June 2011 Pressure Groups
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- Created on: 02-01-17 21:11
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- Pressure Groups June 2011
- a) Using examples, distinguish between promotional ad sectional pressure groups
- Sectional pressure group
- They aim to advance the shared interests of their members as opposed to campaigning for a broader cause
- e.g. the British Medical Association (BMA) must be qualified medical practioners or students training to enter the profession
- Have to have certain requirements e.g. trade unions, unite, NUT, CBI
- Traditional methods within the law
- Promotional pressure group
- Promote approaches issues or ideas that do not directly benefit the rest of the group members
- e.g. the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is the largest cause group in the UK
- Divided into 3 categories: attitude cause group, political cause group, sectional cause group
- Campaign on policies that they believe will benefit others or the interests of society as a whole e.g. taxpayers alliance, mumsnet, the aa, greenpeace, charities
- Sectional pressure group
- b) How and why do pressure groups influence public opinion?
- Protests and demonstrations
- Fathers4justice: to end fatherlessness, publicity stunts e.g. superhereos climbing the Big Ben
- Petitions and interent websites
- RSPCA: prevent cruelty e.g. campaign for changes in the law- stop the cull
- Use of experts and specialists and educational material
- Age UK: inrease life enhancing services and support avaliable in later life e.g. fund research on issues affecting older people
- To educate the public and build popular support for their cause or goals
- Pressure groups have an educative function
- Help the governmment to avoid mistakes and unnessary conflict
- Educates public
- e.g. BMA about medical issues, RSPCA about knowledge of animals
- To influence government policy indirectly through popular and therefore electoral pressure
- Some pressure groups have insider status, they work closely with the government
- e.g. Action on smoking and health produced legislation and were introduced to deter and reduce smoking
- Protests and demonstrations
- c) Is pressure group politics in the UK better described as pluralist or elitist?
- Pluralist
- Is a description of a soceity or a political system which suggests that there are many groups, beliefs, cultures and lifestyles that flourish together and are recognised and tolerated
- Allows a variety of opinions
- Allows people to be represented
- Pressure groups are good for democracy
- They disperse power and influence very widely especially mass membership groups
- They ensure that mny groups are able to expert political influence
- They help to protect the interests of groups in society
- Balance government
- Elitist
- Is a description of a society or a political system which suggests that power- political, social and economic- resides in the hands of a small number of people, often known as elites
- Influential insider groups may serve to concentrate more power in government hands
- Some pressure groups may be led by unaccountable elites
- Some groups may have disproportinate pwoer
- Bad for democracy
- Only some pressure groups have power
- Only some pressure groups have power
- Doesn't add to democracy
- Some powerful, wealthy, influential pressure groups may concenrate power in few hands
- Is a description of a society or a political system which suggests that power- political, social and economic- resides in the hands of a small number of people, often known as elites
- Pluralist
- a) Using examples, distinguish between promotional ad sectional pressure groups
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