ETVT think-tanks, lobbyists and pressure groups have little impact on govt decisions Flashcards
(13 cards)
1) DEBATE THEME-
INSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
2) DEBATE THEME-
OUTSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
3) DEBATE THEME -
THINK TANKS
4) DEBATE THEME -
LOBBYISTS
1) FOR DEBATE PARAGRAPH - INSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
FOR-
- influence through close contacts with ministers, govt departments etc
- aligned with govt politically, often have close links with govt departments and can Theodore directly lobby the govt to try achieve their aims
- THE NATIONAL FARMERS UNION has close links with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) - provide specific expertise - influence based on the importance of farmers to the UK.
- 2023 DEFRA Sec Steve Barclay announced £45m funding for farmers under the ‘Farming Investment Fund’. The NFU worked with DEFRA to lobby for this funding and to ensure it fits the need of farmers
- specific expertise= insider groups sometimes able to brief the govt on issues of concern, play a key role in drafting legislation, or give evidence to select committees = NL LGBT+ PG Stonewall key role in policy formulation e.g. success equalising age of consent for gay and straight individuals to 16 yrs old as part of Sexual Offences Act 2000.
1) AGAINST DEBATE PARAGRAPH - INSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
influence shouldn’t be overstate.
- still the govt that ultimately makes final decision on policy.
- have to be broadly aligned with the govt to have an impact. The NFU more influence over Conservative govt because Conservative Party broadly supports their aims anyway.
- IGP very dependent on political leanings of the govt of the day, and can quickly become outsider PGs and lose influence. –> key trade unions wielded a lot of influence under Labour govt of 1970s, but little to no influence once Thatcher elected as intent on curtailing TU power.
- often difficult to judge success of IPG as they often don’t publicise the success they have had as to not offend, and therefore risk losing govt contacts
examples of insider pressure groups
National Farmers Union - NFU has over 55,000 members and organises annual national conferences - most recent one was attended by Sunak, Starmer and Davy
British Medical Association
Stonewall
2) FOR DEBATE PARAGRAPH - OUTSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
outsider PGs seek to influence govt policy by mobilising public opinion and support through the use of media, public protests and other non-discrete methods.
- raise importance of issue and put pressure on govt to change policy. social movements are able to have success due to their ability to demonstrate to the govt their goals have significant public support and could therefore influence their popularity and election outcomes.
- 2020 campaign to extend free school meals to children during school holidays, lead by Rashford. Campaign effectively used social media, trad media and e-petitions to generate a social movement and demonstrate public support - made govt accept demands on 16th June.
- first 1/2 2024 consistent protests across UK for immediate Ceasefire in Gaza. Feb 2024 Labour supporting an ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’ and the Conservative foreign secretary Cameron calling for de-escalation.
- well funded OPGs are legal challenges with the intention of reversing govt policy - Care4Calais challenge to govt Rwanda Bill, arguing Rwanda unsafe and violates HRA. June 2022 first planned flight emptied due to Hr challenges in ECHR.
2) AGAINST DEBATE PARAGRAPH - OUTSIDER PRESSURE GROUPS
struggle to impact if lack contacts with govt and are often very far from being aligned with govt attitudes.
- struggle off fail to get significant support, often case if methods are disruptive. As seen with JUST STOP OIL which gained lots of media attention 2022 due to disruptive public demonstrations but this alienated a lot of public. made easier for Sunak to announce in 2023 that he was going to grant 100 new North Sea Oil and gas licences
- the Public Order Act passed May 2023 limit effectiveness of OPG that use disruptive tactics to draw attention to their causes, by imposing stricter penalties and giving law enforcement new tools to manage and respond to protests. October 2023 Met Police intervened Just Stop Oil ‘slow march’ around Parliament Square, which are punishable by imprisonment or unlimited fines.
3) FOR - think tanks
group of experts who are brought together to investigate topics and offer solutions to complicated economic, social and political issues. can be alternative source of ideas to civil service, with more time and expertise than parties to carry out research. as a result, they can influence the policies of parties and actions of govt, particularly as they have strong politics allegiances.
- The Universal Credit benefits system was first proposed by the Centre for Social Justice and then implemented by coalition govt.
- 2022 IEA - very neoliberal influenced Truss and Kwarteng’s disastrous economic policy. Truss’ special advisor Ruth Porter a former communications director of IEA
- 2024 INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL CHANGE influence centrist policies of Starmer’s Labour govt- ‘pro-business’, tough on crime e.g. increasing police numbers
3) AGAINST - THINK TANKS
Lack of Transparency and Accountability
Many think tanks are funded by private donors or corporations with vested interests. Their recommendations may reflect donor agendas rather than objective research.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) does not publicly disclose its donors, yet it strongly influenced the economic policy of Liz Truss, which led to market instability and rising borrowing costs.
Think tanks operate outside democratic structures—unlike MPs or civil servants, they are not elected or accountable to the public.
It suggests their influence on government can be unregulated, potentially biased, and misaligned with public interest, thereby undermining trust in policymaking processes.
3) FOR - LOBBYISTS - have large MAINLY NEGATIVE impact
- Lobbyists are members of professional organisations paid by clients seeking access to govt, MPs and members of the HOL. Their purpose is to gain influence on behalf of their clients and prevent/promote legislation damaging/promoting their interests.
- Lobbying is big in the UK; employing 4000 people with a total of £2bill spent on it each year. Lobbyists frequently discuss their concerns with MPs and govt departments and can use the economic importance of their clients, as well as the potentially corrupting influence of money more generally, to try and influence policy.
- Scott Benton, former Con MP for Blackpool South, was caught in an undercover sting operation by The Times in late 2023, where he was filmed offering to lobby on behalf of a fake gambling company. During the meetings Benton proposed task parl questions, in exchange for payments up to £4000 a month
- Many lobbying firms and individual companies also hire former politicians to lobby on their behalf, due to the importance of their contacts and friends in WM.
– The Guardian reported in March 2023 that since 2017 over 170 former Uk ministers and senior officials have taken up jobs that relate to policy areas they previously managed. this raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as these indvs may leverage their insider knowledge and connections to lobby on behalf of private interests. E.g., former education secretary Gavin Williamson was paid £50,000 to be an adviser to RTC Education, a firm run by the Tory donor Selva Pankaj.
3) AGAINST- lobbyists (mainly) and think tanks have limited impacts
very difficult to judge the extent of influence of lobbyists and think tanks on govt policy. the govt still makes the final decision on policy and shier influence perhaps shouldn’t be overstated.
- Further, as both groups lack significant public support, they may struggle to have as ,much influence and pressure groups, who are able to demonstrate adopting a policy many increase support fro the govt across the population.
- whilst lobbyists certainly can have influence through their contracts and financial incentives, the extent of corruption shouldn’t be overstated, particularly as it would represent a serious breach of the ministerial code and cause major media and public backlash if it was revealed. E.g. April 2024; P passed Tobacco and Vapes Act which prohibits anyone born after 2009 from purchasing cigarettes. The bill was passed despite intense lobbying by the tobacco industry for MPs to vote down the bill. This shows the limits of lobbyings success if It goes against clear govt intentions and popular policies.
- March 2023, UK Parliament also sought to regulate lobbying more strictly by introducing new standards rules to enhance transparency and regulate MP’s conduct more stringently. Key updates include an outright ban on MPs providing paid Parl advice or strategy services related to lobbying. Additionally, Mrs are now required to have a written contract for any outside work explicitly stating that their duties do not include lobbying activities.
