influencing government decision making

PROTESTING SECTION

PROTESTING SECTION

What are Protests?

They involve street-action to call for government level action on an issue they care about. In law, protesting in a “qualified” right, meaning that government can put restrictions on it, in certain circumstances.

The organisers should seek to inform the police and gain permission for particular routes (e.g roads) to be closed.

When was the largest protest in the UK? What’s a more contemporary example from Just Stop Oil?

In the UK, the largest protest was in 2003 when around 750,000 people protested against the invasion of iraq,

Although Just Stop Oil’s actions throughout 2022 offer a more recent example. the group’s held a number of protests such as on 14th October when two protesters threw tomato soup at a Vincent van Gogh painting in the National Gallery and when protesters closed the M25 in November.

What did Just Stop Oil’s protests lead towards?

Just Stop Oil’s activities and cause were widely promoted given the widespread media attention they held – this led to more people becoming aware of the organisation and its aims.

Overall, how good are protests at influencing government action?

Protests can be a poor way for citizens to influence government and politicians, given that protests are a “qualified” right. And have several limitations

What’s an example of an Act which negatively impacts protesters?

an example would be The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which means that some protesters can face up to 10 years in prison. a far cry from before

What are the results of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022?

As a result of these newly placed punishments, individuals might be dissuaded from organising protests, limiting their ability to influence government.

PETITIONING SECTION

PETITIONING SECTION

What are Petitions and what enhancement was made available in 2015?

Petitions are a manner in which Britons can seek to influence politicians and government. In 2015, the UK Parliament and UK Government launched an e-petition website.

How is an E-petition started?

British citizens start an e-petition with support from 5 others. If it meets the required standards, it’s published online. The House of Commons Petitions Committee reviews all published petitions. Those with 10,000 signatures get a government response, and those with 100,000 are considered for debate in Parliament.

during the 2017-2019 UK Parliament, 456 e-petitions received a UK Government response with 73 debated in the Commons. However, despite being a quick means of campaigning, petitions have limited impact on decision making. This is because they can simply be ignored.

How many petitions were submitted in January 2022? and how many were declined

at the start of January 2022, over 35,000 petitions had been submitted via the UK Parliament website. However, over 28,000 over these were rejected.

What was the most signed UK Petition? and how does it show a lack of effectiveness?

The most signed UK Parliament e-petition was to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU, with 6.1 million signatures. While this was debated in parliament in April 2019, the government went ahead with Brexit, showing petitions limited influence over decision making.

RECALL PETITIONS SECTION

RECALL PETITIONS SECTION

What do Recall Petitions offer the electorate?

Recall petitions give voters a chance to remove their constituency's Member of Parliament (MP), and force a by-election.

When were they introduced and what was the inciting incident? How does the procedure work?

Recall petitions were introduced in 2015, following the MPs' expenses scandal, when mis-trust of politicians and anger at corruption were notable voters. Under the procedure, a by-election can be triggered if 10% of eligible voters in a constituency sign a recall petition which remains open for six weeks.

Why do MPs face recall petitions?

MPs can face a recall if they are convicted of an offence, suspended from their job by the Committee on Standards, or convicted of making a false or misleading expenses claim.

What’s an example of a successful recall petition?

in June 2019, Conservative Chris Davies lost a recall by-election, after being convicted of making a false expenses claim. He was the second MP to be unseated by a recall petition.

What is the limitation of recall petitions?

However, recall petitions can be seen as a limited way for people to influence decision making. This is because the MP who was removed by the recall petition can stand in the by-election, meaning that voters' wishes are effectively ignored, limiting their influence.

PRESSURE GROUPS SECTION

PRESSURE GROUPS SECTION

What are Pressure groups?

Pressure groups are organisations that wish to influence political decision making on a specific matter/topic. People are able to join, donate to, and/or campaign for these organisations

Why are insider groups referred to as insider groups, what benefits does that offer?

Where pressure groups have the support of government, they are referred to as ‘insider groups. Given that insider groups already have the support of government and might work with them regularly, it can be said that insider groups are more likely to be successful and influential.

What is an example of an successful insider group?

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which campaigns on behalf of the 190,000 businesses which are CBI members. As a consequence of their insider status, CBI lobbying led the UK Government to cut business rates by £2.4 billion,

What’s an example of the CBI’s influence

in 2019. The same year, CBI lobbying led the Scottish Government to scrap plans for introducing business rates levy on out-of-town businesses.

What’s an example of the CBI’s success involving politicians?

Further evidence of the CBI’s influence is the CBI Annual Conference. Held annually, the conference is usually addressed by key British politicians, including a keynote speech by the UK Prime Minister.

What separates an Outsider group from insider group (including approach)

if a pressure group has little support from politicians. Such organisations are referred to as ‘outsider groups’. Outsider groups tend to adopt tactics that gain it media publicity in order to further their cause, given that they don’t have the support of government or discrete influence behind the scenes.

What’s an example of a outsider group who has failed in their objective.

Insulate Britain is a good example of an outsider group whose direct actions (protests and disruption) fails to achieve their goals. For example, between 2021 and 2022, Insulate Britain organised a series of protesting, including 62 protesters blocking roads around the UK Parliament on 4th November 2022. However, Insulate Britain has stated on their website that, “We have failed” and there has been no action(s) by them since November 2022.

TRADE UNIONS SECTION

TRADE UNIONS SECTION

What are Trade Unions?

Trade unions are organisations which attempt to improve the pay and working conditions for their members, who pay a subscription in relation to their salary.

How do trade unions attempt to influence government? How many are members of trade unions

Trade unions try to influence government by engaging in negotiations with employers and government before consulting with their members. Around 6.2 million people in the UK trade union members.

What’s the ultimate sanction of trade unions?

The ultimate sanction of trade unions is industrial action whereby workers refuse to work, but they can also organise workers to ‘go slow’ and ‘work to rule’. The mere threat of a strike can been impactful.

What’s an example of industrial action working?

a 5-day strike threat by UNISON in October 2021 won an improved pay offer for Scottish council workers such as school cleaners and janitors.

What does the Trade Union Act require from unions? And how do these measure’s affect strike frequency?

The Trade Union Act requires that a 50% turnout in trade union ballots, in which 40% of members back a strike, is needed before strike action can go ahead. strikes are therefore harder to organise, given the strict legislation which is in place.

What does this Act effectively do?

This limits the influence trade unions can have, as their threats of industrial action are harder to realise.