ETV that think-tanks, lobbyists & pressure groups have little impact on government decisions

Question 1

Para headings
LOA

Answer 1

1. Insider
2. Outsider
3. Think-tanks & lobbyists
   Agree: they have little impact

Question 2

Para 1- Insider
Disagree- impact

Answer 2

• close contacts with ministers, gov. deps., MPs & civil servants
• align w gov. politically > close links gov. deps. > directly lobby
• EXAMPLE: National Farmer’s Union with Dep. of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) > 2013 helped convince coalition gov. support badger cull to prevent spread disease in farm animals
• Specific expertise > sometimes can brief gov. on issues of concern
• key role in drafting leg./ give evidence to select committees
• EXAMPLE: New Lab. in pwr. > LGBTQ+ rights PG Stonewall had insider status > key role in policy formulation > equalising age of consent for gay ppl to 16 too as part of Sexual Offences Act 2000 > Parl. Acts 1911 & 1949 invoked to overrule HOL

Question 3

Para 1- Insider
Agree- little impact

Answer 3

• gov. makes final decision on policy
• have to broadly align w gov. policies to have impact > unlikely to majorly shift policy in direction that gov. wouldn’t have done anyway
• EXAMPLE: National Farmer’s Union influence of Cons. govs. because party broadly supports their aims anyway
• dependent on political leanings of gov. of the day > can quickly become oitsider groups & lose their influence if pol. situation changes
• EXAMPLE: key trade unions lots influence under 1970s Lab. govs. BUT little-to-none when Thatcher > intent on curtailling trade union pwr.
• difficult to judge success > don’t publicise successes to not offend & risk losing gov. contacts

Question 4

Para 2- Outsider
Disagree- impact

Answer 4

• mobilise public opinion & support through media, public protests & other non-discrete methods
• raise salience of an issue & pressure gov. to change policy
• social movement success > show gov. their goals have public support > could influence popularity & election outcomes
• EXAMPLE: 2020 campaign to extend free schl meals to kids in holidays led by Marcus Rashford - social media, e-petitions, trad. media > gov. accepted demands June 2020
• legal challenges to thwart/ reverse policy
• EXAMPLE: gov’s. deal to send illegal immigs. to Rwanda - Care4Calais (campaigns for refugee rights) argued it unsafe & violates HRA > discrimanatory access to asylum for diff groups in Rwanda (espec. LGBT)

Question 5

Para 2- Outsider
Agree- little impact

Answer 5

• struggle to have impact > lack contacts & far from aligned w gov. attitudes
• if they fail to get signif. public support - often if methods are violent/ disruptive
• EXAMPLE: Just Stop Oil - lots media attention in 2020 > disruptive public demonstrations (blocking roads, stopping Prem. League matches > alientaed lot of public to their cause of ending all new licenses for production of fossil fuels in UK > little pressure on gov. to change policy

Question 6

Para 3- think-tanks & lobbyists
Disagree- impact

Answer 6

Think-tanks:
* alt. source ideas to the civil service
* more time & expertise than parties to carry out research > can influence parties & gov. actions > particualalrly as they have strong pol. leanings & party allegiances
* EXAMPLE: The Universal Credits Benefits system first proposed by the Centre for Social Justice think-tank and then implemented by the coalition gov.

Lobbyists:
* frequently discuss concerns w MPs & gov. deps.
* can use econ. importance of their clients
* potentially corrupting influence of money more genrally to try & influence policy
* EXAMPLE: 1990S ‘cash for questions’ scandal - number Cons. MPs accused of accepting money to ask particular Qs in parl.
* e.g. Guardian reported Neil Hamilton accepted £2000 through lobbysist on behalf of Mohamed Al Fayed

Question 7

Para 3- think-tanks & lobbyists
Agree- little impact

Answer 7

• gov. still makes final decision on policy > their influence shouldn’t be overstated
• both groups lack signif. public support > may struggle to have as much influence
• the extent of lobbyists’ corruption shouldn’t be overstated > woukd represent a serious breach of Ministerial Code > major media & public backlash if revealed
• EXAMPLE: financial services firm Greensill Capital hired former PM David Cameron to lobby on their behalf in 2020 > Sunak refused to change rules to allow Greensill access money through COVID Corporate Financing Facility