Evaluate the view that pressure groups enhance democracy and participation

Question 1

P1: Agree Enhance Participation More Routes For Involvement

Answer 1

1. In April 2019, XR blocked roads and bridges across London, leading to over 1,000 arrests. Triggered parliamentary debate and helped push the UK Parliament to declare a “climate emergency” in May 2019.
2. For example, in 2014, their petition opposing NHS privatisation attracted over half a million signatures and led to significant media attention and parliamentary discussion of the Health and Social Care Act.
3. A report by Hansard in 2021 found that only 29% of 18-24 year olds are satisfied with how Parliament works.

Question 2

P1: Does not enhance participation.

Answer 2

1. Change.org hosted a petition titled “Stop the closure of railway ticket offices,” which gained over 750,000 signatures. Most signatories took no further political action, showing how petition-based engagement can be passive and lacks political depth.
2. A 2023 study by the Hansard Society found that while digital activism is rising, it often attracts repeat participants from already-engaged demographics (middle-class, university-educated, urban), and fails to mobilise disengaged groups, such as low-income or rural populations.

Question 3

P2: Agree Democracy Strengthen Pluralism.

Answer 3

1. Stonewall campaigned successfully for the repeal of Section 28 (2003), civil partnerships (2004), and same-sex marriage (2013), offering a route to policy influence for LGBTQ+ communities.
2. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) regularly lobbies on Islamophobia, education, and counterterrorism policy. In 2020, they submitted detailed evidence to the EHRC on alleged Islamophobia within the Conservative Party.
3. Liberty challenged parts of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, arguing that restrictions on protest rights violated the Human Rights Act.

Question 4

P2: Disagree democracy influence is uneven

Answer 4

1. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has regular contact with ministers. In 2016, they lobbied to shape the government’s Brexit strategy to protect business interests.
2. Internally, many groups are undemocratic — e.g., the TaxPayers’ Alliance lacks membership structure and has opaque funding, undermining its democratic legitimacy despite major media influence.
3. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU), an insider group with close ties to DEFRA had significant influence over post-Brexit agricultural subsidy rules in 2020–21. Meanwhile, smaller farming cooperatives and environmental land stewardship groups were sidelined, despite their strong local support bases.

Question 5

P3: Agree Democracy and Participation Accountability

Answer 5

1. The Good Law Project brought legal challenges over unlawful COVID procurement contracts in 2020–21, forcing government transparency on “VIP lanes” and lobbying practices.
2. Liberty helped win a 2018 High Court ruling that aspects of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (dubbed the “Snooper’s Charter”) were unlawful under human rights law.
3. Dignity in Dying has increased public understanding of assisted dying debates through documentaries, celebrity advocacy (e.g., Prue Leith), and parliamentary lobbying for a free vote on legalisation.
4. Friends of the Earth ran successful awareness campaigns in 2020–22 against single-use plastics and for clean air zones, influencing local and national policy.

Question 6

P3: Disagree May Undermine the democratic process

Answer 6

1. Just Stop Oil, in 2022–23, gained widespread criticism for blocking motorways and damaging artworks, alienating public opinion despite their climate message. Polling showed majority opposition to their methods, even among those who agreed with their goals.
2. During the Brexit campaign, groups like Leave.EU and Britain First used pressure group-style online strategies to circulate misleading information, which deeply influenced political outcomes.