Democracy and participation: Pressure groups and other influences

What are traditional methods of political participation?

Voting.

Joining a party or pressure group.

Organising and signing a petition.

Going on a march or strike.

Writing a letter.

Standing for office.

What are modern methods of political participation?

E-petitions.

Blogging.

Protesting on social media.

Organising a demonstration via social media.

Give three reasons for why the UK is facing a participation crisis.

Electoral participation is in decline.

Membership of political parties has significantly declined in recent decades.

Trade Unions have been weakened in recent decades.

Give three reasons for why the UK is not facing a participation crisis.

Turnout has generally been on the rise in the past twenty years and in some referendums there has been very high turnout.

Party membership has been on the rise in recent years.

Voices of UK citizens are being heard in different ways.

What are the functions of pressure groups

R - Representative

I - Implementing policy

S - Scrutiny of government

P - Participation

P - Policy-making

E - Education

Give three features of sectional pressure groups

Advance or proceed the interests of their members.

Closed membership.

Motivated by self-interest.

Give three features of causal pressure groups

Promote a value, ideal or principle.

Open membership.

Motivated by altruistic considerations.

Insider status

Have a close and established working relationship with government.

Outsider status

No established working patterns of productive links with the government. 

Give two examples of sectional groups with insider status.

British Medical Association (BMA): Advised the coalition government on NHS reform issues.

CBI: Reports regularly to the government on the state of British business

Give two examples of sectional groups with outsider status.

Taxpayers’s Alliance: Looks after the interests of all who pay taxes but is hostile to the government. 

Fathers4Justice: Campaigns for the rights of divorced fathers to see their children but uses methods of civil disobedience.

Give two examples of causal groups with insider status.

RSPCA: Consults with ministers and Parliament on animal welfare.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH): Dedicated to reducing the use of tobacco in society.

Give two examples of causal groups with outsider status.

Greenpeace: Specialises in acts of disobedience such as destroying GM crops and obstructing whaling shops.

Unlock Democracy: Campaigns for constitutional reform; not accepted by the government as a legitimate representative organisation. 

What methods do pressure groups use?

Lobbying.

Researching and publishing reports.

Organising publicity campaigns.

Organising public demonstrations.

Publicity stunts.

Civil disobedience.

Going on strike.

Using a celebrity spokesperson.

Bringing test cases to court.

What are reasons for pressure group success?

Insider status.

Wealth.

Large membership.

Organisation.

Expertise.

Celebrity endorsement.

What factors limit the success of a pressure group?

Chequebook membership

Slacktivism -> Professor Goodwin’s ‘Luxury Beliefs’

Small membership

Outsider status

What are the reasons for pressure group failures?

The goal contradicts with a government policy.

The government can resist pressure from the group.

Countervailing forces.

The goals of the group act against popular opinion.

The group alienates the public.

What are the similarities between pressure groups and political parties?

Both try to increase political participation.

There are links between political parties and pressure groups such as Labour and the Trade Unions and Conservative and big businesses.

Some parties are single-issue, like pressure groups, such as the BNP. Some parties began as pressure groups and retained their focus such as UKIP and the Green Party.

What are the differences between pressure groups and political parties?

Pressure groups seek influence whilst political parties seek power.

Parties are accountable and seek election, therefore they have to behave responsibly. Pressure groups however do not have these restrictions and can break the law or undertake acts of civil disobedience.

Parties must form policies on a full range of government responsibilities whilst pressure groups focus on a single-issue.

Give three reasons for why pressure groups are good for democracy.

They increase political participation.

They educate and inform the electorate and the government on important issues to help implement policy.

They speak up for sections of society who are not well represented through the existing system.

Give three reasons for why pressure groups are not good for democracy.

They have limited influence as the government only listens to pressure groups with insider status and public support.

Pressure group politics is elitist as the group with more resources is more influential.

They may force governments into acting on behalf of a minority, meaning the government may ignore the wider needs of society.