Government and politics homework-Doreen

Due 4th November

By Amy Whittam
Why are some pressure groups more successful than others? (25 Marks)
Some pressure groups are more successful than other for a number of reasons. Whether its
their status, the amount of publicity or their goals, these reasons all alter the success of
pressure groups. A pressure group is an organised group which seeks to influence the
government policy or protect or advance a particular interest of cause. As well as this different
groups promote a specific cause and raise it up to the political agenda.
In pressure groups there are insider and outsider. Insider groups are pressure groups that are
consulted by the government and can be called upon to advise the government on certain
matters. An example of this is the BMA, the British Medical Association is often asked by the
government to advise them on matters relating to health. This can be seen recently in the news,
the BMA assisted the government with the NHS reforms. Insider groups usually have the
support of MPs and operate within the political system. This reason alone can cause pressure
groups to be more successful, especially insider pressure groups such as the BMA. With the
support of a MP it gains them access within parliament, as well as support.
An outsider pressure group is the opposite to an insider pressure group. This group is outside
political affairs, and therefore most outsider pressure groups seek to gain insider status. This is
usually done by gaining the government's approval and not using extreme measures to become
noticed. For example, Fathers4Justice is an outsider group who uses extreme measures in
order to be noticed. They are in fact successful and gain attention from the media due to the
public stunts. One of these stunts included climbing onto Buckingham Palace with a member
dressed as batman. This gained huge media attention which brought attention to the pressure
group, which was wanted. These stunts are frowned upon by the government and usually
makes the difference of making the group an insider pressure group.
Another type of pressure group are sectional pressure groups. Sectional pressure groups are
groups which only defend their members, as a result of this it means that the group cant simply
be joined by anyone. So, it means that sectional pressure groups normally campaign for
economic benefits such as an increase of wages or the retirement age. A recent sectional
pressure group was seen protesting was the Fire Brigade Union. This pressure group protested
about the retirement age being to high for firefighters and for an increase of wages. They did
this by going on strike and not attending fires in the area in a stand up to the government for a
change in legislation. Furthermore, there are other sectional pressure groups such as work
trade unions, they are also campaign and organise demonstrations in order to be seen by the
government and for policies to be changed.
Finally, the last type of pressure group are promotional pressure groups. These groups tend to
hold a common interest and their purpose is to promote a cause. These groups include the

RSPCA, Friends of the Earth and Liberty. All these groups start out as non global organisations
who aim towards achieving a goal. For example, RSPCA aim for the welfare of animals and the
protection of animals. As a result of this anyone can join promotional pressure groups. Most
promotional groups becomes charities when they become global and become nongovernmental organisations.
All these pressure groups use different methods in order to gain attention or to reach the status
theyre currently at. A main method is the media. Through the media pressure groups are able to
gain the publics attention and gain mass support. This alone would make a pressure group
more successful than others due to the support that can be received. If a large amount of
people supported a pressure group and took part in protests or demonstrations it would cause
considerable stress to the government and would force them to act, or at least get the pressure
group noticed. Fathers4Justice, who was already previously stated, depend on the media to
gain attention and make their campaign well known, as well as gain the government's attention.
In addition to this direct action can be used which can make pressure groups more successful
than others. GreenPeace is renown for using direct action as a means to stop projects or gain
public support. One use of direct action was putting up banners on ships that were hunting
whales. All though their methods are frowned upon by many, GreenPeace can be seen as more
successful than other pressure groups as people directly see the actions of GreenPeace and
feel as though they are doing something. In comparison other pressure groups might rely on
changed to policies, therefore the work isnt seen so the public might feel as the pressure group
isnt doing anything. Unlike GreenPeace, who through direct action gets their message across
and gains support at the same time.
Finally, another method which can cause a group to be more successful, is gaining the support
of a famous figure. An example of this is Brian May with badger culling and fox hunting. These
two campaigns from animal protection groups gain mass notice and became a popular topic
amongst the people who agreed with Brian May. This then gained media and more support,
consequently making the pressure group more successful due to the famous figures support.
Overall, the main reason for pressure groups being more successful than other pressure groups
is due to the media and gaining attention. Without the media pressure groups wouldnt be well
known and wouldnt have many supporters. Through publicity groups strive and become more
successful as people globally become aware of them and give their support. This alone makes
them more successful than others. However, the status of a group can also make a difference to
the success of the group. For example, being an insider group means the group is within the
political decision making unlike outsider groups. This can affect whether they are successful or
not.