1.3 Pressure groups and other influences

• What is a sectional pressure group?

  represent interests of a particular group in society. Muslim Council of Britain represent interests of British Muslims and National Union of Students represent the interests of students. They therefore lobby government on behalf of their clearly defined social groups.
• What is a cause/promotional pressure group?

  promote a particular issue. such as Friends of the Earth and Liberty which campaign on behalf of civil liberties. Members of these groups can be drawn from across soicety.
• What is an insider pressure group?

  have privileged access to government decision making. The British Medical Association represents doctors and so possesses specialist information that governments wish to consult. The Howard League for Penal Reform is an impartial organisation that supply the Home Office with important infomation concerning prison reform, policing and youth crime.
• What is an outsider pressure group?

  do not possess access to political decision making and may even be unwilling to work within the political structure. for instance Extinction Rebellion, carried out disruptive high profile protests to achieve public recognition.
• How does insider status impact success of a pressure group?

  if a political decision makers consider that it is to their advantage to consult a pressure group, then the group's influence is guaranteed. As a result, of their specialist knowledge groups such as the BMA and Confederation of British Industry and National Farmers Union can all be called upon to supply govt with specialist knowledge.
• How does wealth determine how successful and pressure group is?

  have the financial ability to employ researchers. operate offices close to important points of govt access and arrange meetings with members of parliament. the CBI's wealth allows it to employ more than 100 policy researchers. However, wealth does not guarantee success if a group's interests do not coincide with those of the government. It only provides them with the ability to voice their research etc amongst decision makers.
• How does celebrity leadership contribute to a pressure groups success?

  it helps pressure groups achieve popular recognition. with the actor Stephen Fry providing a public face for Mind mental health campaign for LGBTQ+ rights. Marcus Rashfod successfully campaigned for school children accessing universal credit for free school meals during the summer. Emma Watson HeForShe speech in UN.
• How has social media determined the success of a pressure group?

  provides new opportunities for pressure groups to engage with the public. such as Amnesty Internation, Oxfam and Friends of the Earth using social media to spread ideas. mobilising support online is called clickocracy.
• How had direct action determine a pressure groups success?

  chose to engage in civil disobedience to gain publicity risky but can mean the govt decide to negotiate. including industrial action 2021 refuse workers in Glasgow - eight day strike - coinciding with COP26. 2022 - rail and postal strie and nurse strik on NHS responsible fr widespread disruption demonstrating significance of industrial action.
• what are the 4 sectors in successful pressure groups?

  Resources - ideological compatibility with govt - popularity - expertise.