 2014.

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9
Q

What are insider pressure groups? Give examples.

A

Pressure groups that operate inside the political system, through contacts with peers, ministers and official committees. They are regularly consulted by government.

Eg: CBI, NFU, BMA.

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10
Q

What are cause/issue promotional pressure groups?

A

A pressure group that seeks to promote altruism and a cause rather than the interests of it’s members.

Eg: Red Cross, YMCA, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Greenpeace etc

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11
Q

Identify the features of an insider group.

A

They must follow the law and don’t challenge the Status Quo.

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12
Q

What is an outsider pressure group? Give examples.

A

Outsider groups have no specific link with government and so seek to influence decision making by mobilising public opinion.

Eg: Earth First! Occupy, HSA.

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13
Q

Why might a pressure group be an outsider?

A
  • They may prefer to retain their independence and freedom of action
  • They may break the law
  • They may not comply with the government’s agenda
  • They may be relatively young and not had chance to become insiders yet.
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14
Q

What is a dual function pressure group? Give examples.

A

Groups which may have unpopular ideas but have access to wealth and infrastructure to lobby the government.
Eg: Hacked Off and Greenpeace.

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15
Q

Give 3 examples of spontaneous/populist movements.

A

UK Uncut, the 45% and the Arab Spring.

16
Q

Identify 5 differences between Pressure Groups and Political Parties.

A

1) PGs want to influence the government, PPs want to BE the government.
2) PGs are usually concerned with single issues, PPs have a wide range of policies.
3) PGs have any structure from a hierarchy to a free for all, PPs have a structure of members, MPs, councillors etc.
4) PGs could break the law, PPs must stay within the law.
5) PG membership is rising, whereas less people trust PPs.

17
Q

Give 2 examples of overlap between political parties and pressure groups.

A

Britain first and the Swedish Feminist initiative.

18
Q

Give an example of a large but ineffective pressure group.

A

Unison has 1.3 million members but failed to stop public sector cuts.

19
Q

Give two examples of successful pressure groups.

A

ASH. They successfully campaigned for a ban on smoking in public places. The Snowdrop Campaign after the Dunblane massacre getting the government to amend the firearms act and ban handguns.

20
Q

Define the term ‘elitism’.

A

A tendency for power to be monopolised by small groups of influential people.

21
Q

What was the turnout at the 2010 general election?

A

60%.

22
Q

Define the term ‘Astroturfing’.

A

Creating what appear to be grassroots protests against regulatory threats which are actually a front for industry interests.

23
Q

Define the term ‘corporatism’.

A

The control of the state by late interest groups such as trade unions.

24
Q

Give 6 examples of declining pressure group influence.

A

1) The sheer number of pressure groups can make them confusing. Furthermore, if there are a number of different pressure groups for one issue it can lead to a lack of clarity and unity.

Eg: a number of anti-facist groups: Hope not Hate, Unite against facism, Anti-Facist action etc

2) A number of recent high profile campaigns have failed

Eg: NAFAC- tuition fees in 2010 and STW coalition in Iraq in 2003.

3) The power to change the law still resides with government.

Eg: When a petition about the H&SC act reached the specified number of signatures, the Commons refused to debate it.

4) Thatcher killed of corporatism
5) e-democracy is actually damaging as people may sign petitions but then fail to attend rallies and whatnot.

Eg: No cohesive movement against the H&SC act.

6) THE LOBBYING ACT!!!!!!!

25
Q

When was the lobbying act passed?

A

January 2014.

26
Q

How much is the cap on campaigning in a constituency a year before any election?

A

£10,000.

27
Q

Why has there been a growth in pressure groups since the 1960s? Give 6 reasons.

A
  1. Less focus on ideologies and instead small issues which grab people’s attention like fracking.
  2. The expanding role of government. It does more so there’s more to complain about.
  3. New pressure groups arise to counteract existing ones.
  4. Big issues like global warming and immigration have arisen since the 1960s.
  5. Governments are more tolerant of freedom of speech
  6. Rise of the EU. Without the EU Betteroffout would not exist!
28
Q

Give an example of a successful internet campaign lead by a pressure group.

A

NUS’ campaign to encourage young people to vote. They used #GenerationVote on social media and encouraged people to take ‘selfies’ outside polling booths to banish the negative image surrounding voting.

29
Q

Give two examples of successful public education campaigns lead by pressure groups.

A
  1. PETA educating the public about the ethical issues surrounding angorra wool production.
  2. Friends of The Earth’s campaign to Save The Bees by highlighting bees’ importance as pollinators.
30
Q

How many signatures does a petition have to gain before it has to be considered by the backbench business committee?

A

100,000

31
Q

Give an example of a successful e-petition.

A

Wild animals were banned in circuses, following an e-petition in 2011 which attracted 20,000 signatures.

32
Q

Give an example of a pressure group likely to lobby The EU.

A

‘The Real Fish Fight’, who lobby the EU to relax fishing restrictions.

33
Q

Give two examples of professional lobbying scandals.

A
  1. Bernie Ecclestone donating £1million to the Labour party in order to seek an exemption for Formula 1 regarding the EU’s proposed ban on tobacco advertising in 1997.
  2. In October 2007, Lord Hoyle was paid an undisclosed sum for introducing an arms lobbyist to the then defence minister, Lord Dayton.
34
Q

Give two recent examples of public sector strikes.

A
  1. The FBU went on strike for 24 hours in February 2015 over pensions.
  2. Unison and Unite went on strike in October 2014 over a planned public sector pay rise of just 1%.