Pressure Group Methods

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  • Created by: TH
  • Created on: 09-05-13 00:17

Traditional Methods

Description of details

- Letter writing campaigns

- Petitions/ e-petitions

- Public Demonstrations

- Conventional Lobbying

- Marches & Rallies

Notable examples

STOP THE WAR; 250,000 protested the beginning of the war in Iraq, however the group wasn't successful in it's aims despite the amount of support.

Anti-abortion group Life: Petition of 2 million in the mid 80's, they also employed postcard campaigns in 1989 & 1990 (due to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act)

Anti;poll tax federation: In the 1990's it was said to have lead to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, the poll=tax was replaced by council tax in 1995.

Successes and Failures

These types of methods are good for groups with a large amount of public support - however this doesn't always guarantee them success. Methods such as these are more likely just to put pressure on the government to act rather than working with the government to make sure that their aims are achieved.

Influencing the legislative process

Description of details

- Regular contact witht he government over a broad range of issues.

- Core insider groups tend to influence the formation of policy.

- Consultations with ministers and civil servants.

Notable examples

The strongest example for this is the British Medical Association that generally distribute advice to the government on health, the NHS, etc.

Successes or Failures

They are often called upon for government expertise (meaning they have a greater number of opportunities and a greater amount of tome to accomplish their aims. One disadvantage is that core insider status would be difficult to achieve especially if the government is not willing to…

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