Pressure groups

Pressure groups

• organised group of individuals brought together for the purpose of fulfilling a specific goal

Aims of pressure groups

• influence policies and political decisions

• change public attitudes

What are the two types of pressure groups?

• Insiders

• Outsiders

Insider Groups

• Have regular contact with decision makers and are able to work inside the political system

Examples of insider groups

• NICE - work with government to create policy around healthcare and the NHS

• CBI

• Tax-payers Alliance - work close with the conservative party

Outside Group

• don’t have regular contact with decision makers and aren’t able to work inside the political system

What do outside groups aim?

• Aim to gain support of public opinion

Examples of outsider groups

• Fathers4justice - campaign for fathers to have equal rights after separation

• Plane stupid - group against expansion of UK airports

What are sectional groups?

• groups that represent a specific section of society

• they don’t campaign for broader issues

Examples of sectional groups

• House Builders federation represents the voice of the house building industry

• British Medical Association represents 160,000 doctors

Promotional Groups

• Have a single issue which they are concerned with promoting

• Promote ideas that don’t directly benefit their members but believe will benefit public

Examples of promotional groups

• Greenpeace - end destruction to enviroment

Social Movements

• Large groups of people working together to push for social or political change, usually through protests or campaigns

Functions of Pressure Groups

• Political Representation - The national union of teachers represent teachers.

• Political Debate

• Government scrutiny - Insider groups often carry out this scrutiny function.

• Influencing Policy - acting as a vital source of expert information and through public pressure

• Political education - promote the education of the public around the issues which they are concerned with. (Migration watch UK/Muslim Council of Britain)

• Political Participation - allows for increased political participation

Lobbying/Lobbyists

• individuals that work to put pressure on the government and influence them

Pressure Groups Protesting

• Fathers4Justice - Marched outside former MP David Camerons home in oxfordshire 2011 to demonstrate their anger at his article which labelled men who abandon their families as ‘Feckless Fathers’.

Direct Action

• form of political protest that involve civil disobedience, illegal methods or violence

Direct Action Example

• The animal liberation front attacked the homes of people linked to labs that use animals as part of their research

Factors that affect pressure group success

• Access to decision makers

• Resources

• Public support

• Membership size

Nation Farmer Union

• Insider Group

• Sectional Group

• Works to protect the interest of UK farmers

Campaign against bTB

• The NFU campaigned against bovine tubercolosis (bTB)

• bTB spreads from badgers to cattle, so badgers are killed to reduce infection

• bTB is damaging to farmers, as tens of thousands of cattles must be killed each year.

• It costs the UK economy about £100 million every year