Jonathan McIver

Why Are Some Pressure Groups More Successful Than Others?

A Pressure group is best defined as an organisation which seeks to
influence a policy, which has been put forward by the executive,
legislature and the judiciary, And also by the local governments and
the EU. Pressure groups are set out to achieve their beliefs and enforce
them upon the community and the authority, this is sometimes done
by any means possible, for example, ‘Fathers 4 Justice’ using various
campaigning strategies, which caught the media attention.
There are two types of pressure groups, an insider pressure group, or
an outsider pressure group. An insider pressure group is one which has
the backing of the government and is involved in parliament, for
example Trade unions are favoured my the Labour party, along with
education groups or pro Europe groups. An outsider pressure group is
one completely outside the governmental ‘circle’, Such as Fathers 4
Justice. It is often hard to measure the amount of success achieved by
some pressure groups, as the government often claims credit for acts
made from p. groups. Also, pressure groups rely heavily on media
attention, and if there is a lack of it, they may no longer be in the
public eye, so they’re harder to trace.
The specific membership of each pressure group plays a massive part
in how successful the group turns out to be. The size of the group is
important as a government is more likely to respond to larger pressure
groups than smaller ones, as there are more potential votes to be won
or lost. During the 1980’s, trade unions consisted of around 8 million
people, however did not appear to hold any political advantage. These
types of large groups suffered much discomfort at the hands of a lot of
ministers. Government support for pressure groups is valuable, as each
group may receive better treatment from a particular party such as
anti- Europe groups being backed by the conservative party. Also, the
Pensioner groups being supported by the Labour party. Some sectional
groups can have special status, as the members could play a huge part
in society, for example the police. Large businesses and commercial
enterprises still have a big amount of influence, banks and financial
institutions are important in the success or failure of a financial policy.
This could help the success of a pressure group, as the government in
more likely to conform, as they may not hold the power in the political
battle. The country as a whole could be affected as such powerful
industries may strike. Key industries that hold a strategic position
include- big industries, firms and unions, business with large amounts
of exports, emergency services, and organisations that provide vital
information to the government. These could all hold strong positions in
a fight for a policy or change of some sort.
Each pressure groups resources contribute massively to the success of
them. For example, the finance of the group plays a big part of the
running of the group.

Mr Evans
Jonathan McIver

The availability of funds does not always guarantee success, however

money often means the size of the company increases, which may
indicate that, as previously mentioned, big companies can hold strong
positions within the running of the country. The trade unions have so
much power, as money is gained through subscriptions from their
members.
The organisation of pressure groups is often behind the action that is
done to help their cause, for example a high amount of staff, a strong
management structure, and a network for recruiting new members.
Strong organisation can help achieve the pressure groups aims, these
are big advantages over smaller, less formal and organised
movements. The countryside alliance in 1998 organised a massive
demonstration in London, proving their preparedness, and amount of
organisational skills. The fuel lobby in 2000 is a fine example of
logistical organisation. The internet provided a great ally, as through it
the group organised a huge protest in a very short space of time.
Organisation is important as it can influence a huge number of people,
and can help with a protest or demonstration as it puts the word out
about the cause.
Different tactics are used by pressure groups, which can add to the
success of the group as a whole. For example, The ‘Snowdrop
Campaign’ in 1996 used lobbying as a tactic to gain support for their
ideas. This seemed to be effective, as there was a resulting gun
amnesty, where 160,000 guns were handed in.
The countryside alliance in the 1990s declared a massive
demonstration on March 1st 1998, 300,000 protesters gathered in
London, however, fox- hunting was still banned, however the cause
raised a significant amount of awareness for their campaign. The fuel
tax protest movement in 2000, blockaded petrol refineries to create
widespread panic, this did not seem to affect the policy, and had less
of an effect than the ‘countryside alliance’. However, this may not
measure how successful a pressure group is, as the tactics may be
useless at determining how much more success a group gets than
another.
Governmental support is very important to any pressure group,
however some pressure groups rely on the fact that the government
disagrees with its cause. The government is more likely to be
influenced by a large number of its own supporters who make up the
pressure groups membership. For example, Conservative
administrations of the 1980s and 1990s were unsympathetic to unions
as not many conservative members were likely to be a part of such a
group. Some pressure groups may expect better treatment from a
particular party, and the success of the group depends upon the beliefs
of the government in power. This shows that governmental support
affects the success of a pressure group, as if the party is in power, the

Mr Evans
Jonathan McIver

cause will be looked at more closely than if the opposing party is in

power.
The strength of the opposition is a big factor in measuring a pressure
groups success. Pressure groups are often seen as challenging the
government’s views, however they are often interlocked in battles
between each other group. It is often the group that gains the most
media attention. If the group is classed as an ‘insider’ group, they’re
less likely to face opposition from the government, which is a big lift for
any group. However, outsider groups can face opposition from the
government or any other group of some sort.
Examples of conflicting groups include the animal rights campaigner’s
vs. the fur trade. Also, Transport 2000 vs. the motorcar industry. The
result of these conflicts will result on which government is in power,
however on many occasions some groups are favourites each and
every time, no matter which government is in power. The amount and
strength of the opposing group to a specific group can explain why
some pressure groups are more successful than others. This is because
if there is a weaker opposition, less people are likely to disagree or see
a different point of view to the pressure groups idea.
Each pressure group is reliant on the public’s opinion. If the public
opinion if good toward a particular issue or group, many MP’s are
inclined to listen to the group with public support. This is because MP’s
care very much about how they’re seen in the public, so they try to go
with the publics wishes on many issues. For example, equal pay for
women, reducing the age of consent for homosexuals to 18. Therefore,
public opinion is one of the most important factors in why some
pressure groups are more successful than others, as MP’s and
governments can set a pressure group well on their way to getting
their policy or cause passed, or into the public eye. Also, if the public
widely agree with the cause of a pressure group, the bigger the
possible demonstration may be.
In conclusion, the question ,’Why are some pressure groups more
successful than others’ is in fact very hard to judge and answer. This is
because the media is a big influence on the coverage of an issue,
rather than the pressure group itself. Also, if many pressure groups
campaign on a singular issue, where does the credit go to, therefore it
is hard to measure a pressure groups success. The membership of
each pressure group consists of the size, the social class of members
and the strategic importance of the membership. Membership is
important as it shows the public what type of people are getting
affected by the cause at hand, it could familiarise the public with the
issue. Pressure groups resources consist of finance, organisation and
its tactics. This means that the pressure groups long term future is
secured, which could be seen as success, as the group has survived for
some time. The external environment consists of government support,
public opinion and opposition. This shows that the specific pressure

Mr Evans
Jonathan McIver

group will be judged by the public, the government and other pressure
groups, however success could be measured in different ways,
depending on the person looking at the matter.

Mr Evans