pressure groups/think tanks undermine democracy

Question 1

mobilising citizenry

Answer 1

-without democratic participation,politics is dominated by a small strata of society
-pressure groups mobilise the citizenry, these provide an opportunity for people to be engaged without committing to a party,1% of the electorate belongs to a party
-campaigns by groups such as extinction rebellion make government more responsive to the general will of the people
-pressure groups are adept to using social media to educate the public too e.g. Big Brother Watch’s campaign concerning the Coronavirus Act 2020

Question 2

mobilising citizenry evaluation

Answer 2

Professor Bailey notes that pressure groups can have a varied impact on participation,‘low level’, ‘medium level’ or ‘high level’ engagement.Some participation doesn’t really equate to a level of democratic engagement that is likely to influence politics.The Guardian newspaper noted that the Investigatory
Powers Act 2016 became law ‘with a whimper’ despite the concerns of online civil liberties activists.It turns out tweeting about the ‘snooper’s charter’ doesn’t discourage the government,particularly
if public opinion is not receptive to the PG’s aims.

Question 3

defence of liberal democracy

Answer 3

-pressure groups play a key role in protecting civil liberties,most important in the UK being Liberty
-liberty uses judicial review to rule executive actions ultra vires, in 2022 Liberty challenged the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 for going against HRA 1998
-PIL helped Catherine Reilly with her poundland case legal fees challenging the governments actions

Question 4

liberal democracy evaluation

Answer 4

Many pressure groups oppose many elements of liberal democracy. LIFE, the pro-life pressure group, opposes reproductive rights for women. And the English Defence League has been widely described as an “Islamophobic” organisation. Hence, we shouldn’t simply assume that pressure groups are universally in favour of expanding liberal democracy. Some expressly oppose elements of it.

Question 5

limited internal democracy in pressure groups

Answer 5

-elections for trade union leadership have low levels of participation,only 9% of unite members took part in the elections of Sharon Graham 2021
-she only gained a plurality (mandate of 3% of unites members) she pushes a democratic socialist agenda, whereas the majority of unite members seek better professional conditions rather than ideological socialism

Question 6

internal democracy evaluation

Answer 6

First, unions are democratic organisations and Graham does hold a mandate (however minimal). Second, trade unions have been the traditional vehicle by which the working classes assert their collective strength to ensure improved economic and professional conditions. They represent the interest of the workers, and in so doing they enhance democracy in the UK, particularly for the low-paid in insecure work.

Question 7

elitist democracy

Answer 7

-insider establishment pressure groups work with politicians closely,establishing links internally
-there is also a strong link between thinktanks and corporate interests, many thinktanks are funded wholly by corporations e.g. Adam Smith Institute
-outsider pressure groups e.g. extinction rebellion see the government legislate against them e.g. Patel’s anti protest act

Question 8

elitist democracy evaluation

Answer 8

-pressure groups balance the power of parties in the UK ensuring they don’t hold a monopoly on power
-they finance parties to ensure influence over policy, and lobby to initiate legislation e.g. stonewalls lobbying of cameron led to same sex couples act 2013