Pressure groups and success

3 things that in make a pressure group successful

1. Affecting gov’t policy

2. Pushing an issue up the political agenda

3. Changing people’s values/perceptions/behaviour

5 factors that affect pressure group success

1. Wealth

2. Size

3. Organisation and leadership

4. Popular support

5. Compatability w/gov’t

Wealth — 2 reasons gov’t consults them

1. Main source of employment and investment in economy

2. Knowledge and expertise for formulation of policies

Wealth — 3 reasons it aids PG in their escapades

1. Can employ professional lobbyists and PR consultants

2. Can make donations

3. Have access to media and can run advertising campaigns (CBI)

% of most frequent lobbyists of 🇬🇧 ministers that are from large corporations listed on the FTSE 100

80%

2 examples of gov’t going against CBI/corporations

1. 2019 — BoJo shelved corporation tax cut as thought it wouldn’t go down well with the public

2. 2021 — announced increase of corporation tax to 25% in 2023 to pay for pandemic

Wealth — decreasing influence

• Tech and social media have made it cheaper and easier for people to express opinions to politicians

Size — reason gov’t listens to big PGs

• Members can have electoral impact

Size — 3 reasons big PGs are aided in their escapades

1. More subscriptions and donations → can employ full-time professionals to carry out research and campaigns

2. Can claim to represent public opinion

3. Can organise marches/demonstrations/strikes

NSPCC — 1 example of impact

• 2014 “Flaw in the Law” campaign → gov’t making sending of s3xual messages to children and young people a criminal offence in 2015 Serious Crime Act

2018-19 — NSPCC total income and % of it that came directly from supporters

• £117.9m

• 90%

2011 — TUC ‘March for the Alternative’ number of protestors

• 250 to 500,000

Size — 1 positive of being small

• Often highly specialised and therefore can exert inf;uence via expertise

2019 — Howard League number of staff and influence

• 19 staff

• Regularly consulted by gov’t and media

  • Quoted by over 500 media sources re criticising gov’t plans to build more prisons

Size — 2 limitations of largeness

1. Doesn’t compensate for insider status (trade unions lack influence in Tory gov’ts; think tanks and lobbying firms may not be large but they’re insiders)

2. Density and extent of membership > size

% of doctors that are BMA members; impact of this on the BMA

• 80%

• Can claim to speak on behalf of the medical profession

Organisation and leadership — 2 impacts of effective organisation

1. Effective mobilisation of resources

2. Ability to take concerted action

Organisation and leadership — 2 requirements for effective organisation

1. Financial resources

2. High-quality leadership

4 benefits of a high-quality leader

1. Political skills e.g knowing how policy processes work

2. Having a good network and political contacts

3. Good media and presentational skills

4. High public profile — recognised and liked

2 examples of effectively organised and led pressure groups

1. CPS

2. Hanbury Strategy

Revolving door example

• Facebook employed Nick Clegg

3 successful campaigns due to organisation > wealth and compatibility

1. RNIB

2. Crisis

3. Greenpeace

RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) campaign

• Successfully reversed the 2023 Rail Ticket Office Closures bill due to concerns about disabled and vulnerable people

• Used both evidenced-based lobbying and mass mobilisation (supporters sent letters to MPs and engaged in a mass media campaign)

RNIB campaign — number of public consultation responses

750,000

Crisis campaign

• Against 2024 Criminal Justice Bill that would have criminalised some forms of rough sleeping

• Both lobbied and used mass participation to prevent the Bill being passed before the GE

Greenpeace UK campaign

• Achieved 2023 Ban on Bottom Trawling in 41 Protected Marine Areas bill

• Used direct action (placing obstacles to prevent trawling), campaigning, scientific research and legal challenges

Unsuccessful campaign despite high organisation

• 3 Million Group that wanted to reverse Brexit and secure automatic legal status for all 🇪🇺 citizens and full voting rights

Reason for 3 Million group failure

• Gov’t had a mandate to deliver Brexit and control freedom of movement (compatibility with gov’t)

Unsuccessful campaign despite high organisation

• BMA talks in 2014-16 due to incompatibility with seven-day NHS manifesto pledge

Compatibility with gov’t

• Groups more successful when gov’t is sympathetic to aims/goals

2 examples of groups compatible with gov’t

1. WWF

2. TheCityUK

WWF success

• Managed to include measures in the 2021 Environment Act to prevent commodities imported into 🇬🇧 being linked to illegal deforestation

• Lobbied in DEFRA with expert evidence

TheCityUK success

• Influenced Tulip Saddiq’s financial and professional services sector policies

2011 March for the Alternative lack of success

• Due to gov’t commitment to austerity

Compatibility with gov’t — other changes that can still be made

• Long-term ones to political values and attitudes

Example of success despite incompatibility with gov’t

• Greenpeace often uses illegal methods but influenced the Bottom Trawling Bill

Example of success despite incompatibility with gov’t

• Poll Tax demonstrations in 1990 got larger and larger the more they were banned and led to Thatcher being replaced by Major

• Major then replaced the Poll Tax with the Community Charge

Popular support — electoral damage

• Gov’t calculate how much electoral damage may be caused by not acceding to a group's demands

Popular support success

• FSM extended to summer holidays by Johnson in 2020

• Due to Rashford’s #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign which used TV, Twitter and an open letter to MPs

2 examples of lack of success despite public support

1. Stop the War Coalition (largest protest in 🇬🇧 history against 🇮🇶 war)

2. Protests against gov’t stance on Gaza

Example of success despite lack of public support

• Lobbying firms, think tanks and corps instead rely on connections and donations