Essay
A* politics essay do pressure groups enhance democracy
- Module
- Democracy and participation
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
2022 A* politics A-Level Edexcel essay title- to what extend do pressure groups enhance democracy?
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Evaluate the extent to which pressure groups enhance democracyPressure groups can be seen to threaten democracy due to wealth being such a key factor in
their sphere of influence. Additionally, groups can be self-interested unlike the government
whose key function is to represent the UK as a whole and can further be seen as
undemocratic due to their natural as unelected, unaccountable, and internally
undemocratic bodies. However, despite this pressure groups do enhance democracy
promoting participation, a key facet of a pluralist society, shine a light on minorities making
their interests heard and provide education to both the masses and government on key
political issues.
Wealth being such a crucial factor for pressure groups success threatens democracy as it
means that political influence is therefore shaped by money and power – an elitist and
unequal system whereby large capitalist corporations such as google or Amazon have more
leverage over the government due to the salient position they play in the economy thus
leading to favourable treatment from governments, this is exemplified in 2011 where vast
funding in the financial sector who spent £93 million lobbying in has been connected to the
coalition extreme cuts of UK corporation tax. This is undemocratic as wealthy pressure
groups with largely self-interested intentions, are able to overshadow smaller and less
wealthy pressure groups, with arguably more beneficial motives for society, due to their
dominant position in the economy. Furthermore, pressure groups can be seen to threaten
democracy due to wealth being at the heart of their success highlighted in the scale of the
lobbying industry which is worth over £2 billion in the UK. Lobbying is inherently
undemocratic providing a passage of direct government communication to wealthier groups
through gifts and favours demonstrated in Microsoft’s donations to the Conservative party
for favourable legislation for their business. This thus exemplifies that larger corporations
unlike small pressure groups such as Fathers for justice find their voices drowned out by the
excessive group politics of powerful and wealthy groups.
However, although wealth is a key factor in the success of pressure groups the existence of
pressure groups can be seen as crucial to enhancing democracy as they allow for
widespread participation in politics. The growing number of pressure groups facilitates
wider participation across multiple sectors; a key facet of a democratic and pluralistic
society where everyone is able to have their voices heard. With low levels of participation in
referendums and elections, such as 67% turnout in the 2019 General Election, pressure
groups open up opportunities for low to high levels of participation from the public thus
enhancing democracy. Pressure groups, especially promotional groups like Extinction
Rebellion allow for public engagement in politics through protests such as the 2020
blockade on printing presses that were a factor in the government declaring a climate
emergency in 2019- one of their aims. Furthermore, pressure groups allow for participation
on low but effective levels too including e-petitions of which some have received over 6
million signatures. This public participation conveys to the government what is important to
the people and has arguably a greater impact on government action than wealth. Pressure
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