Do you consider the political activities of organised groups (pressure groups) to enhance or threaten the quality of democracy in Britain today?
Do you consider the political activities of organised groups (pressure groups) to enhance or threaten the quality of democracy in Britain today? The role of pressure groups in the UK can be seen both to strengthen and weaken democracy as there is a significant case for either argument. For instance Thatcher believed that Democracy was threatened by Pressure groups whilst Blair has always had more 'friendly' relations with them illustrating the different opinions of those in office. However, we should also consider whether pressure groups are 'insider' or 'outsider' as those working within state apparatus tend to be more effective than there 'outsider' counterparts. Surely though how can pressure groups be good for democracy when they exert non-legitimate power as they are unelected? Since pressure groups are unelected this means there is not only is the problem of the non-legitimate power but also the fact that pressure groups are selfish, and do not consider the costs of there actions for others in society, this is especially the case of single-issue groups. They simply want there own demands fulfilled, even if that means fewer resources are available for other purposes, so the government would be pressured in to spending money on the particular issue groups idea meaning potentially meaning less resources on one objective means there is less available for something
Are pressure groups a threat to the democratic process in the United Kingdom?
Are pressure groups a threat to the democratic process in the United Kingdom? Pressure groups, are un-elected by the general public, yet they are a part of the political, and some could argue, the democratic process in the United Kingdom. Pressure groups are normally single-issue groups, or they claim to represent the interest of a section of society or organisations. Political parties by their very nature cannot hope to be experts on all areas of policy and issues, and therefore they have to consult with think tanks and/or pressure groups. For instance, whilst considering their policies on the environment, a political party may ask the views and opinions of the RSPB, friends of the Earth, Green peace or a particular university or think-tank. Pressure groups exist to influence government policy over the area or areas that concern that pressure group. There are two main systems that can exist where pressure groups are concerned. These are pluralism and corporatism. British pressure groups fit in a the description of a Liberal sub-group of corporatism, there being a mixture of groups that have weak or no links to government and themselves (these tend to be groups such as the Animal Liberation front, and other, more radical environmental groups) and interest groups such as trade unions and the CBI. The position of pressure groups in the democratic process within the United
DETAINING TERRORIST SUSPECTS Democracy and judicial review:The main opposition to judicial review is that it is anti democratic-
DETAINING TERRORIST SUSPECTS Democracy and judicial review: * The main opposition to judicial review is that it is anti democratic- therefore it does not adhere to the true meaning or practice of democracy. * This is the case because- it places enormous political powers into the hands of a small group of unelected judges from a small section of society-white, middle class, middle aged males. Some would suggest that this places a limit on the scope of decision making. The judges are likely to think and act in the same or very similar ways, leaving little room for further discussion which could alter the final decisions. * The fact that they are not elected in itself defeats the point of a democracy. This means that they do not represent the voice or minds of the masses. The article primarily focuses on the detention of terrorist suspect in Guantanamo bay, Cuba. At its commencement it welcomes the fact that democracies must defend themselves from any threat- fro example countries are entitled to try officers and soldiers of enemy forces for war crimes, thus taking the notion that "it is better to hold a suspect (of grave crime) in custody than to let him free"-it is only at this point were the article adopts the view that it is all for the best. * For the most part the article is against democracy-it suggests that democracy often steps on its own feet-" liberal
Pressure Groups - Explain the factors that influence the choice of methods used by different pressure groups
. Using examples, distinguish between sectional and promotional pressure groups [5 marks] Sectional groups seek to represent the common interests of a particular section of society; because of this, members of sectional groups are personally concerned with the outcome of the campaign fought by the group because often times it will affect their lives directly—usually professionally or economically—membership is also often restricted. Trade unions are sectional groups because they represent the interests of their membership. Alternatively, promotional groups seek to promote a cause and influence the attitudes of people regarding their cause—which is why they are sometimes called “cause groups”. Membership isn’t restricted for these groups, it doesn’t matter what backgrounds a person has as long as they believe in the cause of the group—this opens up the possibility of mass membership of these types of group. Greenpeace are a promotional group because they aim to promote the cause of a ‘greener’ society, and change attitudes to help preserve the Earth. . Explain the factors that influence the choice of methods used by different pressure groups [10 marks] The overall aim of all pressure groups is to influence the decision makers—they do not seek power themselves, only to influence the people with the political power to make key decisions; because of this,
To what extent have pressure groups in the UK changed in recent years?
To what extent have pressure groups changed in recent years? A pressure group is an organised group that seeks to influence government policy, public opinions or protect or advance a particular cause or interest. Groups may promote a specific issue and raise it up the political agenda, represent a particular section in society or they may have more general political and ideological objectives in mind when they campaign. In this essay I am going to analyse the significant changes in the nature and activities of pressure groups that have occurred in recent years and use examples accordingly. In recent times, the importance of the role of pressure groups has been increasing and is likely to continue to do so. A reason for this is the increasing participation in pressure group politics. Membership of pressure groups has been growing substantially whereas in contrast, membership of political parties has been declining. Therefore, this suggests that the general interest in politics has not decreased but the nature of interest and participation is rapidly changing as more people are becoming frustrated with the political parties and so they are turning to pressure groups that campaign for specific issues or causes. An example of this may be the Liberal Democrats Party which has lost support from some people because of its changing views relating to civil liberties. In order to be
The Key to success of a pressure group lies in its membership base. Discuss
“The Key to success of a pressure group lies in its membership base.” Discuss The success of a pressure group is dependent on many things such as philosophy, finance, insider status, celebrity status. Larger membership to a pressure group can often be associated with the degree of success a pressure group will have. A pressure group with a many members is a positive thing as it can promote its cause easily; larger pressure groups have more influence over the government as they represent a larger part of society. Despite this large pressure groups can also be of a hindrance a large pressure group needs some sort of hierarchy in order for the pressure group to be organised and execute various campaigns and publicity stunts. Finance is a very important part of a pressure group it is nearly impossible to sustain a pressure group of any significant size without ample finances, the larger a pressure group often the more cash donors are able to support the party. A larger pressure group also creates more connections and networks to people that may be in perhaps a position of power to help influence others to the cause. Taking this into account if a party is large however isn’t receiving ample financial support the success of the pressure party will be greatly held back as it cannot pressure government without various legal & media campaigns - despite this large finances
To What Extent Are The Wealthiest Pressure Groups The Most Successful Ones
Ben Jacques ________________ To What Extent Are The Wealthiest Pressure Groups The Most Successful Ones? An elitist would say that the wealthiest pressure groups have the most power because they can afford to purchase political influence through a number of means, pluralists would disagree and say that pressure groups are successful because of their popular support and an impartial government. Wealth is not the only factor for pressure group success; other factors include numerical support, expertise, media support Financial support brings success. Wealth allows pressure groups to use the media, lobbying and other tactics to their advantage to pressure the government. For example the CFI donates to over 80% of Tory MPs giving them significant influence within the current administration. The NSPCC has been able to fund advertisement campaigns with donations from their members. The Tax Payers Alliance is another example of a wealthy pressure group that is successful because of its wealth. The TPA has been able to gain significant influence with the Conservative government due to their wealth and several Tory MPs are members of the TPA. These are insider groups who have used their wealth to gain this status and therefore influence. An outsider group arguably needs even more funding to be successful for example Greenpeace's wealth has enabled them to bring the issue of the
Are pressure groups good for democracy?
Are pressure groups good for democracy? There are many differing views on the role of the pressure group within the modern liberal democracy. Some political commentators claim that pressure groups led to an imbalance of democracy or a democratic deficit, because people who are members of pressure groups receive more of a political voice than those ordinary members of society whose access to democracy is their vote during elections. The opposite f this is the opinion which claims that pressure groups are not a form of democratic deficit but merely a way of the public getting its opinions herd and a form of communication between public and government. I am now going to analyse the pluralist model, and begin by answering the question what is a pluralist? Pluralists uphold the principle that political power in a liberal democracy is widely distributed, that continual competition between groups and that new groups constantly emerge. The pluralist would claim that the pressure group system is good for democracy as it allows people access to politics all the time as opposed to once every 4 years when an election is held. The pluralist view has four main standpoints. Firstly Pressure groups are an important means of political representation. By joining a pressure group people are able to express their feelings on certain issues and help to
To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy?
[To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy? 25m] By Mati Saidzai 12N Pressure groups are organised groups of people who are united by a common cause or topic. They do not seek for power instead they wish to influence and change the policies and views of government. They also try to get the public involved and they seek to influence and change their opinions and views too. Pressure groups have different classifications. One could be sectional pressure groups which are described as interest groups, who usually represent limited, specific interests. An example of this could be Unite, Britain’s biggest trade unions that represent general workers. Another classification could be insider pressure groups; they tend to have close and established working relationship with government. An example of an insider pressure group could be the RSPCA who consult with ministers and Parliament on animal welfare. The definition of insider and outsider pressure groups was created by Wyn Grant and considered pressure groups from the perspective of their relationship with the political establishment, the government and civil service. Pluralist democracy is a particular type of democracy, which operates with numerous organised groups who all have some political power in the decision making forum. Pressure groups promote pluralist democracy as there are a numerous amount of
To what extent do Pressure groups undermine democracy?
Q) To what extent do pressure groups undermine democracy? Supporters of pressure groups claim that they enhance pluralism in our democracy and make our democratic system much more effective as a result. However some political scientists claim that many organized groups can undermine the policy making process since they are dominated by people with vested interests concerned only to improve the relative position of certain groups within society. Supporters of liberal democracy believe that its main elements make for a relatively effective and representative political system. In liberal democracies, States represent the interests of societies as a whole rather than the interests of the minorities. Therefore, pressure groups are needed for the representation of citizens' views on particular issues relating to their own personal well-being or their believes. As a result of the resources at their disposal, pressure groups can represent individuals more effectively than they could do themselves, a point which may be especially relevant to more disadvantaged individuals such as the poor or the disabled and to minority groupings such as immigrants. It is possible that pressure groups can address controversial issues which political parties might initially seek to avoid and likely also that as new issues reach the political agenda new pressure groups can be formed to address these