Pressure Groups Examples

Question 1

Sectional V Causal PGs

Answer 1

Sectional: Represents the interests of a section of society e.g. unions like National Education Union

Causal: Promotes specific causes or values e.g. Greenpeace or Amnesty International

Question 2

Insider V Outsider PGs

Answer 2

Insider: Have government links so are able to lobby and influence policy e.g. NFU (National Farmers Union)

Outsider: Don’t have links to government so rely on public support and direct action e.g. Extinction Rebellion, an environmental protest group whose April 2019 London protests were swiftly followed by MPs approving a motion to declare a a climate emergency in May

Question 3

NFU Lobbying

Answer 3

2023 - Successfully lobbied against government policy to require large businesses disclose their food waste numbers

2013 - Badger culling policy promoted by them approved by government

Question 4

NEU 2023 Strikes

Answer 4

• Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 required a 50% vote for strikes to go ahead, NEU attained 53%
• Effectively improved teacher pay in line with inflation through strike action
• Secured a pay rise of 6.5%

Question 5

Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance

Answer 5

• Formed 2009 to defend wrongfully convicted post workers due to faulty IT system Horizon
• Attempted lobbying but was unsuccessful, with Davey (who was Postal Affairs Minister during the convictions) refusing to meet with JFSA leader in 2010 and James Arbuthnot openly criticised the post office to no avail in 2015
• Judiciary eventually sided with the subpostmasters, winning a court case in 2019
• Media impact: issue was popularised in an ITV drama (‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’) in 2024 and the government passed policy to quash convictions

Question 6

Think Tanks

Answer 6

Fabian Society
- Democratic Socialist, historically had large influence on Labour
- 2000 Tax Commission influenced Labour’s policy e.g. National Insurance rise to add £8 bil for NHS

Adam Smith Foundation
- Neoliberal, influenced Thatcherism as they published various reports on deregulation, privatisation and proposed the introduction of a poll tax successfully
- Campaigned to reverse fracking ban 2019