Pressure Groups

Question 1

Briefly name all 8 of the success factors of a pressure group

Answer 1

Philosophy
Size
Finance
Organisation
Opposition groups
Insider status
Celebrity involvement
Public support

Question 2

Why may finance play a really important role in the success of a pressure group

Answer 2

If a pressure group has money, they can afford to campaign and employ people who understand what they are doing and have good connections
Also the pressure group can make donations to political parties

Question 3

How can a celebrity help a pressure group

Give an example

Answer 3

They can heighten the media and public profile of a campaign

Elton John and AIDS

Question 4

Why is public support important

Give an example

Answer 4

The government will look at how much electoral damage could be done if they are to refuse a policy

Pressure group ‘38 degrees’ gained half a million signatures in a few days. Led to the coalition gov reversing its plans to privatise England’s forests

Question 5

Name an example where public support had no effect

Answer 5

The ‘stop the war’ campaign was the largest campaign ever seen in the UK but had no impact on Blair’s decision to go to war in Iraq

Question 6

Why is organisation important to a pressure group

Answer 6

Helps groups to mobilise their resources effectively and to take concerted action

Question 7

How have countervailing groups led to the failure of pressure groups in the past, examples

Answer 7

The group action on smoking was unsuccessful throughout the 1980s and 90s due to the very powerful well funded tobacco lobby which funded the conservatives

Question 8

Why is it that insider group sometimes have more success than outsider groups

Answer 8

Insider groups have ongoing contact with the government and government relies on them for information and support

Question 9

What is meant by an ideological outsider

Answer 9

When the groups goals clash fundamentally with the govt

Therefore groups philosophy is important

Question 10

Why is size important in a pressure group

Give an example

Answer 10

• more members means more voters, govt will listen to them so to avoid a loss on elections
• more members is more subscriptions and donations=more wealth
• can organise campaigns and protests

NSPCC and RSPB have members above 1 million

Question 11

What are some of the most effective campaign methods

Answer 11

Protests- bring it into public eye, media coverage, more public awareness
Lobby MPs/Petitions- direct route to government- where the change occurs

Question 12

Least effective methods

Answer 12

Stunts- ie fathers for justice climbed onto Buckingham palace balcony- makes the group look disruptive/ non professional

Question 13

Describe a sectional pressure groups

Answer 13

Represent the issues of a SECTION of society
Members usually hope to gain PERSONAL BENEFIT
An example includes trade unions- rewards members by having access to their lawyers

Question 14

Describe cause pressure groups

Answer 14

Concerned with moral, political, social, ethical or spiritual causes
Membership is open to anyone, members do not gain anything personally
Example is friends of the earth

Question 15

Describe outsider pressure groups

Answer 15

Have little influence
Negative public presence
Outside of Mainstream politics
Poorly organised

Question 16

Why did trade unions lose their insider status between the 70s-90s

Answer 16

Thatcher passed anti trade union legislation

Question 17

Why did friends of the earth go from outsider to insider status in the 2000s

Answer 17

More exposure on the environment in the 2000s as now people take global warming seriously

Question 18

Describe insider groups

Answer 18

Close links with government

Governments need their backing and cooperation

Question 19

What factors play a role in why some groups are insider and other are outsider pressure groups

Answer 19

• political compatibility with government
• if they are a credible threat to power
• mobilisation of public support
• authority of leading figures

Question 20

“Credible threat to power”

Give an example of where this was the case

Answer 20

Age concern= main demographic is 70+

These are core conservative government voters so conservatives will want to appease this group

Question 21

What are the three types of insiders

Answer 21

• core insiders-close relationship with ministers
• specialist insiders-offer expertise
• peripheral insiders- often consulted but have little political influence

Question 22

What is a think tank

Answer 22

A small group of experts hired by political parties to come up with new ideas/policies and conduct research

Question 23

What is a client pressure group

Answer 23

Have close relationships with government departments

They sit on advisory panels

Question 24

How are parties and pressure groups different

Answer 24

Pressure groups focus on one specific issues, whereas parties focus on a range of issues
Pressure groups organised to fight campaigns, parties organised to fight elections
PGS if successful have no further reason to exist, parties if successful will grow and have a long term future

Question 25

What are the functions of pressure groups

Answer 25

• encourage political participation between elections
• representation
• public education
• scrutiny of government policy

Question 26

How are pressure groups sometimes damaging to democracy

Answer 26

When methods are militant and disobedient, it presents political participation to be damaging and intimidating

Question 27

3 reasons why pressure groups are damaging to democracy

Answer 27

• not representative of their members as their officers are not elected (few groups have ways of consulting their members)
• the way that some groups operate increases social discontent by intensifying social frustration and injustice felt by disadvantaged
• large scale demonstrations are militant and show people that political participation is intimidating

Question 28

3 ways pressure groups add to democracy

Answer 28

• gives people hope that they can make a difference- the ruling class would rather people focus on this hope rather than issues of the political system (ie hoL reform)
• pressure groups improve the quality of government - consultation improves the quality of the decision making process
• enable new concerns and issues to reach political agenda, thereby facilitating social progress