Topic 1: rights and pressure groups
Evaluate the view that rights in the UK are no longer protected
P1) legislation:
- snoopers Carter
- Policing bill 2021
- Want to remove the HRA
- Rights removed under COVID-19 legislation
However
- the lords can protect rights by making amendments 2001 scrutiny over anti ferrous bill holding
terror suspects without trial inde natley got the gov to change action
- Gay marriage
- Despite calls to remove HRA it hasn’t happened yet
P2) pressure groups
- outsider groups unable to lobby government even with large public support. Ex the stop the
war coalition in 2008 against Iraq war have 1 million protesters in London and was ignored
- Pressure groups that fall outside the ideology can also have no impact to protect environmental
rights ex extinction rebellion
However
- with celebrity endorsement and participation some pressure groups have been very successful
ex Gurkha campaign which used Johanna Lumley and got 250,000 people to sign petition
successfully granted gurkahs citizenship in the UK
- ASH with its expertise on the e ects of smoking protected rights of children by in uencing
2014 ban on smoking with children in the car
P3) judiciary
- parlaimetnarly sovereignty means that the courts declarations of incompatibility can be ignored
or legislated over
- Ex the Abu quatada case shows that the government are willing to go against the right int he
HRA to see asylum
- The 2004 belmarsh case was declared incompatible yet the gov just legislated over it to control
suspects in a di erent way
- 20/42 declarations have been legislated over
However
- declarations of incompatibly have protected right such as the 2004 act that didn’t allow gay
couples to inherit council ats was incompatible and was listened to
- Judicial independence means that groups aren’t afraid to criticise gov and protect rights
- 2018 judicial review investigation into the snoopers charter led to the act being changed form
accessing anyones data to just serious criminals
Eval the view that pressure groups are good for democracy
P1) get people involved
Ex Gurkha campaign 250,000 signed petitions and actively got involved
However
Depends on the ideology of the government as they can be ignored (stop the war coalition 1
million people marching against Iraq war was ignored)
P2) representing minority rights
Ex ASH representing the rights of children and getting 2014 act passed
Stone wall in uencing gay marriage
fl ff fl ff fi fl
, However if the group isn’t insider and don’t have the power to have sit down meetings with the
government it is unlikely that their tactics will work to defend rights
Fathers for justice attempting to defend rights of fathers during divorce cases failed to protect
their rights
P3) informing the public
Pressure groups such as extinction rebellion, liberty, human rights watch all bene t democracy as
the the public become more well informed about current issues which may help them make more
education decisions at the ballot box If they know what issues upset them
For example might be more likely to vote for the green party if they are more clued up on
envirmoental issues
However
The public can be misinformed by press groups that they subscribe to which may damage
democracy as people are making misinformed choices for example green peace in 2016 were
found to have mis informed members of the dangers of GMO foods when it was found that not
one negative health case has been presented to be caused by them
Evaluate the view that think tanks, pressure groups and lobbyists have little in uence on the
government
P1) outsider status
- groups who are ideologically outside of the government will have no in uence for example
extinction rebellion
- Stop the war coalition gained huge public support of nearly 1 million and was ignored
- Lobbyists who don’t have ex parliamentary workers may struggle to get to the inside
However
Groups with insider status can be very in uential
Ex Ian dunan smith set up his own think tank that lobby’s the work and pensions committee
which he wouldn’t be able to do if he wasn’t the ex leader of conservatives with friends on the
insider
- blair heavily realised on think tanks to make his extensive reforms
- the report alliance didn’t have insider status but still managed to lobby govbenrrmen to protect
pidgins against birds of prey by having a 2018 pigdeon race lords v commons
P2) money
- pressure groups without the resources to put on a big display or campaign can have little to no
in uence because if a group is small with little to no resources it is unlikely to represent a large
group in society, if it does have money and support from the public it it unlikely for them to
carry any electoral success that the government may want to listen to
However
- groups with a large amount of members generates a large about of money who will be able to
have more of an in uence because of the electoral support that they may bring
- Ex the NUT has thousands of members and so labour governments are very likely to listen to
them and making changes based o of this
- Lobbyists who posses large amounts of more can make changes by paying MPS to lobby on
their behalf ex. Own Pattinson was paid by Lynns country foods to lobby the ogvnemrnt to
protect the food industry. Although illegal it happens
P3) expertise
- if a group has expertise but is ideologically outside the government they are unlikely to be
listened to for example the BMA have been highly critical of the government’s handing of the
pandemic. In February 2022 they criticises the government for buying there heads in the sand
and not noting the servers of covid
fl
fl ff fl fl fi fl
Evaluate the view that rights in the UK are no longer protected
P1) legislation:
- snoopers Carter
- Policing bill 2021
- Want to remove the HRA
- Rights removed under COVID-19 legislation
However
- the lords can protect rights by making amendments 2001 scrutiny over anti ferrous bill holding
terror suspects without trial inde natley got the gov to change action
- Gay marriage
- Despite calls to remove HRA it hasn’t happened yet
P2) pressure groups
- outsider groups unable to lobby government even with large public support. Ex the stop the
war coalition in 2008 against Iraq war have 1 million protesters in London and was ignored
- Pressure groups that fall outside the ideology can also have no impact to protect environmental
rights ex extinction rebellion
However
- with celebrity endorsement and participation some pressure groups have been very successful
ex Gurkha campaign which used Johanna Lumley and got 250,000 people to sign petition
successfully granted gurkahs citizenship in the UK
- ASH with its expertise on the e ects of smoking protected rights of children by in uencing
2014 ban on smoking with children in the car
P3) judiciary
- parlaimetnarly sovereignty means that the courts declarations of incompatibility can be ignored
or legislated over
- Ex the Abu quatada case shows that the government are willing to go against the right int he
HRA to see asylum
- The 2004 belmarsh case was declared incompatible yet the gov just legislated over it to control
suspects in a di erent way
- 20/42 declarations have been legislated over
However
- declarations of incompatibly have protected right such as the 2004 act that didn’t allow gay
couples to inherit council ats was incompatible and was listened to
- Judicial independence means that groups aren’t afraid to criticise gov and protect rights
- 2018 judicial review investigation into the snoopers charter led to the act being changed form
accessing anyones data to just serious criminals
Eval the view that pressure groups are good for democracy
P1) get people involved
Ex Gurkha campaign 250,000 signed petitions and actively got involved
However
Depends on the ideology of the government as they can be ignored (stop the war coalition 1
million people marching against Iraq war was ignored)
P2) representing minority rights
Ex ASH representing the rights of children and getting 2014 act passed
Stone wall in uencing gay marriage
fl ff fl ff fi fl
, However if the group isn’t insider and don’t have the power to have sit down meetings with the
government it is unlikely that their tactics will work to defend rights
Fathers for justice attempting to defend rights of fathers during divorce cases failed to protect
their rights
P3) informing the public
Pressure groups such as extinction rebellion, liberty, human rights watch all bene t democracy as
the the public become more well informed about current issues which may help them make more
education decisions at the ballot box If they know what issues upset them
For example might be more likely to vote for the green party if they are more clued up on
envirmoental issues
However
The public can be misinformed by press groups that they subscribe to which may damage
democracy as people are making misinformed choices for example green peace in 2016 were
found to have mis informed members of the dangers of GMO foods when it was found that not
one negative health case has been presented to be caused by them
Evaluate the view that think tanks, pressure groups and lobbyists have little in uence on the
government
P1) outsider status
- groups who are ideologically outside of the government will have no in uence for example
extinction rebellion
- Stop the war coalition gained huge public support of nearly 1 million and was ignored
- Lobbyists who don’t have ex parliamentary workers may struggle to get to the inside
However
Groups with insider status can be very in uential
Ex Ian dunan smith set up his own think tank that lobby’s the work and pensions committee
which he wouldn’t be able to do if he wasn’t the ex leader of conservatives with friends on the
insider
- blair heavily realised on think tanks to make his extensive reforms
- the report alliance didn’t have insider status but still managed to lobby govbenrrmen to protect
pidgins against birds of prey by having a 2018 pigdeon race lords v commons
P2) money
- pressure groups without the resources to put on a big display or campaign can have little to no
in uence because if a group is small with little to no resources it is unlikely to represent a large
group in society, if it does have money and support from the public it it unlikely for them to
carry any electoral success that the government may want to listen to
However
- groups with a large amount of members generates a large about of money who will be able to
have more of an in uence because of the electoral support that they may bring
- Ex the NUT has thousands of members and so labour governments are very likely to listen to
them and making changes based o of this
- Lobbyists who posses large amounts of more can make changes by paying MPS to lobby on
their behalf ex. Own Pattinson was paid by Lynns country foods to lobby the ogvnemrnt to
protect the food industry. Although illegal it happens
P3) expertise
- if a group has expertise but is ideologically outside the government they are unlikely to be
listened to for example the BMA have been highly critical of the government’s handing of the
pandemic. In February 2022 they criticises the government for buying there heads in the sand
and not noting the servers of covid
fl
fl ff fl fl fi fl
