Pressure Groups

Pressure Groups

1. Functions of Pressure Groups

   • Relevant political participation
     • Provide relevant opportunity
     • e.g 'tax payers alliance' organise online petitions
   • Governing process involvement
     • Play a key role in the governing process and stages of policy
     • e.g National farmers union helped shape agricultural policy
   • Help indivudual MP's
     • Help promote private members legislation
     • e.g Music industry groups got the live music act 2012
   • Representing
     • Representing specific society sections
     • e.g Age UK represent the elderly's interests
   • Educating
     • Informing the public
     • e.g friends of the earth publicise environmental issues
   • Scrutinising
     • Suggesting improvements
     • e.g medical groups like RCN shape NHS reform
   • Make government accountable
     • Help government more responsible & accountable
   • Opportunity
     • 'Tension release'
     • e.g the 'occupy' movement, opportuntiy for protest about finance

2. The differences between party and pressure group

   • Party
     • Seeking to achieve power / government responsibilities
     • Must accept responsibility for policy etc
     • Have to adopt policy along with government responsibility
     • Have to behave in a responsible way
   • Pressure Group
     • Not always after seeking power
     • Will never have to account for their actions e.g Greenpeace can safely oppose potentially harmful causes
     • Do not accept restrictions of potential government
     • Often break the law

3. Types of Pressure Group

   • Sectional / interest groups
     • Represent a specific section of society
     • Self interested
     • e.g trade unions
     • e.g tax payers alliance
   • Cause, issue or promotional groups
     • claim to be representing the whole of society
     • Have one or a cluster of issues they wish to promote
     • e.g Greenpeace
     • e.g friends of the earth
   • Dual - Function
     • Can be both sectional and cause based
     • e.g the countryside alliance campaigns for rural areas but also everyone
     • e.g transport 2000
   • Insiders
     • Operate inside of teh political system through contacts with MP's etc
     • Regularly consulted by government
   • Outsiders
     • No special links with government
     • Influence by mobilising public opinion

4. How democratic are Pressure Groups?

   • Are..
     • Representative
     • Educate the public
     • Political participation
     • Supporting minority influence
   • Aren't...
     • Accountability
     • Putting someone up for office
     • Size & finances

5. Methods of Pressure groups

   • Mobilising Public Opinion
     • If a party wishes to retain power it has to promote for it
     • e.g2005 election to gain more elderly votes
     • e.g 2010 lib dems concentrated on young voters with tuition fees policy
   • Lobbying
     • Behind closed doors
     • Discussions constantly going on
     • e.g the welfare reform legislation of 2011/12 was the subject of intense lobbying
   • Parliamentary Methods
     • Some peers of the HOL back pressure groups
     • Some MP's paid to fight groups causes in HOC
     • e.g Live music act 2012
     • .g 2012 health & social care act
   • Direct Action
     • Groups seek to obtain maximum publicity
     • Can involve stunts/ provocative behaviour
     • Government are forced to respond
     • e.g fathers4justice dressed as super heroes and climbed buildings

6. Why are pressure groups growing in importance?

   • Direct Action
     • Can exert more pressure on the government
     • Gain automatic attention from the government / they have to react
   • Devolution
     • Forced to move some operations
     • Smaller issues mean smaller groups consulted more
   • Extra party institutions
     • Closer relationship with decision making
     • think tanks, policy units, private advisors, wokring parties
   • Human rights act
     • Reinforces rights
     • Passed 1998 came into practice 2000
   • Access points
     • easy to organise / participate in
     • Range of bodies
     • Mobilising opinion is easier
   • Participation
     • Campaign on sections
     • Growing membership
   • EU
     • Accept pressure groups
     • Lobby groups sent 4,400 lobbyists to parliament in 2010
   • Digital Democracy
     • Using things such as the unternet to gain support
     • Can reinforce
     • Social communities
     • e-petitions can pressure issues to get debated

7. Success of pressure groups?

   • Size
     • nfluence by weight of public opinion
     • Translates into voting power
     • e.g age UK 70/80% of population are pensioners
   • Organisation
     • May not actually make an impact
     • e.g plane stupid & greenpeace have been successful
     • Organisation is key
   • Opposition Groups
     • Group with no opponent more likely to succeed
     • e.g farming industry is opposed by animal welfare groups
   • Insider Status
     • Groups with ongoing contact with the government do enjoy an advantage
   • Celeb involvement
     • e.g Hugh grant is well known for hacked off
     • Depends on celebrity
     • Naomi Campbell seen wearing fur when in PETA campaign
   • Finance
     • e.g tobacco ban in public places
     • trade unions have money but still fuitle
   • Philosophy
     • e.g hacked off exerted pressure on labour
     • e.g busniess groups have done well under the conservatives
     • Beliefs closer to the government's = more succeeding