Pressure Groups

An association that may be formal or informal whose purpose is to further the interests of a specific section of society or to promote a particular cause.

1) Provide expertise: for example, the AA are used by the government to provide expertise in Transport policy. They successfully helped the government pass the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which in part stops wheel clamping on private land.

2) Provide a voice for their members: for example, the BMA work as a group to voice their members and to pass on Doctors' views and requirements to the government. The BMA leadership have been negotiating with the Department of Health over the proposed new juniors doctors' contract.

3) Participation, allow members to participate in direct action: for example, Plane Stupid who oppose aviation expansion. In October 2016, a group of Plane Stupid protestors blockaded a mock runway outside Parliament to protest at the approval of the third runway at Heathrow. 

4) Educate both the public and government: for example, the NUT produced a press release in November 2016 which outlined the expected effects of current government proposals to alter school funding.

5) Release of tension, provide an outlet for their feelings on certain issues: for example the 2011 London Riots showed what can happen if these feelings aren't vented. Protests such as the ones carried out by NUS in 2010 went some way to allowing the public to show their anger to the government over tuition fees.

Sectional / Interest:

- a pressure group that represents a specific area of society such as a trade union.

- membership limited to a certain profession in society or other economic grouping.

- members motivated by selfish interest.

Promotional:

- a group which seeks to promote a particular cause rather than the interests of its members.

- membership is open to all

- members are motivated by altruistic reasons

- close and productive relationship with the government has the 'ear of government'

- will be consulted before and during policy implementation

- highly unlikely to use direct action or break the law

- has political credibility

- little or no government contact

- not given the option to have input into government policy making

- may under certain circumstances be attracted to law breaking

- lacks political clout or credibility

1) Aims:

Political Parties: seek to achieve governmental power via elections. 

Pressure Groups: do not seek to gain elected office.

2) Issues:

Political Parties: adopt a full range of issues in their manifesto.

Pressure Groups: generally a narrow range of issues, sometimes single-issue e.g. trade unions.

3) Accountability:

Political Parties: have to be accountable for the consequenses of their policies.

Presure Groups: do not have to be account for their consequences but may be accountabe to members.

4) Action:

Political Parties: must behave in legal and/or responsible manner.

Pressure Groups: some act illegally or promote disobedience. 

1) Finance: Increased in publicity (advertising), increased organisation and more paid lobbyists.

2) Size: Government still concerned about large groups not voting for them at election time, large groups will have more money through donations and membership fees, can claim to represent most of the electorate.

3) Philosophy: If the aims of the group are generally acceptable, there will be less opposition and if the aims are in line with the government, there will be less opposition.

4) Insider status: have the 'ear of government', invited to committee meetings and have the involvement on the creation of bills.

4) Lack of opposition: groups with no viable opposition will not have alternative views contradicting their campaign and their arguments are not undermined.

5) Organisation: more likely to be able to coordinate large protest campaigns and organised groups can have a more national spread.

6) Celebrity endorsement: fast track to media attention, increased awareness of cause, celebrities have large numbers of social media followers, can increase numbers and the government may take them more seriously.

Yes they are:

+ Everyone is represented in a pressure groups, are all given equal status are protected. Danger that democracy becomes ruled by the majority but Pressure groups represent minority interests.

+ They provide ways in which people can participate politics, especially at a time when traditional forms of participation are declining.

+ They help to educate and inform the public about important issues. Can make sound judgements about what they say as independent from government. 

+ They help to disperse power more widely, preventing dangerous concentrations of power which may occur with political parties with leadership. Important with mass membership like Age UK.

They're not:

- Some wealthy or influential pressure groups may have more influence than can be justified such as sectional interests that represent employers such as the CBI.

- Those that engage in civil disobedience threaten order in society and subvert democracy.

- Digitalised democracy- Has become possible to mount a campaign very quickly, however it makes easier to display false information. Internet supporters may be very different to true supporters.They can be seen as representing the ‘politics of self interest’ and may present the public with biased or even false info.

1) Growing membership: Number of promotional groups has increased. For example, the National Trust had 100,000 members in 1961 and this rose to 4m in 2015. Greater number of people supporting groups which means government recognise the necessity to listen to the range of opinions as they rely on public support. Can also compare the membership of pressure groups to the membership of politcal parties, (only 1% of the electorate was a member of the three main parties in 2015). This implies that the public value pressure groups more than political parties and this increasing support is likely to make pressure groups change government policy.]

2) The internet has facilitated this. It has become easier to alert the public and pressure group members. One example of this was the encouragement by the Automobile Association and RAC to petition on the Government web site against the introduction of road pricing. This swift action served to show to the government that it had to re-think plans in that area. Hence on this basis communication improvement may have made pressure groups more important.Linked to this is the increased profile which the media may give to some pressure groups, an increased profile which makes the groups more important. Popular issues catch and make the headlines. ‘Make Poverty History’ was one such example.

3) More access points: Due to devolution, there is a greater number of devolved assemblies that pressure groups can contact in order to achieve a change in government policy such as the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. If a pressure group consults an assembly successfully and policy change takes place, other assemblies may follow and implement the same policies. This leads to pressure groups being more powerful in their ability to provoke change in numerous parliaments.

No:

1) A lack of success may be apparent. The Countryside Alliance has not revoked or stopped the ban on hunting, the Stop the War Coalition did not prevent or end the Iraq war, the fuel protestors have not reduced the cost of fuel, Make Poverty History has not prevented world poverty etc. This suggests that PG's have not become more powerful and their power is very much limited as the government possess they ability to do what they want.

2) Although it is clear that the membership of pressure groups has risen, this does not recognise the growing number of chequebook members. That is, people who simply donate to a pressure group, for example people may be members of the AA to ensure they have breakdown cover but do not support them strongly on the other topic areas they focus on. In addition, Trade Union power has diminished and the numbers in them have fallen. It is argued that the ‘star’ of all pressure groups have fallen since the 1980s and the Conservative government and all governments since. Power has fallen more to the executive on one level and the global economy/events on the other.

Pluralism refers to a system in which a wide range of cultural, relgious and political views are able to exist alongside each other. Pluralism Democracy therefore is a type of democracy which operates when there are numerous organised groups who all have some influence in the decision-making process and are all able to eert some leverage over government decisions. Pluralism requires a neutral government who listen equally to all competing interests and it infers that power is widely distributed amongst individuals and groups.

Elitism is essentially an opposite view where power and influence is not widely dispersed and instead is kept in the hands of much a much narrower group of society, either groups or individuals. Elitism indicates that the population in general has little or no influence over political decisions.

Yes:

- Helped to create legislation e.g. AA

- Accepted by government

- No legal restrictions against starting a PG

- Number of them (around 750 in the UK)

- Opposing PGs compete with each other, RSPCA and Animal Liberation Front

- The internet means all groups can equally interact with and educate the public

No:

- narrow access to government and empower the already empowered

- rich groups can buy more media advertisement e.g. RSPCA 

- not internally democratic

- some more electroally beneficial e.g. CBI

- government favours certain groups e.g. insider ones e.g. RSPCA, NSPCC

- some groups exert influence which is more than their proportional support in society.