Pressure Groups

Pressure Groups

Types of Pressure Groups

• Sectional: Groups that represent a section of society. They are interested in the interets of the group and have narrow goals..
• EXAMPLES: National Union of Teachers, Confederation of British Industry.
• AD: Seen to be represent a particular occupation making it more likey for the gov to take thwir view point seriously.
• DIS AD: Can be seen as only being concerned with their own interest and not how it may impact others
• Cause/ Promotion: These groups are only concerned with a cause or an issue threy are open to all members of the community and belif that their cause or issue will benefit the community.
• EXAMPLES: Greenpeace, Child Poverty Action Group, Liberty
• AD: may be able to raise significant funds from sympathetic individuals, may be able to put direct pressure on parliament and local government dept
• DIS AD: cause may seem of little importance dif it does no concern people and especially if it is extreme.
• Insider: They have special connections with the government and Parliament. Have direct action to policy development as they are often consulted.
• EXAMPLES: National farmer union, RSPCA, NSPCC
• AD: they can exert considerable infuelnce in the furtherance of their aims.
• DIS AD: Because they are so close to the gov they are excluded from more public interests
• Outsider: No access to gov they tend to seek more mobile public support and often use direct action such as publicity stunts or civil disobedience. They seek meida cazmpaigns. Use petitions often. Seek social media and network to build up support
• EXAMPLES: Greenpeace, Plane Stupid
• AD: they dont have any gov consrains so they can take direct action and do not have to limit or sugarcoat what they want to say.
• DIS AD:

Difference between pressure and party

• Main distinction between pressure groups and parties
• Parties seek gov power, pressure groups do not
• Parties dev policies across a full range of gov business eg manifestos, pressures normaly have narrow goals
• parties helf themselves accontable, pressure do not
• Parties have formal organisation, pressure groups often lose that
• Unclear distinction
• Parties may put candidates up for elction in order to publicise their goals not to seek power but influence
• pressure groups dev wide ranges of policies eg trade unions
• Pressure groups chanzge into parties there may be transitional grops like the Green party and UKIP
• Some pressure groups have close associaiton with parties eg trade unions and Labour

Range of pressure groups

• Pressure Group activity
• Petitions, Letters and local lobbying. To exert local pressure and to achive local support, eg the cycling campagin for oxford
• Ads and use of media. publicise cause or work of pressure group. the british union for the aboltion of vivisection.
• Uses of court, challenging the ledgality of the gov polivy or law, Animal AId
• Planned violence; bombs and assassination, extremist targetting what seems to be the problem, Animal Liberation Front
• Violent demos, obtain publicity and media coverage, Hunt saboteus Association
• Strikes, to get attention of the problems raised eg junior docters underpayed and over worked, NUT
• DIRECT ACTION: Protest marches, boycotts, publicity stunts, blockades and property damage.

Pluralism vs Elitism

• Pluralism
• A description of a society or political system which suggests that there are many grodups belifs cultures and lifestyes which flourish together and are recognised and toflerated
• Separation of power in the political system= devolution
• culture relativist
• Equal treatment of all groups
• Pressure groups:
• disperse power
• make sure many groups can exert power
• protect the interest groups
• balance power and centralise gov
• Elitism
• Suggests that power poitical social or economic resides in the hands of the small number of people often known as elites
• small political paties or number of individuals who hod the most power
• most groups are denied power or influence
• Pressure Groups:
• pressure groups may concentrate powe to a few individuals
• infuential insider groups may want more power in gov
• may be led by un accojntable elites
• sme groups may hold a disproportianate amount of power

Why are pressure groups becoming more important

• Memberships with a politikcal party is declining
• people are more dinformed and therefore cna bed more activly involved in political and social issues
• the dinterent and socialz media campaigns
• the number of pressure groups and the numbe rof their members has increased
• society has become more pluralistic andf fragmented int groups with special interets
• growing affulence dmeans that the populaiton have more intrests in the demand of the political system
• the political system is now more accessible to group activity and politicians are more sensitive to the dpublics opinoin

What affects success and failure?

• Success
• Rescources, anti fox hunting legislation was successfuully watered down in 2004
• insider satus, anti smoking legislation
• tactics save englands forests 2010 owned forests declined to be sold
• Sharing the same agednda as the governemnt
• Lack of oppisition
• favuorable circumstances acting on smoking health the public smoking ban in 2006
• celebrity involvement
• strategic position
• Failure
• Organisational factors
• issue attention
• economic struggles
• failure campaigning
• being exterimist

Support or decline democracy?

• Support
• represent groups hat have been ignored by political parties
• help to disperse power
• educate and infrom the public on issues
• may provide gov with information
• provide ways in which people can get involved in politics
• provide a public grievances - a process known as tension relase
• Decline
• Undermine authority
• represeinting the policies of self intrwst ad may present the public false information
• if they are too powerful they may create hyper pluralism whsich canz obstruct gvernemntal process
• they are not elected or democratically accountable
• civil dicobedence threatens society
• wealthy may have more nfculence
• ghe leaderhsip ofk thbe edlitsi groups may not reflect accuratly the views of their members