Pressure groups

• Pressure group

  An organisation made up of people who want to influence decision making
• Why pressure groups are formed

  1. People feel strongly about an issue and wish for the government to change something related to that issue

  2. People feel they will have more success as a group than as individuals
• Types of pressure groups

  • Cause groups
  • Sectional (interest) groups
• Types of pressure groups

  • Insider groups
  • Outsider groups
• Insider groups

  • Calm, peaceful group
  • Have insider status as they are listened to by government
  • Tend to be experts or specialists on a topic
• Outsider groups

  • More likely to be violent
  • Outsiders, the government don't negotiate with them so they target the media to get attention
  • Have less influence as government do not consult with them
• Insider groups

  • Nil by Mouth - anti Scottish sectarianism
  • Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA)
• Outsider groups

  • Stonewall Scotland - LGBT+ rights
  • Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) - against nuclear weapons
  • Plane Stupid - campaign against expansion to Aberdeen airport
• Why people join pressure groups

  • More free to act on an issue in a pressure group than in a political party where members must follow the party line
  • Hope to influence government policy, introduce new laws or ban certain things in society
  • Get actively involved in campaigning on major issues that are important to them
• If there is more than one person wanting something changed, it is a good idea to form or join a pressure group, as many people together are more powerful than one person on their own
• Pressure groups are a way for people to participate in democracy between elections, allowing them to feel more involved in decision-making