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Pressure Groups
Pressure groups are organised groups of individuals brought together for the purpose of fulfilling a specific goal, or because of a common cause.
How pressure groups work
Pressure groups aim to influence policies and political decisions or change public attitudes without looking to gain political office.
Pressure groups have a narrowly focused aim or goal which is shared with all pressure group members.
Insider and Outsider Groups
Pressure groups can work inside the political system or put pressure on political players from the outside
Insider groups
Insider pressure groups have regular contact with decision makers and so are able to work ‘inside’ the political system.
Insider groups are often consulted on specific policy issues by government departments, MPs, political parties and committees.
Privileged insider group access
Insider group privileged access may be based on the view that they are regarded as more moderate than other types of pressure group.
Insider groups need to be careful to keep the government on their side, so tend not to make extreme demands.
Insider group methods of influence involve working closely with those in the political system rather than more extreme methods such as direct action.
Examples of insider groups
NICE (National Institute for Health Care and Excellence) work with the government to create policy around healthcare and the NHS.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) are both regularly consulted by the government.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance has close links to the Conservative party.
Outsider groups
Outsider pressure groups are not consulted by the government, do not have direct and regular contact with decision makers and do not operate through influencing those within the political system.
Outsider pressure groups aim to gain the support of public opinion.
Outsider pressure groups undertake methods of influencing policy which involve working ‘outside’ the political system.
"Potential" insiders may aim to work inside the political system.
Examples of outsider groups
Fathers4Justice campaign for fathers to have equal rights after separation.
Occupy Movement campaign for a balance between executive and worker pay.
Plane Stupid is a pressure group against the expansion of UK airports.
Amnesty International is an example of a potential outsider group.
Sectional and promotional groups
Groups may target issues in different ways. Sectional groups only target the interests of a certain section of society, and promotional groups target single issues.
Sectional groups
Sectional groups represent a specific section of society.
Sectional groups do not campaign for broader issues.
Sectional groups are concerned with protecting and advancing the interests of their members.
Examples of sectional groups
House Builders Federation represents the voice of the house building industry
British Medical Association represents 160,000 doctors.
Promotional groups
Promotional or Cause groups have a single issue which they are concerned with promoting.
Promotional groups promote ideas that don’t directly benefit their members but which they believe will benefit the public in general.
Promotional groups are more inclusive because they aim to create a large membership base.
Examples of promotional groups
Stop HS2 want to stop the building of the second high-speed rail line in the UK.
Greenpeace wish to end destruction of the environment.
Mediawatch-UK want to promote "family values in the media".
Functions of Pressure Groups
Pressure groups have various functions, which can change depending on the type of pressure group and who they represent.
Political representation
Pressure groups represent their members, sections of society, or causes, in the political sphere.
Pressure groups can speak for and defend minorities, so that they have a voice in society.
Pressure groups can help prevent a ‘tyranny of the majority’ (when the majority of the electorate impose their interests and policies on society at the expense of the minority).
The Police Federation aggregates concerns of police officers in the UK.
The National Union of Teachers represents teachers
Government scrutiny
Some pressure groups scrutinise (examine closely) government policies and legislation, offering suggestions for how it may be improved.
Insider groups often carry out this scrutiny function.
Political debate
Pressure groups enable debate on important issues to take place
On certain issues there will be pressure groups making the case on both sides, so encouraging debate.
In the debate over the building of a third runway at Heathrow airport, the British Chambers of Commerce have argued for a third runway whilst the No Third Runway Action Group (NoTRAG) have argued against plans for the runway.
Influencing policy
Pressure groups can act as a vital source of expert information and advice to governments. Insider pressure groups are regularly consulted in formulating policy.
For example: the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents works to change policy.
Pressure groups also try to influence policy through public pressure with the aim of influencing the government through pressure from voters. Outsider pressure groups aim to influence in this way.
Political participation
Joining a pressure group allows for increased political participation through alternative means to voting and in between elections.
‘We Demand a Referendum’ Group dropped off a petition at Downing Street with 100,000 signatures in 2012 calling for a referendum on EU membership.
Pressure groups also enable participation in local level politics
The pressure group Stop Somerset Cuts have protested against the Somerset County Council’s proposals for cuts in public services by 2020.
Political education
Pressure groups look to promote the education of the public around the issues which they are concerned with.
Migration Watch UK provides information on immigration numbers for the public.
Muslim Council of Britain look to increase the education of the public around Islam.
Insider Influence
Pressure groups try to influence parliament to push for changes to be made to certain laws or to raise the profile of issues within Parliament.
Influencing MPs
Pressure groups try to influence MPs in the House of Commons and members of select committees to make sure group interests are represented in the bills, debates and law-making.
Groups may also try to influence members of the House of Lords when the chamber is debating and proposing bill revisions.
Influencing parties
Pressure groups try to influence the policy of a party and have their issue represented in the party’s manifesto.
If a party is elected, their issue may be in government policy.
Influence can be exerted in the form of funding a party or voting at a party conference.
Examples:
Momentum and the Labour Party.
Centre for Policy Studies and the Conservatives.
Direct access to decision-makers
Pressure groups with access to key political decision-makers, such as the prime minister and cabinet ministers, can directly argue for their cause and interest.
Governments consult (ask advice of) certain pressure groups because of their policy expertise.
The government can use pressure groups to assess the reaction of affected groups to potential government policies.
The CBI in economic, industrial and trade policy and the BMA in health policy have direct influence.
Lobbying
Pressure groups can try to influence through hiring lobbyists who are individuals that work to put pressure on the government and influence them.
Influencing Politics Outside Parliament
Pressure groups can influence decision-makers outside of parliamentary routes.
Protest
Pressure groups use legal forms of protest with the aim of gaining publicity and support to win over public opinion.
Public opinion can be used to put pressure on political decision makers.
Protest is often used by outsider groups.
One example of protest is an open protest, in which pressure groups take part in marches and demonstrations with the purpose of increasing the public awareness of their issue.
Examples of protest
Fathers4Justice marched outside former PM David Cameron’s home in Oxfordshire in 2011 to demonstrate their anger at his article which labelled men who abandon their families as “Feckless Fathers” who “should be looked at like drink drivers”.
The pressure group Hacked Off had a petition signed by 175,000 people in 2013 for the recommendations from the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking to be implemented.
Direct action
Direct action is a form of political protest that can involve civil disobedience, illegal methods or violence.
The aim of direct action is to raise the profile of the pressure group’s cause attraction through local or national media coverage.
Examples of direct action
Fathers4Justice carried out a publicity stunt in which a member of the group scaled Buckingham Palace balcony dressed as Batman.
The Animal Liberation Front has carried out attacks on homes of people with connections to pharmaceutical research laboratories using animals as part of their research.
Legal challenges
Pressure groups have tried to use the court to enforce policy changes or contest (challenge) current policy.
The Countryside Alliance pressure group contested a ban on fox hunting in the High Court.
Child Poverty Action Group brought a case against the Government to the High Court challenging the two child limit introduced by the 2016 Welfare Reform and Work Act.
Factors Affecting Pressure Group Success
Several factors can affect how successful pressure groups are in influencing politics or changing public opinion.
Resources
Larger groups have more members to campaign for them (human capital).
More members paying fees means that a campaign can become more organised - by having an office and paying for adverts.
Access to decision-makers
Insider access to decision-makers will increase the likelihood of changing political opinions.
Public support
Popular campaigns that play on public desires, fears or contemporary issues are more likely to gather attention.
Media coverage can change how the public sees a pressure group.
Membership size
Large groups can demonstrate that the issue affects a significant population.
National Farmers Union
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is an insider, sectional group that works to protect the interest of UK farmers.
Campaign against bTB
The NFU led a campaign against bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which involves killing badgers which pass the disease on to cattle.
The NFU argue that bTB is incredibly harmful to farmers, and means that tens of thousands of cattle have to be killed every year.
BTB has been harmful and costs the economy in the UK £100 million per year.
Methods and outcome
The NFU had insider contacts at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
DEFRA supported the cull, and so a trial of the cull went ahead in 2012 and 2013.
This was despite lots of public opposition - in 2011 opinion polls showed that the majority of the British public were opposed.
Other pressure groups opposed the cull, led by the Badger Trust.
This shows the importance of insider access for successful policy action.
Occupy London
Occupy London were an outsider, promotional group that protested the City of London's financial institutions and their greed in 2011 and 2012.
Campaign
The Occupy London movement protested against corporate greed and social inequality.
This was part of a global set of protests for the same cause.
The group camped outside St Paul's Cathedral in London, and occupied squares and abandoned buildings throughout London.
The group campaigned for a variety of causes - against climate change, against tax cuts and bank bail-outs.
Outcome
The group had many vague aims when campaigning.
The group was able to bring attention to their cause, but they were unable to achieve a long-term impact.
Many argue that this is because they didn't have a clear goal.
The group didn't have insider access to decision-makers, and so could only influence by doing public demonstrations to raise awareness and put pressure on decision-makers.
The City of London Corporation only complied with one demand.
Think Tanks
Think tanks are a collection of experts who provide advice and solutions to specific political, social or economic problems. Think tanks can research policy, and influence policymakers.
Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Policy Studies has strong links to influencing Conservative party policy, regularly attends party conferences and has influence over Conservative MPs.
The Centre for Policy Studies holds events with Conservative MPs as speakers.
The Legatum Institute
The Legatum Institute has gained an influence on parliament and government ministers who support Britain leaving the EU.
The Legatum Institute proposed that Britain leaves the EU and removes tariffs.
The Legatum Institute helped draw up a letter with Boris Johnson and Michael Gove to PM Theresa May which outlined certain Brexit demands.
Legatum members held private meetings with civil servants and were referred to as having an influence by Michael Gove in the House of Commons.
The influence of think tanks
Think tanks try to influence public policy and policy debate through having direct access to political decision-makers, through use of the media and using other policy organisations to distribute their work more widely.
Think tanks aim to generate and publish policy ideas based on their research which politicians have not thought about or considered.
Lobbyists
Lobbyists are paid to influence decision-makers in the government, including MPs and House of Lords members, to create policies and act in the interests of their clients.
How lobbyists influence politics
Influence can be achieved through political donations, gifts and meals.
Lobbyists work on behalf of organisations, and allow organisations to have influence over decisions that impact or affect them.
Lobbyist influence can be most significant when lobbyists have significant access to, and personal contacts who are, politicians and decisions makers.
E.g. Hanbury Strategy
Hanbury Strategy was set up by Ameet Gill, a former special adviser to former PM David Cameron, and Paul Stephenson, a director for the campaign group Vote Leave.
Both founders have personal connections to senior decision makers within the Conservatives.
Hanbury Strategy lobby primarily around Brexit issues that affect their clients.
Corporations
Corporations can have access to the government and so have significant influence.
Corporate political influence
Certain corporations are consulted by the government on policies to gain their insight into the practicality of proposals.
Corporations try to influence political decision-makers by controlling of sectors of the economy so they can put pressure on decision-makers and gain more favourable policies and laws.
Corporations can influence political decisions by funding political parties, which gives access to political decision-makers.
Corporations often hire lobbyists to gain access.
Examples of corporate influence
BMW and Airbus are two of several companies threatening to reduce investment and cut thousands of UK jobs in the event that there is a ‘hard’ Brexit.
Bernie Ecclestone donated £1 million to Labour before the 1997 general election and led to the Labour government seeking an exemption for the company he headed, Formula One, from an EU ban on advertising tobacco.
Is Extinction Rebellion an insider pressure group?
No. Extinction Rebellion is not associated with the political system. They are an outsider, promotional group.
They protested across many UK cities in the summer of 2019, bringing key traffic areas throughout London to a standstill and causing disruption.
This raised the profile of environmental issues and even led to meetings with senior politicians like Michael Gove.
Why might a pressure group accomplish more in terms of policy by acting as an 'insider'?
Explain what a pressure group is
Pressure groups are organised groups of individuals brought together for the purpose of fulfilling a specific goal, or because of a common cause. Pressure groups aim to influence policies and political decisions or change public attitudes without looking to gain political office.
2
Explain an 'insider' pressure group
An insider pressure group has regular contact with decision makers and are therefore able to work 'inside' the political system and influence outcomes. Groups like the CBI and NICE are consulted on with policy issues by governmentdepartments, MPs and committees.
3
Evaluate and compare
An insider pressure group, therefore, has lots of influence over policy and can accomplish more than an outsider group on this front. This is because outsidergroups aim instead to gain the support of public opinion as a way of indirectly affecting policy, but this is harder to achieve. However, insider groups are limited in policy influence as they have to keep the government on their side and cannot be seen to make radical demands.
