Evaluate the view that pressure groups help to promote democracy in the UK system
- A grade or a* graded essay (I wrote it in 2022 when doing A-Levels, most information can still be applied for knowledge, I now study PPE at uni).
Hope this can help!!
Evaluate the view that pressure groups help to promote democracy in the UK system
Pressure groups can be acknowledged as a key part of enhancing the right to freedom of association;
they act as a community to typically promote the interests of the people and in some cases the
nation as a whole. They offer a firm protection of minority interest, especially causes that have not
been addressed properly. Pressure groups act as a force that pester the government for change in
their laissez faire attitude towards particular topics and may even seize to educate the public on a
cause in order to gain a wider support for their values to hold a greater demand on parliament.
Nonetheless, it can also be seen to have its flaws.
It can be argued that Pressure Groups within the UK aid democracy in the UK system through
presenting the public with the opportunity of increased participation. Pressure Groups work to
enhance pluralism through promoting the public to participate in politics and to develop a stronger
political mindset - through pressure group activity it further allows those interested to involve
themselves in public campaigns as well as other activities within the group like surveys and
organising events. Public participation within these groups can be acknowledged to promote
democracy while giving support for an area of interest or concern; it gives the people a chance to
stand for what they align themselves with along with others with the same values. Participation as a
direct example of pressure group activity can be seen in pressure groups nationally; a recent example
is Insulate Britain. Insulate Britain is a new upcoming pressure group demanding the government for
change in regards to insulating homes, the people within this group can be seen to block the M25,
which is one of the busiest roads within the UK. Although this has become well recognized, it has also
been mocked and ridiculed by the press and by the prime minister himself. Participating in pressure
groups in this term can affect democracy negatively as it shows how direct action can cause hardship
to a community and how certain topics will not be taken seriously to make a change. This may mean
a decrease in participation in pressure groups as the citizens around these taunted groups may see
all groups like this and therefore never involve themselves in nontraditional forms of participation
outside of voting. Alongside this within some pressure groups it can also be seen that participation is
generally limited and people may only join for selective incentives. An example of this is people
joining the RSPB in order to obtain a free bird's nest upon joining. Thus not increasing political ability
or promoting real democracy. However in totality it can be concluded that participation typically
benefits democracy as it promotes the opportunity for people nationally to join in on political topics
and democracy in an untraditional way. Society can be mobilised to participate as a means of gaining
attraction and enforcing a pressure for change. However, it can also come at a deficit for democracy
in some cases as pressure groups as unlawful acts can lead to a negative preconception for the
communities around them.
In contrast, pressure groups can be seen to have an almost hierarchy of power in some cases and
even an inequality of power across pressure groups as a whole. This can lead to a lack of participation
from those in the group itself and also lead to a negative impact on democracy as it does not equally
represent everyone's views, which a pressure group is indirectly obliged to do. This may then lead to
different causes becoming more popular and well recognised for undemocratic reasons. An example
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