British Politics - Literature review Example

What are the main factors determining the success of a pressure group in British Politics? Groups are necessarily organized to create awareness of a problem or need and especially addressed to a Government because solitary voice of an individual will not be heard. “Whenever an Englishman gets an idea he forms a society to propagate it. (Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy) “…...concerted and sustained action is essential if the Government is to be aware of the legitimate needs and interests of any section of the community. The lone voice of an individual will seldom be heard amidst the clamor of vocal interests” (British Hotels and Restaurants Association) Organized groups will generally be of two kinds: those forming sectional interests; and those with shared attitudes. It is difficult to distinguish the two without overlapping. The first kind will purport to speak on behalf their sectional interests with authority as a representative. Question will arise whom they claim to represent and to what extent and what authority. The second kind will evoke queries as to who supports them and how they raise their resources. In a way both kinds will have shared attitudes because of the common interests in both cases. The object of this paper is to describe discuss relationship between the organized groups and Governmental Authorities, Members of Parliament and major Political Parties responsible for their success as pressure groups. The Organized groups are viewed as intermediaries as far as the administration is concerned. In the case of Petrol rationing, the Chamber took interest in the problem that the Britain faced and which had affected its members in different magnitudes. The chamber also served in various committees and represented to the Ministries concerned. It had no goal for lifting of the rationing for any class of user and did not seek concessions for any one type of motorist. In all such cases however, members’ hardships were explained to the Government authorities and each case the chamber could obtain additional allowance of fuel. (National Chamber of Trade) The employment of young girls just leaving school, in the manufacture of contraceptives, has engaged the attention of the committee. ... By the efforts of the Council and the personal intervention of the Chairman, the Bishop of London, interviews and conferences took place between the Government Departments concerned, and an arrangement was made whereby 'Local Ministry of Labour Offices and Juvenile Employment Bureaux have been asked to do all they can to see that young girls do not go to employment in the firms engaged in the manufacture of these articles'. -- Parliamentary, Patrol and Propaganda Sub-committee, Public Morality Council (Potter 1975 p 172) Similarly many spokesmen and promotional groups keep constant touch with Government Departments and gather knowledge for disseminating to their members so as to deal with Government in case of need. Some groups would exert pressure on the government. In 1956, Lord Saltoun was approached by the representatives of association of Retired Naval Officers to raise an issue with respect to one of its members and though Lord Saltoun raised it in the Hose of Lords, its basis was rejected by the Government. The Earl of Gosford however said 'the particular case ...does not, I honestly feel, in the light of the circumstances, support a charge that this distinguished officer's present position is due to his unfair treatment by Her Majesty's Government'. Nevertheless he announced that the officer's retired pay would be increased 'in the special circumstances of this particular case'. He did not explain what 'the special circum. ((Potter 1975 p 174) Still other groups will acts as objectors. The Retail Trading Standards Association objected to issuing of work permits to foreign artists by giving them registered trade marks. The association expressed its fears that the practice would harm the industry concerned. (Potter 1975 p.174) There is a suggestion that above scenario no longer exists after the end of consensual politics post ward war till 1980s that ended with Margaret Thatcher. The politics in Britain is said to be much influenced by insider groups. There are outsiders that are small in number. A survey conducted among 381 groups revealed that very few could be classified as pure outsiders and the majority of them with features of insider. These findings are only suggestive and not conclusive. (Edward C 1999) “While the methodology employed means that the results are suggestive rather than conclusive, the implications of the findings for the study of government-group relations in Britain are that the insider/outsider distinction is at best an oversimplification and at worst misleading.”(Edward C 1999) Pressure groups in British polity are mostly campaigning groups and they possess knowledge and understanding and methods with which they motivate public and influence decision makers. The Jubilee Scotland not only lobbies for 100 percent debt cancellation of the poorest countries in the world but also are offering free education for secondary schools collaborating with educational institutions of Scotland. There are organizations such as Age Concern, The British Council of Disabled People, Child Poverty Action Group, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace, Help the Aged, Liberty, Runny made trust, Shelter, Trade Union Congress and Amnesty International. Confederation of British Industry, and Lobby for Cyprus. These organisations are engaged in championing the causes of poor, campaigning for measures to contain environmental pollution, global warming, rehabilitating the war affected, fighting against social injustice and so on. (Education for Citizenship) Factors for success of pressure groups in general and in British politics in particular:-. These groups in British politics have democratic traits that public in Britain are easily attracted to participate in their campaigns. Because, these pressure groups have the backing of the public. They generally influence the Government after an election for decisions favorable to public. Most of these pressure groups are seen as extension of democracy. Few pressure groups do not act in public interest. The pressure groups which are organized do not participate in general election but they will have the power to influence Government policies or legislation. As the word pressure-group has negative connotation as if to achieve their vested interests, there is general tendency to avoid using this term. Generally the pressure groups do not take undue advantage and they work for only positive results for the country’s good. In Britain there is more number of pressure groups running into thousands than political parties. Sizes of the pressure groups are also not small as it may sound. For example Confederation of British Industry has nearly 150,000 businesses as its members actively engaged for diverse interests of the industry. There are single issue based organizations like CLARA (Central Area Lamington Residents’ Association. Working for only improving the town of Lamington. As seen above there also (British Politics) They succeed in accomplishing their aims due to several positive factors. They have vast resources of funds and excel in their organizational abilities. They enjoy public sympathy. They get easy access to ministers and other powerful persons involved in decision making. They are also reputable enough to command respect and positive responses from the decision makers. In a system of democracy, the pressure groups are able to play a significant role. As against political parties with varied interests and hence their inability to specialize, these pressure groups who are highly knowledgeable and sensitive in their realm of activity are able to prevail upon the Government or parliamentarians. The political figures in fact have to depend on these groups for first hand knowledge of the issues involved. Pressure groups have the characteristics of perpetuity as against politicians who come to power alternately resulting in mediocre knowledge on issues. Because of their very nature, pressure groups enable Governments to perform better and in a qualitative manner. Government becomes more efficient because their decision making is supported by the realistic and authentic feedbacks from these organized groups. They are born out of freedom of association that is a core requirement of democratic functioning. Freely operating pressure groups without any interference from vested interests serve Government in three ways. They form as link between Government and society; they bring about decentralized power; and they act as counter pressure to concentration of power. Issues of importance newly arising are included in the political agenda at the behest of these pressure groups. Public find these pressure groups as means to ventilate their grievance and public dependence on them ensures their perpetuity. Pressure groups acts as watch dogs and expose secretly kept issues thus complementing the role of opposition parties in the Government. Since they are neutral between Government and Opposition, their credibility amongst the electorates is maintained. (pressure groups). These pressure groups are so strong that they set trends and politicians engage consultants to predict their electoral victories. Mark Penn whom Bill Clinton and Tony Blair have consulted on strategies and whom at present Hillary Clinton has been consulting, points out that once an interest group makes 1% of the population, it sets the trend. For example influence of Latin Americans in the United States has been on the increase which is a well known fact. Less well known is that 1% of Latino population of 10 million in the U.S. is protestant. While voting pattern of Catholics remained unchanged from 2000 polls to 2004 polls for the president, Latino Protestants tilted towards George Bush in 2004 which made him victorious. (The Economist US 2007) Observing Americans' propensity to come together in numerous interest groups is as old as Alexis de Tocqueville. But two things are new, and may account for a multiplication of micro trends. First, the internet is making it far easier for people with niche interests to find fellow enthusiasts. Second, there seems to be a greater tolerance for unorthodox individual choices, reflected in trends as diverse as a rise in left-handedness and a sea-change in attitudes to mixed-race marriage. What broader picture emerges from Mr Penn's pointillist observations? As more and more small groups define themselves more sharply than ever, America is no longer a melting pot. It is becoming a nation of niches. Indeed, some will see a cause for concern in the apparent trend towards increasing fragmentation. One worrier is Cass Sunstein, a law professor at the University of Chicago. In "Republic.com 2.0" he points to the danger of niches becoming "echo chambers" in which only the views of like-minded people are heard, thanks to the internet making it easy for people to filter information into a personalized selection, "the Daily Me". A healthy democracy, he argues, depends on exposure to diverse or unexpected opinions. If Americans wall themselves off from topics and opinions they prefer to avoid, narrowing their horizons, their democracy will suffer. But niches do not need to imply narrow-mindedness. On the contrary, as Mr Sunstein accepts, the internet holds far more promise than risk. Mr Penn, for his part, remains an optimist. He sees in microtrends a triumph of tolerance and individual choice. Certainly the implications are in many cases anything but small. All the usual assumptions about the coming crisis in America's Social Security (pensions) system will have to be rethought if the trend towards working beyond the normal retirement age gathers pace. And Mr Penn's skill in picking pertinent microtrends could help decide whether or not his candidate becomes America's first female president. (The Economist US 2007) For the characteristics of a genuine pressure group, the case of Green Peace is worth studying. It has got one office in Amsterdam and offices in 41 countries. Each office is governed by a board which appoints a trustee. All the trustees hold meeting annually and draw long-term strategy for their organization. The keep changing structure for Governance and prescribe maximum limits for spending. They draw international budget for Greenpeace International and elect four members to their board and one Chairperson. Greenpeace does not take donations or subsidies from Government, Corporates or political parties so as to avoid compromising of its independence, aims, policies, aspirations and declarations. It only receives donations made voluntarily from individuals and accepts grants from foundations. As it is committed to non-violence, neutrality in politics and to international character, it is not tempted to compromise on principles or tilt towards favoritism on issues. Its current chair person is an Australian, Executive Director is a German. Both are Journalist and Activist respectively. It recruits individuals by handing out flyers at meetings and protests. It encourages individuals joining it to act on their individual personal beliefs. The pressure groups’ members have strong commitment on their policies. It campaigns on the Internet with transparency. The techniques it uses to influence political decision making are boycotting of products like GM foods, engaging in lobbying with Government and making adverse publicity for the erring businesses or Government and helping opposition parties if their stands are genuine. (Pressure Groups) Conclusion The above literature review on pressure groups in U. K and in a small measure in U.S just to draw parallels, shows that their existence and survival depend on positive aspects of their functioning without taking sides. The factors for their success in U.K. seem to be the legacies left behind by their predecessors known for their integrity and character. Their traits are being handed down for generations. In fact studies show that people of European descent elsewhere in the world show the same traits attributed to the success of similar pressure groups elsewhere in the world especially in America. It should also be mentioned that history has witnessed that any pressure groups not above board have not survived. References British Politics accessed December 11, 2007 . Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy “Physiotherapy”, Vol. 43, No. 10 (October 1957), p. 289. Education for Citizenship, “Pressure Groups” accessed December 10, 2007 < http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/index.asp Edward C The British Journal of Politics and International Relations Volume 1 Issue 2 Page 205-214, June 1999. The following are the major pressure groups in Britain. The Economist (US). Land of the small; American interest groups 384.8547 (Sept 22, 2007) The Journal, British Hotels and Restaurants Association, Vol.IX. No 12. December 1957 page 375 National Chamber of Trade “Fifty-Ninth Annual Report 1956-57, p.23. Potter Allen 1975 “The Organized Groups in British National Politics” Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut Pressure Groups accessed Decmebr11, 2007 Read More