Examples of pressure groups

BLM — trajectory

• Founded in wake of 2012 police killing but took 8 years and a pandemic to have a breakthrough that flickered pretty quickly

BLM — 3 methods

1. Protests

2. Civil disobedience

3. Social media presence

BLM — 3 examples of action

1. 2020 George Floyd protests

2. Taking the knee in the Premier League

BLM — example of success

• Raised over £1m in 2020

BLM — 3 limitations

1. Criticised for more radical splinter groups

2. Lack of transparency re. funding

3. No major initiatives from gov’t

British Medical Association — type of PG

• Interest: doctors

BMA — recent campaign

• Junior doctor pay dispute

• Wanted 35% rise to rectify years of inadequate rises

• Settled by L gov’t with 22% rise over 2 years

• 2025 — 5 day strike in July and more across the year

3 BMA methods

1. Gov’t lobbying

2. Industrial action

3. Legal challenges against gov’t decisions

Howard League for Penal Reform

• Focuses on more humane CJS and prisoner enfranchisement

• Rehabilitation > punishment

Just Stop Oil — type of group

• Cause: use of fossil fuels

JSO — 2 methods used

1. Direct action

2. Civil disobedience

JSO — 4 examples of action

1. 2023 World Snooker Championship orange powder

2. 2023 Wimbledon orange confetti

3. Climbing onto overhead gantries on M25

4. Throwing soup on the sunflowers

JSO today

• Doesn’t exist as gov’t met its original demand in 2024 by stopping licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects

Palestine Action — type of group

• Issue group and cause group

PA — main method

• Direct action

PA — 2025 Yvette Cooper

• Proscribed (aka it’s now a terrorist group) due to the break-in at RAF Brize Norton

PA — Feb 2026 High Court ruling

• PA’s actions are criminal but are not criminal enough to be a terrorist organisation

RMT — type of group

• Interest

• Insider when L

RMT — 3 focuses

• Promotion of better pay and conditions for rail, maritime and transport workers (shorter hours and safer working environments)

RMT — 2 methods

1. Lobbying

2. Strikes (threatening them during important events!)

RMT — 3 successes

1. 2016 — £500 consolidation payment to operational staff after night tube introduced

2. £55,000 to a member who lost the tip of their finger in an industrial accident

3. Bonus payments for workers during 2012 Olympics

RMT — 3 failures

1. Many tube ticket offices closed

2. Guards being removed from trains

3. Non-London transport networks still have lower wages and worse conditions

Action on Smoking and Health — type of group

• Insider issue

ASH — 5 examples of success

1. Increased taxes on tobacco

2. Restrictions on tobacco advertising and sponsorship

3. Post-2008 ban on buying cigarettes

4. Health warnings on cig packets

5. Ban on smoking in cars with children

ASH — 1 limitation

• Unable to change gov’t policy on vaping

For Women Scotland — type of group

• Interest, outsider

FWS — impact

• 2025 definition of a woman case at the Supreme Court in which it was ruled that trans women are not protected due to the protected characteristic of being a woman

Together Alliance

• Work together against the far right

5 PG that are part of the Together Alliance

1. Amnesty International

2. National Education Union

3. BMA

4. Greenpeace

5. Stand up to Racism

Impact of TA

• 500,000 people marched on 28 March against the far right

• But no impact on policy e.g. Reform still took a clean sweep in council elections

Sectional pressure groups — trade unions

• Seen to have undue influence on L

  • Usually insider pressure group when L in gov’t

Unite TU and L

• Going to reduce L funding by 40%

• Vote next year as to completely cut off from L

L money lost due to Unite reduction

£580,000

Unite total money ever given to Labour

£53 million

3 restraints on L’s relationship with TU

1. Budgets

2. Public opinion

3. Need to maintain economic stability

• I.e. sometimes governing responsibilities > union demands

2 examples of TU-L tension

1. 2025 BMA strike — agreed but fiscal constraints

2. 1970s — controlled inflation with pay restraint but led to winter of discontent