UK Democracy & Participation Flashcards
What is a Pressure Group ?
A group who tries to influence an area of government in an effort to get change
Who do Pressure Groups influence ?
- PM
- MP
- MEP
- Local Councillors
- Members of HOL
What is an Access Point ?
A person who has direct influence in government which is of access to the public (MP)
What are the types of Pressure Groups ?
Insider & Outsider Groups
Insider Pressure Groups ?
Groups that have direct access to to parliament
Eg. Doctors or Teachers
Outsider Pressure Groups ?
General public groups that have little access points to parliament so often get ignored by the government
What are examples of Pressure Group access points ?
- Ministers
- Parliament
- Devolved Assemblies
- Courts
- EU
Are Pressure Groups good for Democracy ?
YES
Pluralist - Allow public to have views heard
NO
Elitist - Allow those with money to be heard first
NO
Stop Gov - Hampering elected government
Examples of Pressure Groups ?
SNOWDROP - Aimed to ban handguns after Dunblane school shooting in Scotland (1996)
IRATE - Ilkley residents against Big Tesco
What is a Lobbyist ?
Someone paid by clients to seek influence over government or parliament on their behalf
What is Lobbying ?
Process of gaining influence over politics due to personal interest
Methods of Lobbying ?
- Paying MPs to ask questions
- Hiring people with Government links
- Taking ministers out for food
Positives of Lobbying ?
- Can change conversation in commons for the better
- Generates 2B to economy
- Build relations with politicians
Negatives of Lobbying ?
- Largely for profit
- Allows wealthy to have a large influence
- Expensive
- Business opportunity
Examples of Lobbying ?
- Fixed Odds Betting Terminals - Tracy Crouch lowered cap on individual stakes from £100
- BskyB - Jeremy Hunt’s advisor and a french lobbyist were exchanging emails hoping Hunt would make an £8B bid
- Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon - Mark Shorrock lobbied David Cameron to use build money to fund his project
