Pressure Groups

Question 1

how do pressure groups differ from parties?

Answer 1

Differ from political parties

do not usually enter candidates at elections

do not seek to exercise power themselves, instead they wish to influence the government to make a change and adopt their ideas

Question 2

what is a pressure group?

Answer 2

A pressure group is a group advocating for social or political change by influencing and pressuring the government to make such changes

Trying to influence political agenda events and policies

some groups might go outside the legal system to achieve this change e.g. greenpeace’s direct action

Question 3

examples of pressure groups

Answer 3

Examples of pressure groups suffragettes Greenpeace votes for 16 PETA trade unions prison reform trust BMA

black lives matter — A social movement similar to calls groups but more loosely structured some may only take part in some protests usually politically radical and seek to achieve a single objective

Question 4

main characteristics of pressure groups

Answer 4

Main characteristics of pressure groups do not seek to take power themselves seek to influence the government or another authority to make a change to adopt their ideas or not pursue a policy the disapprove of

typically tend to have a narrow issue focus

members are united by shared beliefs or common interests

Question 5

elitism

Answer 5

Elitism a system where one elite person or group has all the power no one else to choose from

Question 6

pluralism

Answer 6

Pluralism a system with lots of opinions political ideas groups and parties coexisting

A type of democracy where the government makes decisions as a result of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations

There is a wide dispersal of power amongst competing groups and in particular there are no elite groups

Groups are internally democratic in the sense that leaders are accountable to members

Government is neutral in the sense that it is willing to listen to any group or interest

Question 7

types of pressure group

Answer 7

Types of pressure group

sectional / interest groups

cause / promotional groups

Question 8

sectional / interest groups

Answer 8

E.g. trade unions are sectional pressure groups that represent various occupations and negotiate with employers about wages and working conditions

Promote the interests of a certain section of society e.g. specific occupations

Membership is usually restricted to people meeting specific requirements and who are part of the section of society that the group is advocating for e.g. the law society is open to solicitors

Question 9

cause / promotional groups

Answer 9

E.g. Greenpeace is a cause pressure group that promotes awareness of environmental concerns and tries to influence the government to adopt green ideas

Pursue and promote a particular goal or cause

Raise attention to an issue a group of related issues

Membership is usually open to anyone who sympathises with their aims

A special type of course group is one that promotes the interests of a group who cannot speak or stand up for themselves e.g. shelter is a pressure group for the homeless members on actually a part of the group being advocated for

Question 10

National Education Union

Answer 10

The National Education Union is an example of a sectional pressure group

The U.K.’s largest educational trade union

consists of around 450,000 teachers and other staff working in education

Campaigning for better wages protesting against funding cuts and moderating workload

Question 11

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Answer 11

The campaign for nuclear disarmament is an example of a cause pressure group

Campaigning to take action for peace in North Korea

Non-violent campaigns such as petitions and protests et cetera to get rid of nuclear weapons of mass destruction in order to create genuine security for future generations

Question 12

Mencap

Answer 12

Mencap is an example of a cause pressure group

Anyone can become a member concerned with learning disabilities they should be valued equally listen to and included provide support for those with learning disabilities and their families wants to raise awareness and change societies attitudes towards learning disabilities methods include donations volunteering campaigning against cuts the vital services and support for the disabled protecting day centres

Question 13

others types of pressure group

Answer 13

insider

outsider

Some groups move from being insider to outsider pressure groups and vice versa due to changing political circumstances

for example when labour was in government trade unions had privileged access to government and influence within the political system, but when Thatcher was elected in 1979 the unions were shut out and excluded, thus becoming outsider pressure groups

Question 14

insider pressure groups

Answer 14

Have access to the government via ministers and civil servants — often consulted by the government on policy issues and sometimes given the opportunity to offer their views on draft legislation

tend to have lower profiles rather than seeking publicity they negotiate quietly behind the scenes using private contacts in Whitehall

Mainstream goals that tend to be in line with government views which increases the leverage and influence

Strong leadership

Example British Medical Association BMA or the National union of farmers both of which have close links with the relevant government departments

Question 15

outsider pressure groups

Answer 15

limited or no access to the government — not consulted on draft legislation or policy issues like insider groups are

tend to have much Higher profiles and seek publicity as they need to raise awareness so the government will listen

Typically radical not mainstream goals — often means that the government is unlikely to cooperate with them e.g. animal rights protesters who try to intimidate animal testing labs to cease their work

Strong grass roots membership

Example Greenpeace or occupy protesting capitalism

Question 16

pressure groups methods: strategies and methods used to influence people and gain support

Answer 16

Protest marches and demonstrations

petitions

posters leaflets and websites to inform people

writing letters to government briefing them on issues of concern

speeches

lobbying MPs

social media

strikes

boycotts

direct action — can be illegal and violent, may include publicity stunts, hunger strikes, etc

giving grants money to parties

taking government to court

Give evidence to committees for example lawyers did this on behalf of the group liberty in order to put their views on counterterrorism policies across

Question 17

what are pressure group methods determined by?

Answer 17

The methods used by various pressure groups are determined largely by resources available and the group’s status

Question 18

example of a petition

Answer 18

In 2016 the 38° group collected over 321,000 online signatures helping to persuade the government not to privatise the land registry

Question 19

examples of direct action

Answer 19

In 2016 members of black lives matter obstructed flights at London city airport to draw attention to the claim that ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by pollution

Direct action could often be illegal and violent for example 2010 tuition fee demonstrations involved many being arrested and prosecuted for disorderly conduct

Question 20

example of taking the government to court

Answer 20

The countryside alliance took the government to court against the banning of foxhunting

took the case to the High Court in 2004

Question 21

how do the methods of insider and outsider groups differ?

Answer 21

Insider groups tend to negotiate quietly behind the scenes using their contacts in Whitehall

the government sometimes consults insider groups and they may even be given opportunities to offer their views on certain bills e.g. National farmers union is able to gain influence over policy by offering the government their specialised knowledge in return

some use a combination of both methods for example BMA is an insider group but also planned to support strikes in 2016 which is an outsider tactic

Outsider groups tend to use less discreet methods to draw attention and gain publicity as they lack contacts within the government and have limited access to those in power

Question 22

factors influencing the success of a pressure group

Answer 22

Wealth and resources

Large membership

insider status

Tactics and leadership

public support

celebrity endorsement

Success could be simply winning publicity for an issue or actually changing government policy

Question 23

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: WEALTH AND RESOURCES

Answer 23

wealth enables the group to have access to a wider range of resources

This means they can run offices, pay permanent staff, organise publicity as well as fund campaigns and advertisements

example = RSPCA

Question 24

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: LARGE MEMBERSHIP

Answer 24

members Pay subscriptions so having a large membership provides the group with more financial resources to run offices, pay permanent staff, organise publicity and fund campaigns

large membership also Shows and persuade the government that the group represents a significant section of public opinion and should be taken seriously and listened to

enables More effective demonstrations, protests and marches that are harder for the government to ignore

Question 25

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: LARGE MEMBERSHIP

(examples)

Answer 25

Example RSPCA employs around 1600 people and is supported by thousands of volunteers this means they can afford to take out full-page ads in national newspapers to raise awareness and further support

However large membership does not always guarantee the success of a pressure group — the campaign for nuclear disarmament had 110,000 members in the mid 1980s very large membership yet the government could ignore the large demonstrations as it could rely on the passiveness of the majority of the public suggesting that large membership does not always lead to the success of a pressure group

Question 26

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: INSIDER STATUS

Answer 26

Insider groups have better access to the government through contacts with government ministers and civil servants, better access to government means it is easier for them to get the governments attention and push their aims, allows them to have far more influence

do not have to spend time protesting and raising awareness as they already have insider contacts

The government will listen to groups who they rely on for specialist knowledge of a policy area and with whose agenda they can see common ground

For example the National farmers union successfully helped bring about the badger cull in 2013 as they spoke to ministers directly and gave specialist information regarding the dangers of badgers spreading tuberculosis to cattle, spreading tuberculosis to cattle successful in 2013 and if you spoke to ministers directly they have strong links to DEFRA — instrumental in bringing about the 2013 badger Cull

Question 27

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: STRONG TACTICS AND LEADERSHIP

Answer 27

having Experienced and capable leadership is vital as it means that the group is more likely to be taken seriously

a strong leader enables better organisation and tactics

Tactic knowing where the group can apply pressure in the political system

Example the RSPCA showed strong leadership and tactics when they played a key role in securing the ban on fox hunting with dogs in 2004 by collaborating with two similar groups, meaning that the groups were not competing with each other and were instead showing a more united front, allowing them to put pressure on the government together, collaborated with the league against cruel sports and the international fund for animal welfare

Question 28

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: PUBLIC SUPPORT

Answer 28

public support Gives more publicity to pressure group campaigns and helps inform others in order to raise further awareness

pressure groups reflecting public opinion are more likely to be successful as the government is more likely to listen and take them seriously with the backing of the public, who they rely on for votes in order to secure elections

If an issue does not have public support then the government tends to be unwilling to take action and vice versa alienating the public will therefore decrease chances of success favourable media coverage can also attract public support

Example the snowdrop campaign was established following the Dunblane primary school massacre of 1996, the public was outraged with the events and heavily supported the campaign, leading to the successful ban on the use of handguns

successful due to public reaction to the 1996 Dunblane primary school massacre had favourable media coverage which gained huge public support

Question 29

factors influencing the success of a pressure group: CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT

Answer 29

if well known celebrity supports the group then it can raise huge publicity and awareness to their campaigns

Raises awareness of the campaign if a well-known celebrity is involved

if the celebrity is trusted and well-liked that it is more likely that public will trust their opinions and also support the group

For example, Joanna Lumley’s support for the retired Gurkha soldiers played an important role in overturning the government ban on their right to live and settle in the UK

Question 30

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group

Answer 30

Cheque-book membership — People may join a group for the material benefits and so be less likely to get involved in a campaign

slacktivism — People may be willing to click like will forward it on line post but they may Have no more than a superficial engagement with the issue making them less committed to the campaign

small membership — Limited numbers can make it difficult to organise effective public demonstrations, raise funds for campaigns or gain valuable media attention

outsider status — Being an outsider can make it much more challenging for a group to get access to the people in power and persuade them to support their cause

The absence of wealth resources large membership insider status tactics and leadership public support and celebrity endorsement may make it difficult for a pressure group to succeed

Question 31

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group: GOAL CONTRADICTS GOVERNMENT POLICY

Answer 31

The goal contradicts the government policy if the government is determined to follow a particular policy then it will be very difficult for a pressure group to persuade the government to change its mind

very difficult for a pressure group to persuade the government to change its mind on a policy issue when the government is determined on following a particular route

Example the Conservative government 2015 is determined to introduce new policies for a seven day NHS, therefore the BMA campaign against the proposals has largely failed because it directly contradicts a government policy

Question 32

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group: GOVERNMENT CAN RESIST PRESSURE FROM THE GROUP

Answer 32

a large government majority allows the government to resist pressures from the group and effectively ignore it

The government can ignore pressure from the group if there is a power the strong enough position they will feel able to resist the groups can pay and effectively ignore it

The stop the War coalition organised mass rallies and protests to stop the invasion of Iraq in 2003 however with a large majority and cross-party support in parliament the Blair government was able to resist the pressure and ignore the groups demands

Question 33

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group: COUNTERVAILING FORCES

Answer 33

Countervailing forces — a pressure group may find it self campaigning against another more powerful and more popular pressure groups which win the debate

pressure groups may fail when having to compete against other, more powerful groups

The pro smoking group Forrest has failed to prevent restrictions on smoking in the UK largely because it has lost out to the group ASH which has successfully campaigned for restrictions on smoking

Question 34

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group: ACTING AGAINST POPULAR OPINION

Answer 34

The goals of the group act against popular opinion — the group is more likely to fail if it is campaigning for a cause that is not popular with the public as governments will be more inclined to follow popular feelings on the issue

a group acting against public opinion is at risk of alienating them and losing support, having little support from the public may cause a group to fail as the government are more inclined to follow the will of the majority

a group alienating the public through the use of illegal and violent methods makes itself unpopular and tends to be regarded unfavourably and the government cannot be seen to be giving in to violent groups

Groups such as the coalition for marriage failed in their campaign against the legal recognition of gay marriage because most public opinion was in favour of it, the group was therefore campaigning against the change that had public support

Question 35

factors influencing the failure/limited success of a pressure group: ALIENATES THE PUBLIC

Answer 35

The group alienates the public — a group may make itself on popular by committing acts that alienate public opinion group that partakes in violent or criminal action will be regarded on favourably a loose support for its goals

Violent groups such as ALS and PETA fail to achieve their goals because the public are opposed to their methods even if they might support the causes the same can be true of strike action if the public begins to blame the trade unions for the disruption caused

A similar pattern has been seen throughout history with many turning away from the suffragettes cause due to their use of violence and illegal methods

Question 36

CASE STUDY: British Medical Association (BMA)

Answer 36

The British Medical Association BMA is mainly a sectional pressure group protecting and promoting the interests of doctors

however it also acts as a cause group promoting public health

Question 37

CASE STUDY: British Medical Association (BMA)

example of a successful campaign and what led to this success

Answer 37

Successfully banned smoking in cars carrying children

Credibility due to its professional status and ability to provide scientific evidence

Previously had successful Campaigns which showed its influence e.g. 2007 ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces

Resourceful in gaining support from other groups such as asthma UK

originally wanted to ban all smoking in cars and First made its case in 2011 to ban all smoking in cars but changed its focus to cars carrying children when they realised the public viewed it as an unnecessary intrusion to ban all smoking in cars — Demonstrated willingness to be flexible and aim for attainable goals

Appealed to the public, gained widespread support and won over popular opinion as the public wants to protect children from harm

Lobbyed MPs for support including a web-based form for people to fill in and send to MPs — easy for public to participate and get involved, did not alienate the public with violent or illegal means

Made their case to the Lord’s and a Labour peer introduced their amendment to the 2014 children and families bill which was then passed by the Lords and later accepted by the commons, came into force in 2015 — demonstrated its patience and willingness to use the Parliamentary process

Question 38

CASE STUDY: Occupy London

Answer 38

In 2011 protesters occupied the square in front of Saint Pauls Cathedral where they put up tents until they were evicted 4 months later by the High Court

They were protesting corporate greed in London which they held responsible for social inequality

Question 39

CASE STUDY: Occupy London

in what ways was the campaign successful?

Answer 39

They had some success

demonstrations in other cities such as Wall Street New York

gained sympathy when the police cleared the camp

the Coalition governments spending cuts were already being widely condemned for making life harder for the poor

senior clergyman at Saint Pauls resigned in solidarity with the protesters

social media helped bring people together very quickly (tactics)

Question 40

CASE STUDY: Occupy London

in what ways was the campaign a failure?

Answer 40

however, they Failed to achieve long-lasting results due to their outsider status no access to the government

Their aims were too broad and not practical or achievable — hard to see what could’ve been done even if the government was willing to negotiate

Authorities took strong stands

Hostile instead of wanting to achieve positive change, which alienated the public

Question 41

how are pressure groups good for democracy?

Answer 41

Encourages political participation and engagement, Empowers ordinary citizens to participate in and get involved in causes that they are passionate about, Educate people on issues and raises awareness, Gives an alternative way for people to participate in politics if they are disillusioned with the traditional political system

Insures government responsiveness to issues

widens the distribution of political power, groups compete against each other ensures that no group can remain dominant, can hold the government accountable and scrutinise government legislation

Competition and many varying viewpoints advancing pluralist democracy insures competition and debate develops public policy

Gives a voice to minority groups who may otherwise be unrepresented in Parliament

Question 42

how do pressure groups hinder democracy?

Answer 42

Illegitimate power not elected or accountable yet some groups wield significant amounts of power especially if they’re insider groups such as the National farmers union — Arguably such insider groups are too powerful and it is not right that they are able to influence government policy where they are unelected and unaccountable

Exert behind-the-scenes influence hard to hold them to account

Tyranny of the minority

Unfair power tyranny of the majority political inequality between pressure groups

Question 43

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

what is Greenpeace?

Answer 43

an outsider, cause group aiming to protect and conserve the environment, raise awareness to issues such as climate change, eliminate nuclear weapons and promote peace

Greenpeace is an outsider cause Group Greenpeace is an independent environmental organisation it is international and has offices in over 40 countries well the headquarters are based in Amsterdam it was founded in 1971 by 2 environmental activists named Irving and Dorothy stowe

they do not accept funding from the government, corporations or political parties they rely purely on the 2.9 million individual supporters and foundation grants

it focuses on issues such as climate change deforestation overfishing commercial whaling genetic engineering and antinuclear issues

Question 44

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

aims

Answer 44

Change attitudes and behaviour towards environmental issues by raising awareness

protect and conserve the environment

promote peace

addressing the biggest issue the Earth is facing climate change

defending oceans by challenging wasteful and destructive fishing

protecting ancient forests

reducing dependence on finite resources

eliminating nuclear weapons

campaigning for sustainable agriculture

exposing threats to the environment and finding solutions

banning toxic waste exports to LEDCs

Question 45

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

methods

Answer 45

direct action — e.g. in 2017, Greenpeace made its way into the headlines when 4 protestors breached security at Heathrow airport to protest a third runway

ecotage (sabotage carried out for ecological reasons)

lobbying

public education via their magazines and website

petitions

Direct action physically protesting confronting those in power and raising the level of public debate Greenpeace was most recently in the headlights with four protesters breached security at Heathrow Airport to protest a third runway

Lobbying making sure that their campaign demands are clearly heard by politicians pressuring them to respond to these demands and take real action to protect the environment

Investigations to expose issues and raise awareness on them, exposing those responsible for environmental crime and backing claims up with statistics and facts

Public education and awareness via Greenpeace magazine social media the website investigations and much more to gain further support

Demonstrations protests and marches

Boycotts

Question 46

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

examples of campaigns

Answer 46

Forest campaign — aims to protect forests from deforestation with the target of zero deforestation by 2020, accused several corporations including Nike KFC and McDonald’s of having links to the destruction of tropical rainforests which resulted in policy changes in several of the companies under criticism, campaigned for 10 years for the EU to ban the import of illegal timber the EU banned illegal timber in 2010

anti GM campaign Greenpeace campaign severely backfired when they destroyed CSIRO’s biotechnological crop trials the members were convicted of intentionally destroying Commonwealth property and trust passing will give a nine month suspended sentences and made a reparation payments of nearly £300,000 to reinstate the lost experiment

Fit for the future — a campaign for healthy oceans for future generations marine life and the fishing industry to give jobs for millions, works to create and protect clean seas that bring life to the planet, wants to end overfishing and make politicians prove that they are serious about marine protection by ending whaling, set up a global network of oceans sanctuaries and Marine reserves

Save the Arctic — raising awareness to how climate change and oil drilling poses it at extreme threat to this ecosystem Campaigning to protect the fragile Arctic environment and to have a marine sanctuary in the North Pole is international waters asks world leaders to ban oil drilling and destructive fishing in Arctic waters in 2015 Shell quit the Arctic over 7 million people there to expose Shell’s failings and call the company to account at every turn

Question 47

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

successful campaigns

Answer 47

Forest campaign aims to protect forests from deforestation accused several corporations such as like a McDonald’s of having links to the deforestation of the tropical rainforests this resulted in policy changes in several of the companies they also campaign for 10 years for the EU to ban import of legal timber the EU did decide to ban illegal timber in 2010

Microbeads campaign in 2017 the UK government propose the strongest bad on microbeads in the world today microbeads a matter fact with solid plastic particles that pollute the ocean the barn covers biodegradable plastics and that all personal-care and cosmetic products containing micro beads will be off the shelves by June 2018

Question 49

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

unsuccessful campaigns

Answer 49

Auntie GM campaign Greenpeace is campaigns severely backfired when they destroyed CSIRO’s biotechnological crop trials at their scientific research facilities

the members were convicted of intentionally destroying commonwealth property trespassing and were given nine month suspended sentences

Greenpeace had to make a reparation payment of over $200,000 to reinstate the lost experiment, which was money intended by Greenpeace supporters to fund the pursuit of Greenpeace’s aims

Question 51

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

reasons for success

Answer 51

Large membership — they have around 2.9 million individual supporters from around 40 different countries, who are all very passionate about the group, the huge following means protests and marches are very effective and gain a lot of media attention

financial resources — Monthly donations from supporters as well as their subscriptions fees fund Greenpeace this means they can run offices paper will let staff and organise future campaigns

celebrity endorsement from the likes of Madonna and Paul McCartney Hugh Grant Penelope Cruz

public support — Many of the campaigns are supported by the public especially with the growing sense that something immediate needs to be done to tackle climate change and environmental issues

shocking tactics — gain a lot of media attention Which helps to raise awareness to their campaigns

Question 53

CASE STUDY: Greenpeace

reasons for failure

Answer 53

Outsider status — Lack of contact and support from within the government harder to get access to people in power so they often have to resort to very shocking tactics to push their aims and gain attention lack of political support also means that the government can resist pressure from Greenpeace

contradict government policy — It is therefore very difficult for them to persuade the government to change their minds

Often act against the interests of the public The group has some campaigns that are not popular with the public or that the public do not care about

unachievable and impractical goals — Especially goals that are too broad and do not have any specific targets or methods to accomplish these aims

illegal tactics often alienate the public — Many people do not support Greenpeace due to the frequent use of illegal violence at unfavourable tactics less likely to be listened to and taken seriously if they resort to violence they are therefore alienating the public

for example in 2017 Greenpeace activists prevented Volkswagen from unloading cars with diesel engines by taking keys out of the cars

Question 54

pressures groups are good for democracy

PLURALIST POLITICAL SYSTEM

Answer 54

Pressure groups promotes healthy competition and therefore encourages a pluralist system in which multiple political opinions beliefs parties and groups can coexist

In such a system of government makes decisions as a result of competing and contrasting arguments from various groups and organisations

This prevents of elitist system in which a single person or group holds all the power and influence instead pressure groups mean that there is a wide and distribution of political power rather than power being concentrated into one source

Wide range of pressure groups is one of the positive democratic features of the UK

Question 55

pressures groups are good for democracy

CHECK ON GOVERNMENT POWER

Answer 55

Feature of democracy is that government should be held accountable

pressure groups act as a check on government power of the challenge and scrutinise their policy decisions

For example the countryside alliance took the government to the High Court in 2004 against the ban on foxhunting

Question 56

pressures groups are good for democracy

MINORITY REPRESENTATION

Answer 56

Pressure groups give voices to minority groups who are otherwise on represented in the political system as parties tend to appeal to the mass of voters while overlooking the interests of minorities

Pressure groups allow these minorities to exercise their views

It’s difficult for governments to grow pressure groups especially if they have public support large membership which means that they keep the government in touch with the people so minority views cannot be dismissed so easily

This means pressure groups tend to be more affective in articulating concerns about issues such as violence against women and gay rights et cetera which may be overlooked in parliament if they were not represented by pressure groups

Question 57

pressures groups are good for democracy

ENSURE COMPETITION AND DEBATE

Answer 57

Pressure groups help to promote democracy by widening the distribution of political power they do this in part because groups compete against one another this insures that no group or interest can remain dominant Permanently

As pluralists would argue there is no such thing as a power elite, instead as one group becomes influential other groups come into existence to combat them and offer rival viewpoints this is what pluralists called the theory of countervailing power

Trade unions developed in response to the growth of Business power pro abortion groups vie against anti abortion groups And so on

In this way public policy is developed through an ongoing debate between rival groups that insures that political influence is widely and evenly dispersed

Group politics is therefore characterised by a rough balance of power this is the essence of pluralist democracy

Question 58

pressures groups are good for democracy

WIDEN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Answer 58

Participation is an important indicator of health of the democracy in the UK the declining electoral turnout of the full party membership indicates a democratic deficit which is the perceived efficiency of the way democratic system works and participation crisis which is extremely low participation in politics

However this is combated by the growth in the number and size of pressure groups

For example the protests and demonstrations for tuition fees and the Iraq war had huge turnouts

Pressure groups encourage participation and engagement in politics by empowering ordinary citizens to join groups they particularly appeal to younger people who may be disillusioned with conventional politics they can therefore involve themselves in pressure groups that represent abuse that they are passionate about pressure groups give people alternative ways to engage in politics

Increases political participation and engagement particularly in young people who may be disillusioned with conventional politics means people who don’t feel represented by parties can still get involved in politics via pressure groups

The level of political participation is an important indicator of the health of democracy democracy at heart means government by the people if this is the case the declining electoral turnout and steadily falling party membership highlights a major democratic deficit in UK politics

This however is very affectively combated by the growth in the number and size of pressure groups pressure groups have become increasingly effective agents of political participation not only has single issue politics proved to be popular but the grassroots activism and decentralised organisation of many campaigning groups have proved to be attractive to many young people and those who may be disillusioned with conventional politics

Question 59

pressures groups are good for democracy

PROMOTE EDUCATION

Answer 59

Pressure groups educate people on political issues by raising awareness as they focus on specific topics that are usually overlooked by parties they promote political debate and discussion which makes for a better informed electorate which may help participation crisis as one of the reasons why people do not vote seems to be that they are uninformed and don’t feel qualified to make decisions

Without pressure groups there would be a relatively narrow range of political views that was expressed by the government of the day and a small number of major parties

The two-party system created by first past the post means that only a few parties are adequately represented in Parliament and able to wield any influence pressure groups make up for this and allow for more interests to be represented and more information to be available to voters

Promotes political debate discussion argument therefore creating a better informed and educated electorate — improves the quality of public policy

introduce specialist knowledge and greater expertise

Pressure groups promote political debate discussion and argument in doing so they create a better informed and more educated electorate this intern helps to improve the quality of public policy without pressure groups the public and the media would have to rely on a relatively narrow range of political views there was expressed by the government of the day on a small number of major parties pressure groups challenge established views and conventional wisdom they offer alternative viewpoints and why did the information available to the public especially through the access to the mass media and the use of new communications technology such as the Internet

Pressure groups are therefore prepared to speak truth to power in many cases pressure groups raise the quality of political debate by introducing specialist knowledge and greater expertise

Question 60

pressures groups are good for democracy

SUPPLEMENT ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY

Answer 60

Elections only take place every five years according to the fixed term parliament act 2011 this makes it easy for the government to ignore or dismiss public opinion until the next election

Pressure groups make up for this by keeping the government in touch with public opinion between elections they force the government to engage in ongoing dialogue with the people and do not allow them to ignore concerns

Makes up for limitations in democracy insures people can express their views and interests keep the government in touch with public opinion forces them to engage in an ongoing dialogue with people so the views could not be ignored gives a political voice to minority groups raising awareness on issues that are often overlooked, parties have policies in order to appeal to the mass of voters whereas pressure groups focus on issues such as the environment abortion global poverty et cetera which are often overlooked by parties — supplements democracy

Pluralists often highlight the advantages of group representation over representation through elections and political parties pressure groups may either Supplement electoral democracy making up for it defects are limitations or they may have replaced political parties of the main way in which people express their views and interests

Pressure groups keep government in touch with public opinion between elections one of the weaknesses of elections is they only take place every few years by contrast pressure groups force the government to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the people in which the interests of the use of the various sections of society cannot be ignored

Pressure groups give a political voice to minority groups and articulate concerns that are overlooked by political parties — Elections at best determine the general direction of government policy with parties being anxious to develop policies that appeal to the mass of voters in order to secure an election pressure groups are therefore often more affective in articulating concerns about issues such as the environment civil liberties global poverty abortion violence against women and the plight of the elderly

Question 62

pressures groups are bad for democracy

EXERCISE ILLEGITIMATE POWER

Answer 62

Pressure groups have in legitimate power as they are elected mayor for accountable the power they have is not democratically legitimate

It may be problematic that these are elected forces can have such a huge influence over the elected legislative legislative body of Parliament pressure groups can therefore be seen to be undermining parliamentary sovereignty

Insider groups in particular may be too powerful and exert behind-the-scenes influence that cannot be scrutinised policy is increasingly being made through deals between the executive and influential groups this renders elected MPs unable to have their say as the House of Commons do not get to discuss these hidden forms of influence

Pressure group leaders are not elected they are therefore not publicly accountable and influence they exert is not democratically legitimate very few pressure groups are internally democratic

exert Behind the scenes influence pressure group influence is exerted in a way that makes it unable to be scrutinised or be made accountable especially insider groups who influence the government without being seen by the public and the media (unaccountable power) — diminishes Parliament and undermines Parliamentary sovereignty

On what basis the pressure groups exert influence critics have questioned why the pressure groups exercise right for legitimate power in any circumstances this is because unlike conventional politicians pressure group leaders have not been elected pressure groups are therefore not publicly accountable meaning that the influence they exert is not democratically legitimate

This problem is compounded by the fact that very few pressure groups operate on the basis of internal democracy leaders are very rarely elected by the members and when they are as in the case of trade unions this is often on the basis of very low turnouts

Indeed there has been a growing trend for pressure groups to be dominated by a small number of senior professionals some pressure group leaders made fact be little more than self appointed political spokespeople

Behind-the-scenes influence regardless of which groups are most powerful pressure group influence is exerted in a way that is not subject to scrutiny and public accountability pressure groups usually exert influence behind close doors this particularly applies in the case of insider groups whose representatives stalk the corridors of power unseen by the public and away from media scrutiny

No one knows apart from occasional leaks who has said what to whom or who influenced whom and how this is unaccountable power not only does this contrast sharply with the workings of representative bodies such as Parliament but it also diminishes Parliament and undermines Parliamentary democracy

Insider links between groups and the executive bypass Parliament rendering elected MPs impotent as policy is increasingly made through deals between government and influential groups that the House of Commons does not get to discuss

Question 63

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

what is the National Education Union?

Answer 63

The National education union is an outsider sectional pressure group

The National education union was formally known as the National union of teachers which is a member of the trade unions Congress

In 2017 the National union of teachers merged with the Association of teachers and lecturers to form a new union known as the National education union

it is a trade union for school teachers in England and Wales

Members must be qualified teachers, teachers in training or support staff and the national education union has around 500,000 members making it the largest teachers union in the UK

campaigns on educational issues and working conditions for its members

Question 64

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

aims

Answer 64

Achieving fair pay for teachers

creating a balance between work and general life for teachers

reducing the excessive workload of teachers e.g. through smaller class sizes

campaigning against academies (state funded schools directly funded by the Department for education and independent of local authority control do not have to follow the national curriculum)

Abolishing national curriculum tests Satz at primary level

Creating a union for all teachers

Stopping cuts to school funding there have been cuts of around £2.8 billion since 2015

campaigning for All children to have an equal access to schools and education

Question 65

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

methods

Answer 65

Lobbying making sure that the campaign demands are clearly held by politicians pressuring them to respond to these demands and take real action

Public education and awareness via social media and the website

Speeches and seminars across schools colleges around 1000 workplaces in the UK

Petitions

Obtaining key statistics to use as evidence to back up discussions with policymakers e.g. the workload track are used to give insights into most pressing areas of workload to tackle

Protest marches and rallies outside Parliament demonstrations and strikes — e.g. Marches to the department of education to hand in letters to the Secretary of State

Question 66

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

examples of campaigns

Answer 66

School teachers pay — wants to eliminate inequality and discrimination in teachers pay, increase the amount that teachers are paid for the huge amount of crucial work that they do, aims to stop government ending fixed payscales imposing PRP on all teachers and giving schools ever increasing powers over pay

Abolishing SATs more than a score campaign wants to replace SATs with a new form of assessment that supports children in their learning and identifies learning needs, aim is to get rid of primary school assessments SATs as they are huge pressure on children and schools they harm children’s learning and well-being over 2300 members responded to a survey on this issue in 2017 results showed the damaging impact the SATs is having on teachers schools and children especially due to the funding crisis and the huge workload generated by the SATs it means that many children do not get to experience a balanced education and are without the skills and experience they need to prepare for the future

Question 67

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

successful campaigns

Answer 67

Established to financial service companies for teachers and the teachers assurance in 1877 and the teachers building society in 1966

In 1896 for teachers were sacked for not starting work at 7:55 am they then organise a strike in Portsmouth and eventually managed to have these teachers reinstated

National union of teachers 1907 West Ham strike council became a very antiunion one rejecting to acknowledge the NUT who then began to strike which force the council to acknowledge the union and settle an agreement with them

Question 68

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

unsuccessful campaigns

Answer 68

Teacher pensions when the government announced a pension increase in 2015 the NUT protested this as it would lead to an increase in CPI inflation in the end they were not able to successfully combat this government measure

Question 69

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

reasons for success

Answer 69

Large membership support they are The largest teachers union in the UK with around 500,000 members who are all very passionate and supportive of the groups aims

Public support many of the campaigns are supported by the public because the group tackles issues that affect them and their children they raise a lot of support through their public demonstrations

Political support this makes it very hard for the government to resist pressure from them

Little countervailing forces they are the largest teachers union and have merged with others in order to get everyone’s views across and so they are not in competition with one another

Question 70

CASE STUDY: National Education Union

reasons for failure

Answer 70

Often contradict government policy it is therefore very difficult for them to persuade the government to change their minds for example regarding pay rises

Impractical or on achievable goals especially girls that are too broad and do not have any specific targets or methods to accomplish these aims many of the issues and methods would take years and years to tackle and implement

Methods that alienate the public strikes often cause disruptions and unfavourable the public dislike these types of actions and this makes the group less popular

Outsider status they may be a trade union but they are an outsider pressure group which means it’s more challenging to get access to people in power so that aims are listening to the only consulted by the government after they have put on strikes and protests they are not consulted about passing laws that will affect them

Question 71

pressures groups are bad for democracy

LEAD TO TYRANNY OF THE MINORITY

Answer 71

Pressure groups represent minority views which can create tyranny of the minority in which my daughter views and interests may prevail at the expense of the majority this is because as pressure groups become more powerful the government may find it harder to serve the public interest and do what is best for society as a whole

Minority views and interests may prevail at the expense of the interests of the majority and larger public

as pressure groups become more powerful the government may find it harder to serve the public interest and do what is best for society as a whole

most extreme when direct action is used to achieve aims (strikes blockades intimidation and violence, working outside the legal and democratic process)

Pressure groups by their very nature represent minorities rather than a majority is for pluralists this is one of their strengths pressure groups help to prevent a Tyranny of the majority that is perhaps one of the inevitable features of electoral democracy however pressure groups may create the opposite problem minority views or special interests may prevail at the expense of the interests of the majority of the larger public therefore as pressure groups become more powerful elected governments may find it more difficult to serve the public interest and do what is best for society as a whole

This problem of the tyranny of the minority is most extreme when pressure groups use direct action to achieve their objectives through the use of strikes blockades and even intimidation and violence

pressure groups in affect hold the country to ransom

once pressure groups start to operate outside the established legal and constitutional framework they are also operating outside and arguably against the democratic process

Question 72

pressures groups are bad for democracy

INCREASE POLITICAL INEQUALITY

Answer 72

Pressure groups further political inequality as they empower those who are already powerful the most powerful pressure groups are the ones with the most money and the privilege links to government this essentially strengthens the voice of the wealthy and privileged by giving them special influence over the government they tend to further their own interests rather than serving the interests of the public and may be excluding sections of society like the homeless or the mentally ill

Empower the already powerful the most powerful pressure groups are the ones with the most money and privileged links to government strengthens the voice of the wealthy and privileged giving them special influence over the government regarding their interests

may therefore be excluding large sections of society e.g. children homeless elderly mentally ill asylum seekers

The central argument against the pluralist image of Group politics is that far from dispersing power more widely and empowering ordinary citizens pressure groups tend to empower the already powerful

They therefore increase rather than reduce political inequality pluralists argue that political inequality is broadly Democratic is that the most successful groups tend to be the ones with large membership and which enjoy wide and possibly intense public support but this is very difficult to sustain in practice the most powerful pressure groups tend to be the ones that possessed money expertise institutional leverage and privileged links to government

Some pressure groups are much more powerful than others for instance the influence of major corporations cannot in most cases we compared with the influence exerted by a trade union, a charity or an environmental group

Pressure groups therefore strengthen the voice of the wealthy and privileged giving those who have access to financial education of organisational and other resources special influence over the government

There are significant and sometimes large sections of society that are affectively excluded from the pressure group universe this is usually because they are difficult or impossible to organise and so must at best rely on others to protect them examples of such groups include children asylum seekers the homeless the elderly and the mentally ill

Question 73

pressures groups are bad for democracy

ILLEGAL METHODS

Answer 73

Pressure groups often operate outside established legal and constitutional framework which is also arguably acting outside of the democratic process

examples of illegal methods used by pressure groups include Greenpeace