pressure groups - case studies

Question 1

Case study - national farmers union (NFU)

Answer 1

• NFU is an insider, sectional group that works to protect the interests of UK farmers

Question 2

NFU - Campaign against bTB

Answer 2

• the NFU led a campaign against bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which involves killing the badgers which pass the disease on to the cattle
• NFU argued that bTB is I credibly harmful to farmer and it means that tens of thousands of cattle have to be illegal every year
• bTB has been harmful and costs the UK economy 100mill every year

Question 3

NFU - methods and outcomes

Answer 3

• insider contacts at the department for environment, food and rural affairs
• DEFRA supported the cull and so as trail of the cull went ahead in 2012 and 2013
• this was dispute lots of public opposition
• other pressure groups opposed the cull, led by the badger trust
• this shows the importance of insider access

Question 4

Case study - Occupy London

Answer 4

• and outsider, promotional group that protested the City of London financial institutions and their greed in 2011 and’s 2012

Question 5

Occupy London - campaign

Answer 5

• the Occupy London movement protested against corporate greed and social inequality
• was part of a global set of protests for the same cause
• camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral and occupied squares and abandoned buildings around London
• The group campaigned for a variety of causes (climate change, tax cuts and bank bail-outs)

Question 6

Occupy London - outcome

Answer 6

• the group was able to bring attention to their cause, but unable to achieve a long term impact (many say its because they had no clear goal)
• group didn’t have access to decision-makers, and so could only influence by doing public demonstrations or raise aweness
• city of London corporation only complied with one demand