Pressure Groups

• Sectional pressure group


  Represent interests of a particular group in society. E.g. Muslim Council of Britain, National Union of Students
• Cause/promotional pressure group


  Promote a particular issue. E.g. Friends of the Earth, Liberty
• Insider pressure group


  Have privileged access to government decision making. E.g. British Medical Association, Howard League for Penal Reform
• Outsider pressure group

  Do not possess access to political decision making and may even be unwilling to work within the political structure. E.g. Extinction Rebellion
• Insider status


  If a political decision makers consider that it is to their advantage to consult a pressure group, then the group's influence is guaranteed
• Wealth


  Provides the ability to employ researchers, operate offices close to important points of govt access and arrange meetings with members of parliament. However, wealth does not guarantee success if a group's interests do not coincide with those of the government.
• Celebrity leadership


  Helps pressure groups achieve popular recognition. E.g. Stephen Fry for Mind, Marcus Rashford for free school meals, Emma Watson for HeForShe
• Social media


  Provides new opportunities for pressure groups to engage with the public and mobilise support online (clickocracy)
• Direct action


  Choosing to engage in civil disobedience to gain publicity, can be risky but can mean the govt decide to negotiate. E.g. industrial action
• 4 sectors in successful pressure groups

  • Resources
  • Ideological compatibility with govt
  • Popularity
  • Expertise
• 2004 Hunting Act


  • The Countryside Alliance tried to block the ban and worked to change the terms of the ban
  • They tried to use the judicial route in delaying the implementation through the ECHR
• Johanna Lumley


  Helped campaign for the Justice for Gurkhas pressure group which was successful in 2015
• Types of pressure groups


  • Promotional / Causal pressure groups
  • Environmental pressure groups
  • Anti Poll Tax Federation in 1989-1990 persuaded the government to abolish the tax
  • Electoral reform
  • Sectional pressure groups
  • Trade unions
  • Institute of Directors (employers)
  • Alliance, NFU
• National Farmers Union (NFU)


  • An insider group as its relationship with the government is mutually beneficial as the government needs the support from farmers to guide their legislation and farmers need the government's support
  • They still go against the government when there is a need - they use both insider and outsider tactics
• Confederation of British Industry


  An insider group that regularly produces reports on how businesses are operating and its attitudes to taxation, employment regulation, trade and economic policy
• Greenpeace


  An outsider group that regularly causes civil disobedience to promote their causes such as banning genetically modified crops and choose to go against the government as they believe mobilising the public is a better way of bringing change
• Association of British Drivers


  An outsider group but is an aspiring insider
• Some pressure groups could be both sectional and causal - they could be both interested in the welfare of a particular group and interested in the welfare of society as a whole
• Trade unions are concerned specifically about their members but also care about all workers in the profession showing both sectional and causal motivations
• New Social Movements


  • Womens' rights movements like #metoo
  • Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
  • Black Lives Matter Movement
  • Occupy (during the 2008 financial crisis people camped outside Wall St and later major financial centres around the world)
• The Office of Fair Trading


  An ultra insider group - set up by the government and funded with taxpayer money
• Greenpeace petition


  40,000 signed to ban plastic microbeads in products such as toothpaste and exfoliants
• Greenpeace campaigning


  1. 2 years of international campaigning

  2. Producing reports

  3. Producing pictures depicting the scale of the problem
• Greenpeace


  • Outsider group by choice
  • Can go against the government
  • Use methods such as civil disobedience and ecotage to gain attention
  • These methods aren't always successful as they can alienate the public and cause them to lose support
• Commercial whaling ban worldwide

  1982
• Nuclear testing ban


  1996
• Free schools


  Schools set up in England to ensure children receive a high quality education regardless of background
• OSPAR convention made dumping toxic waste in the North Sea illegal

  1998
• Academies


  Schools where funding goes directly to them rather than money being allocated by the CEA
• UN Global Ocean Treaty signed - creation of ocean sanctuaries

  2023
• Greenpeace gave evidence at a nuclear enquiry
• NSN (New Schools Network)


  • Started out as a thinktank
  • Provided the government policy advice
  • Provided advice to people and groups interested in establishing new schools
• NSN's close links with the government


  Faced criticism of cronyism and corruption
• Rachel Wolf, founder of NSN, was Michael Gove's policy adviser when he was shadow children's secretary
• NSN received several government grants and they worked closely with the Department of Education
• Social movements


  Loosely organised groups that bring together individuals who can also be members of more organised pressure groups
• Social movements


  • The 'green movement' in the UK
  • Plane Stupid
  • Greenpeace
  • The Green Party
• Pressure groups


  • Have a more visible presence and influence on people through protests, campaigns and marches
  • Usually only focus on a specific area of legislation
  • Political parties have to focus on all areas but can sometimes prioritise and highlight one - eg Brexit during campaigning before the 2019 election
• Single issue groups


  A pressure group or protest movement that focuses on a single issue rather than a range of issues underpinned by a broader ideology
• Pressure groups are not always accountable as acts of the individual can be separated from the intentions of the pressure group