Pressure Groups

• Pressure Group - Definition

  A pressure group aims to influence political decision making, for example the NSPCC encourages the government to introduce laws to protect children. They arent interested in holding power but seek to add pressure to decision makers.
• Pressure groups vary in size

  • Small - Dudley Hippodrome Campaign
  • Big - Unite trade union, has 1.4 million members
• Objectives of pressure groups

  • Promote legislation in their interest
  • Prevent legislation against their interest
  • Amend legislation to be in line with their interest
  • Raise public awareness of issues to get support and add more pressure to government
  • Some insider groups may influence policies of the governement
• Promotional Groups

  Examples: Greenpeace, Shelter, Amnesty International

  • promote a specific cause
  • Wider more inclusive membership
  • People dont join for benefits but more because its a good cause
• Interest groups

  Examples: National Education Union, British Medical association

  • Defend the interests of their members and as such have a smaller and selective membership
  • Some also defend public interests, for example the BMA
• Insider Groups

  Examples: Dogs Trust, WWF, BMA, National Farmers Union

  • Strong Influence
  • Seen as more legitimate
  • Better Access to government
  • Able to influence legislation
• National Farmers Union

  Since 1947, the government has to consult the NFU on any issues regarding farming as per the Agriculture Act of that same year.
• Outsider Groups

  Examples: Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain

  • No links with government
  • May resort to Direct Action, legal or illegal, to garner attention from the media to spread their cause
  • Some groups are outsiders by necessity and some are outsiders by choice
• Outsider Groups (2)

  Outsiders by necessity: Unlikely to become insider groups and as such work outside of the government

  • ex, Fathers 4 Justice and CND, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

  Outsiders by choice: These groups would not want to be associated with government

  • Ex, Greenpeace and Amnesty International
  • Although Greenpeace are consulted by the UN regarding enviromental impact issues
• How do Pressure groups exert influence?

  • Ministers/Civil Servants
  • Parliament
  • Political Parties
  • Public Opinion
  • Direct Action
  • The Courts
• Exerting Influence

  Ministers/Civil Servants

  • Lobbying MPs: asking them to raise an issue in parliament or initiate a Private Member Bill
  • Groups without direct access to government often use this method
• Exerting Influence

  Political Parties

  • Some parties and pressure groups have close ties and linked histories and as such align themselves with one another
  • Link between Labour and trade unions
  • Trade Unions provide Labour with immense funding and in return they have influence on policy and are able to vote in the parties leadership election
  • Influence of this shown in 2010 when Ed Milliband defeated his brother David to become leader of Labour thanks to votes from Trade Unionists
• Exerting Influence

  Public Opinion

  • More public support = more pressure on the government
  • Electoral consequences if an issue with widespread public support is ignored
  • ex, public protests against tuition fees and cuts to the welfare budget
• Exerting Influence

  Direct Action

  • Strikes, Blockades, Boycotts, designed to disrupt things
  • Civil Disobedience
  • Actions designed to pressure government into acting
  • ex, anti-war campaigner Brian Haw protesting outside of parliament for 5 years since 2001
• Exerting Influence

  The Courts

  • Attempts to challenge the government in court on legal grounds
  • Even when failed, publicity of the issue is gained thanks to the media
  • Ex, opponents of the high-speed rail link took their argument to the supreme court in 2014
• Functions of Pressure Groups

  • Form of represenatation
  • Method of political participation
  • 40-50% of the UK population is part of a pressure group
  • Some insider groups are involved in policy formulation and implementation
  • Educate the public on specific issues and raise awareness
• 'Chequebook Group' - Those who donate or join a pressure group without participating beyond that level.
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Membership

  • if a group has a large membership it can claim to represent public opinion and as a result, it may be more influential
  • Size and wealth are often linked as more memberships typically mean more donations and funding
  • Size is secondary in importance to economic power - The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has a much smaller membership than the Trade Union Congress but the CBI is more powerful
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Wealth

  • Major corporations tend to have huge influence due to their increased wealth compared to smaller pressure groups
  • This is because many provide jobs and investments within the UK deterring the government from ignoring the interests of those within it
  • Full time lobbyists are usually paid to work on the behalf of these corporations to influence policy in their favour
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Organisation

  • Interest groups tend to be easier to organise than the wide membership of cause groups
  • a good leader is key to a successful pressure group, ex, Jamie Olivers Campaign for healthier school meals
  • More organised and effectively led = more influence
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Government Views

  • If the government is in broad agreement with a group interest they are likely to have more support from the government and also the public
  • If not then the group is destined to be an outsider
  • Business groups and interests have historically enjoyed more influence under Conservative governments whereas Trade Union groups have enjoyed more influence under Labour governments
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Resources

  • in 2012 the BBA, British Bankers Association paid lobbyists to persuade ministers to cut corporation tax on banks overseas subsidiaries
  • The CBI has 13 offices in the UK and 5 across the world
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Aims

  • Success of aims is attributed to achievability and support
  • Snowdrop Campaign set up after the Dunblane Massacre in 1996 resulted in the Firearms Act 1997 which banned hand guns in the UK
  • Low public support for improving conditions in prisons
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Group status

  • insider groups such as the BMA have direct access to government whereas outsider groups like Greenpeace do not
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Group methods

  • RMT Union - Threat of strikes during 2012 Olympics won extra money for its members
  • SHAC (stop Huntingdon animal cruelty) harrassed and terrorised workers linked to animal testing.
  • In 2014 They were forced to reevaluate their very drastic and illegal methods as their members were arrested and new laws protected animal testing services
• Factors Affecting Pressure Groups

  Group Expertise

  • In 2016 AA provided evidence and statistics to persuade the government into increasing penalties for using a phone while driving
• Do Pressure Groups change government policy?

  • Miners Strike in 1974 brought down Ted Heath's Tory government when due to pressure from the strike, Heath called an election and lost
  • In the year 2000, lorry drivers blockaded oil refineries in protest at the governments tax escalator policy, subsequently Blairs government stopped the scheduled increase however the protesters directly were not approached for this but a larger corporate entity
• Pressure Group Successes

  Gurkha Justice Campaign 2009

  • All Gurkhas were allowed to settle in Britain following Hong Kong being returned to China. Previously only those who had served before 1979 could settle.

  Howard League for penal reform

  • Campaigned for the removal of the ban on prisoners receiving books from family and friends, this group was successful because of insider status allowing close links with government ministers.
• Pressure Group Failures

  Miners Strike 1984

  • Failed to topple Thatcher's Tory Government, failed because the NUM leader didn't call a member's ballot. Additionally, the strike failed to get support from the Trade Union Congress and the wider public viewed them as illegitimate

  Stop the war coalition 2003

  • Mass protests against Tony Blairs government due to their involvement in the US invasion of Iraq, failed because both the main parties in office supported an invasion in a parliamentary vote
• Pressure group Failures (2)

  BMA Protest about a 7-day NHS

  • Despite Inisder status, group failed because their goal contradicted government policy and the public supported the changes
  • Evidence was also brought forward that death rates were higher on weekends
• Social Movements

  • A loose federation of groups advocating for social changes in one specific area
  • Social movements have little or no internal structure and are often global with national and local supporters
  • Example, the Feminist movement, Black Lives Matter, Gay Rights Movement
• Lobbyists/Lobbying


  People and organizations who are paid to influence government policy and are usually employed by large corporations or wealthy pressure groups

  • They arrange meetings with influential politicians to gain support for those who employ them
  • In the UK all such companies must sign up to the statutory register of Professional lobbyists
• Lobbyists and MPs

  • MPs are forbidden from taking money from lobbyists
  • Many former MPs become lobbyists
  • ex, Jack Cunningham, former Labour minister now a lobbyist for a nuclear company
  • 1994 'Cash for Questions' Scandal resulted in a parliamentary code of conduct being drawn up
• Think Tanks

  Think Tanks are organisations that exist purely to develop new policies, they are funded privately by donations from individuals, groups or businesses

  • Left-leaning: The Fabian Society
  • Right-Leaning: The Adam Smith Institute
  • Neutral: Chatham House

  Think Tanks are often in the media, commenting on policy debates and promoting their ideas

  • Controversy surrounding funding as not all think tanks publicize who funds them, leading to accusations
• Think Tanks (2)

  Tony Blair increased the use of Think Tanks in the policy developing process

  Iain Duncan-Smith had close links with Think Tanks, he set up the Centre for Social Justice in 2004
• Corporations

  • Invited by the government to contribute to policy discussions
  • They lobby the government using professional lobbyists for favorable conditions such as lower taxes, fewer regulations, and better infrastructure
  • Most businesses supported Remain during Brexit due to EU benefits regarding business and trade
• The Media

  • Government is scrutinised by the media
  • Bad coverage puts pressure on the government to change its mind on certain issues
  • Theresa May abandoned reforming social care after her policies were labeled as a Dementia Tax or a Death Tax by news outlets during this time
  • 2012 David Cameron and Rebecca Brookes scandal
  • Phone hacking, 'Horseplay' Texts