Pressure Groups Types and Methods

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Pressure groups unlike political parties do not seek to form the ; instead they attempt to influence those who are in government by putting them under .
Political parties have a wide range of policies whereas pressure groups will have a small range of issues they are concern with and are sometimes just restricted to a single .
Traditionally pressure groups have been categorised into protective groups and groups. Protective groups are sometimes called sectional groups because they seek to protect and promote the interests of a particular section of the population. Protective groups are often groups e.g. trade unions and employers organisations, but can also be groups protecting minority interests e.g. Surfers against Sewage, or groups protecting the interests of a group sharing the same health status e.g. The British Diabetic Association. Membership of protective groups is only to members.
Promotional groups are sometimes referred to as groups. Membership of promotional groups is open to anyone who shares the same enthusiasm for the cause. Examples include and the Royal society for the protection of Birds. Promotional groups sometimes also seek to represent the interests of underrepresented groups or oppressed minorities e.g. (homeless people) and the Child Poverty Action Group.
There is considerable overlap between protective and promotional groups so some sociologists prefer to use the ‘insider’ ‘outsider’ categories.
Insider groups are those groups which are regularly consulted by government and who are by decision makers. Insider groups are respectable, seen as ‘experts’, realistic and properly representative of an important group or issue. Examples include the BMA (doctors), the NFU (farmers) and the NUT ().
Outsider groups however have very little and often no contact with government decision makers. This is because their views are often seen as unreasonable or , their methods may be illegal and frowned upon or the issues they represent may be seen as unimportant. Examples include certain Animal rights groups and the Anti Global movement.
Some groups move category. For example Friends of the Earth was considered an outsider group in the 1980s but is now securely an insider group, whereas the NUT and other teaching unions have become more outsider recently following a protected dispute with the Coalition government over and education social policy.

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Pressure groups use a variety of methods. The most obvious one is direct contact with MPs civil servants and decision makers. This is sometimes called because much of it happens in the lobby or hall next to the House of Commons. Pressure groups also regularly give evidence to government commissions and enquiries where their ‘’ is seen as valuable.
Pressure groups can also use the law courts to highlight their causes and government decisions. For instance a head teachers union in 2012 is threatening to take the exam boards to court over the recent regarding of GCSE English results. Even an expensive court case lost can be valuable to the pressure group. In the publicity it gives them.
Pressure groups have become skilled users of the with the bigger ones having their own press desks, web sites and media centres. Pressure groups often arrange publicity stunts to attract media attention to their cause or they may place advertisements in the national press or on TV.
Finally some pressure groups engage in Action. Direct action is anything that falls outside normal political channels and can be legal, illegal, violent or non violent. Examples range from marches and demonstrations to riots and .