To What Extent Do Pressure Groups Promote Pluralist Democracy

To what extent do pressure groups promote pluralist democracy in the UK?

A pluralist democracy is an even dispersal of power, by definition democracy is pluralist, however the UK democratic system is considered to have a uneven centre of power in government, this disproportionate concentration of power is usually addressed through pressure groups that seek to maintain the freedom of association. However some pressure groups are seen to undermine pluralism in a democracy this may be due to their strategic position in society, and also their insider status gives their interests greater priority over other pressure groups. the wide variety of pressure groups available to the mass of citizens allows for a wider access of power and decision making
for the general public.

It is argued that political parties are unable to adequately represent the complete range of varied opinions and interests within a modern democracy, this is due to their function of combining several interests into a comprehensible political body that is able to administer the country.
Pressure groups empower public interest to be addressed by government, this in turn exerts some influence in public decision making within government. However it is specifically the interests of independent issues that lead to concern, due to the strategies used to gain their objectives as well as the disproportionate leverage and capacity that certain lobbies are able to exercise. pressure groups are considered a way of overcoming the democratic short fall of political participation being limited to a vote casted every five years, resulting in the public possessing a small amount of influence on decision making amid elections and little to no representation for the minorities. Pressure groups enhance the quality of democracy by developing participation to the political system. New matters and issues are able to reach the political agenda, so that facilitates societal progress. examples of this include feminist and environmentalist movements, this helps to improve the quality of government policy and
legislation.

However some critics have argued that pressure groups may not play a role coherent to a pluralist model.For examples although pressure groups encourage participation it can sometimes be in an un-just manner, that complements what could be considered an elitist model, and in that respect it functions against, and not for public interest. And although the concerns of pressure groups are considered they are largely dismissed should they not affirm with the dogma of decision makers. Moreover it is largely believed that PG activity is merely a distraction in the form of prospect, the elitist few would rather have there efforts diverted into PG activity which rarely bring’s into question the foundations of the system, as opposed to other political efforts that may potentially challenge the legitimacy of the ruling class. The manner in which some groups conduct themselves amplifies collective displeasure as well as political instability by escalating social injustice and dissatisfaction among ostracised branches of the public. further more it is not uncommon for public demonstrations organised by groups to develop into clashes with each other as well as police, in some cases illegal tactics are resorted to that are considered acts of terrorism, anything from scaling buildings (father4justice) to blowing up buildings. Some pressure groups even involve militant activity that hold there own agendas. This level of domestic defiance is unjustifiable within a modern democracy.

The way governments respond to pressure groups is also a vital element in measuring there effectiveness, the categories under which pressure groups fall, such as “insider” or “outsider”, “promotional” and “sectional” these are all factors to be considered when assessing the governments responsiveness to pressure groups, this also beg the question which groups pose the largest threat to a pluralist democracy? it is not secret that insider groups are usually ‘closer’ to government and are party affiliated this makes them more influential when it comes to policy making through methods such as lobbying, but also favours an elitist view of unequal distribution of resources as well as influence between groups. ‘outsider’ groups on the other hand pursue a more open strategy of political influence, openly criticising government and pursuing campaigns, usually the more public support and media coverage the more effective the results will be. It is estimated only a mere 100,000 truly committed activists are present in Britain, meaning only 0.2% of the british public are having any significant influence in policy, this does not reflect well on political involvement for democracy.These statistics may be due to the belief held by some that many pressure groups undermine the policy making process as they are overshadowed by people with invested interests seeking only to enhance the position of certain groups in society.

Pressure groups act as a check on balance of power and are considered an imperative element for democracy. However they can threaten democracy if sectional groups cripple the interests of the public and resort to fraudulent or aggressive methods, it would appear that insider groups are for more successful in influencing government, this may be due to a the government seeking groups that would prove beneficial to their cause, such a providing financial aid to a party in exchange for guarantees, this bias is promotes elitism and is far more prominent than outsider pressure groups that occasionally influence minor policies through great effort, this makes it very obvious that the government does not hold a neutral arbiter.Pressure groups can however keep the public informed and educated on current domestic and foreign affairs this in turn enhances plurality within democracy. To conclude pressure groups are a partially effective tool that give the public some leverage and access to government and policy change, but not nearly enough to be considered a complete pluralist democracy, because there are still many flaws.

Bibliography:

1-http://www.tutor2u.net/politics/content/topics/pressure_groups/pressure_democracy.htm
[accessed: 31st Oct 2014]
2-http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/do_pressure_groups_add_to_democr.htm
[accessed 28th Oct 2014]
3-Edexcel AS UK Government and Politics [by Neil McNaughton]