Ways in which citizens can influence government decision-making PDF

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Ways in which citizens can influence government decision-making Evaluate the influence of pressure groups on the political system (12) Pressure groups can influence decision makers through the use of legal methods, such as demonstrations. This can influence decision makers as they are more likely to listen to a pressure group if they have enough support and have evidence to prove that this is a real concern for the public. For example, in 2018, thousands took part in marches across London, organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to increase funds for the NHS. As a result of the campaign, over £2.8 billion had been allocated to the NHS. However, pressure groups may also use illegal methods to gain the attention of decision makers. This can be through violent protests and blockades or sit-ins, which can result in free media coverage and an increases in profile and publicity. Yet, as a result of the use of illegal methods, pressure groups may also face backlash and a tarnished reputation, resulting in a decrease in support and influence on decision makers. For example, in 2015, Fathers’ rights activists caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace after using a ladder to scale the building and climb on to the roof. This led to the incarceration of many of these activists and a drop in public and political support for this group.Therefore, pressure groups that use illegal methods are less influential than those using legal methods. Another way a pressure group can influence decision makers is if it is an insider group. This means that they are closely linked to the government, providing them with advice on new policies. Insider groups will be linked to parties targeting specific issues and will have the support and attention of the government. As a result of this close link and support, pressure groups are more likely to have a part in decision making, rather than just influencing it. The Conservative Party have been provided with policy advice and research for many years by Migrant Watch UK and currently, there are many prevailing policies based on European immigration and new policies are being implemented after Brexit. However, despite insider groups being in influential positions, they can find it hard to openly disagree with the government. Insider groups can be ignored and have their positions threatened if there is an issue the group and the government disagree on. This can delay policy influence and make the pressure group less influential. In 2010, the British Medical Association had campaigned against the increase in hours and decrease in wages in junior doctor contracts, however this policy still went through. Therefore, insider groups may not always have influence as governments may choose to ignore them, despite their close relationship.

Evaluate the effectiveness of pressure groups at influencing decision makers (12) Pressure groups can influence decision makers through the use of legal methods, such as

demonstrations. This can influence decision makers as they are more likely to listen to a pressure group if they have enough support and have evidence to prove that this is a real concern for the public. For example, in 2018, thousands took part in marches across London, organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to increase funds for the NHS. As a result of the campaign, over £2.8 billion had been allocated to the NHS. However, pressure groups may also use illegal methods to gain the attention of decision makers. This can be through violent protests and blockades or sit-ins, which can result in free media coverage and an increases in profile and publicity. Yet, as a result of the use of illegal methods, pressure groups may also face backlash and a tarnished reputation, resulting in a decrease in support and influence on decision makers. For example, in 2015, Fathers’ rights activists caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace after using a ladder to scale the building and climb on to the roof. This led to the incarceration of many of these activists and a drop in public and political support for this group. Therefore, pressure groups that use illegal methods are less effective in influencing decision makers than those who use legal methods. Another way a pressure group can influence decision makers is if it is an insider group. This means that they are closely linked to the government, providing them with advice on new policies. Insider groups will be linked to parties targeting specific issues and will have the support and attention of the government. As a result of this close link and support, pressure groups are more likely to have a part in decision making, rather than just influencing it. The Conservative Party have been provided with policy advice and research for many years by Migrant Watch UK and currently, there are many prevailing policies based on European immigration and new policies are being implemented after Brexit. However, despite insider groups being in influential positions, they can find it hard to openly disagree with the government. Insider groups can be ignored and have their positions threatened if there is an issue the group and the government disagree on. This can delay policy influence and make the pressure group less influential. In 2010, the British Medical Association had campaigned against the increase in hours and decrease in wages in junior doctor contracts, however this policy still went through. Therefore, insider groups are not always effective in influencing decision makers as they may be ignored by decision makers.

Analyse the ways in which citizens can participate in the political system (12) One of the main ways citizens can participate in the UK political system is by voting. Voting is often seen as the easiest way for people to participate in politics. There are a range of elected bodies which citizens for. For example, Scottish citizens are able to vote in UK General Elections, Scottish Parliament Elections and local council elections. These elections take place every 4-5 years. The last Scottish Parliament election took place in 2016 and the

SNP on 63 seats out of a possible 129. However, not all citizens participate effectively as they may choose not to vote in elections. One reason for this may be because they find the electoral system too difficult to understand. This is especially the case in Scotland, where we use the Additional Member System in Scottish Parliament elections, whereas UK Parliament elections use First Past the Post. In the Additional Member System, voters are given two votes- one for a constituent representative and one for a regional representative- whereas in UK Parliament elections, there is only one vote for a constituent representative. This can deter voters from participating in the voting process and in the political system, resulting in low turnout rates and poor representation. In Scotland, the turnout rate for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election was 55.6%, and in the 2017 UK General election it was at 68.8%. Therefore, citizens can participate in the UK political system by voting, however, many can be deterred from voting as it may be too confusing using different systems for different elections. Another way that citizens can participate in the political system is by joining a pressure group. Pressure groups are made up of like minded people who want to influence decision makers without holding power for themselves. Pressure groups can be a successful way of people participating in the political process as they can start petitions and take part in demonstrations, showing decision makers the support they have for their cause. For example, in 2018, thousands took part in marches across London, organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to increase funds for the NHS. As a result of the campaign, over £2.8 billion had been allocated to the NHS. However, not all pressure groups are successful in gaining the attention of the government and other decision makers as they may use illegal methods to do so. This can be through violent protests and blockades or sitins, which can result in free media coverage and an increase in profile and publicity. Yet, as a result of the use of illegal methods, pressure groups may also face backlash and a tarnished reputation, resulting in a decrease in support and influence on decision makers. For example, in 2015, Fathers’ rights activists caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace after using a ladder to scale the building and climb on to the roof. This led to the incarceration of many of these activists and a drop in public and political support for this group. Therefore, pressure groups are a way of people participating in politics, however, people may not participate using legal methods, making them ineffective.

To what extent are citizens able to have significant influence on the political system (20) As the UK is a democratic country, it allows citizens the chance to influence the political system. This can be through voting, joining pressure groups and signing and creating epetitions, however many of these may not be effective in influencing the government and decision makers. One of the main ways citizens can influence the UK political system is by voting. Voting is often seen as the easiest way for people to participate in politics. There are a range of elected bodies which citizens for. For example, Scottish citizens are able to vote in UK

General Elections, Scottish Parliament Elections and local council elections. These elections take place every 4-5 years. The last Scottish Parliament election took place in 2016 and the SNP on 63 seats out of a possible 129. However, not all citizens participate effectively as they may choose not to vote in elections. One reason for this may be because they find the electoral system too difficult to understand. This is especially the case in Scotland, where we use the Additional Member System in Scottish Parliament elections, whereas UK Parliament elections use First Past the Post. In the Additional Member System, voters are given two votes- one for a constituent representative and one for a regional representative- whereas in UK Parliament elections, there is only one vote for a constituent representative. This can deter voters from participating in the voting process and in the political system, resulting in low turnout rates and poor representation. In Scotland, the turnout rate for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election was 55.6%, and in the 2017 UK General election it was at 68.8%. Therefore, citizens can influence the UK political system by voting, however, many can be deterred from voting as it may be too confusing using different systems for different elections. Another way that citizens can influence the political system is by joining a pressure group. Pressure groups are made up of like minded people who want to influence decision makers without holding power for themselves. Pressure groups can be a successful way of people participating in the political process as they can start petitions and take part in demonstrations, showing decision makers the support they have for their cause. For example, in 2018, thousands took part in marches across London, organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to increase funds for the NHS. As a result of the campaign, over £2.8 billion had been allocated to the NHS. However, not all pressure groups are successful in gaining the attention of the government and other decision makers as they may use illegal methods to do so. This can be through violent protests and blockades or sitins, which can result in free media coverage and an increase in profile and publicity. Yet, as a result of the use of illegal methods, pressure groups may also face backlash and a tarnished reputation, resulting in a decrease in support and influence on decision makers. For example, in 2015, Fathers’ rights activists caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace after using a ladder to scale the building and climb on to the roof. This led to the incarceration of many of these activists and a drop in public and political support for this group. Therefore, pressure groups are a way of people influencing the political system, however, people may not participate using legal methods, making them ineffective. A third way people can influence the UK political system is by creating or signing e-petitions. There is an e-petition whereby members of the public are able to create their own petitions and have it published on the Parliament website. These petitions allow citizens to put pressure on the House of Commons and bring problems to their attention. If a petition receives more than 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament. In 2014, the Guardian newspaper backed a petition by the group ‘Equality Now’ who campaign against violence to women, urging the then Education Minister Michael Gove to take action against female genital mutilation. As a result of the petition, which attracted 250,000 signatures, Gove promised to write to all schools to raise awareness for the issue. However, not all petitions are successful in influencing the government as, although the petition may get through to Parliament, politicians may not agree with the public on a certain issue and not take any further action after debate. This means that the opinions and issues faced by the public are ignored by decision makers in the House of Commons, so they are not able to influence the political system. Therefore, while citizens have the right to influence the political system through signing and creating e-petitions, the government also have the ability to ignore these, making them less influential. In conclusion, citizens are able to have significant influence on the political system, through voting, pressure groups and e-petitions, however these are not always successful. Citizens may be deterred from participating in the voting process as they may find different systems

confusing and are not able to influence the political system. Citizens may also join pressure groups, however, the use of illegal methods in different groups may make them ineffective in influencing the political system. Citizens may also choose to create and sign e-petitions, however, although these may be put through for debate in the House of Commons, politicians may take no further action if they disagree with the petition. Overall, UK citizens have the ability to influence the political systems, but these methods are not always successful.

Unelected bodies can influence decision making in Parliament. Discuss (20) As the UK is a democratic country, it allows citizens the chance to influence decision making in Parliament. This can be through voting, joining pressure groups and signing and creating e-petitions, however many of these may not be effective in influencing the government and decision makers. One of the main ways citizens can influence the decision makers in Parliament is by voting. Voting is often seen as the easiest way for people to participate in politics. There are a range of elected bodies which citizens for. For example, Scottish citizens are able to vote in UK General Elections, Scottish Parliament Elections and local council elections. These elections take place every 4-5 years. The last Scottish Parliament election took place in 2016 and the SNP on 63 seats out of a possible 129. However, not all citizens participate effectively as they may choose not to vote in elections. One reason for this may be because they find the electoral system too difficult to understand. This is especially the case in Scotland, where we use the Additional Member System in Scottish Parliament elections, whereas UK Parliament elections use First Past the Post. In the Additional Member System, voters are given two votes- one for a constituent representative and one for a regional representative- whereas in

UK Parliament elections, there is only one vote for a constituent representative. This can deter voters from participating in the voting process and in the political system, resulting in low turnout rates and poor representation. In Scotland, the turnout rate for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election was 55.6%, and in the 2017 UK General election it was at 68.8%. Therefore, citizens can influence decision making in Parliament by voting, however, many can be deterred from voting as it may be too confusing using different systems for different elections. Another way that citizens can influence decision making in Parliament is by joining a pressure group. Pressure groups are made up of like minded people who want to influence decision makers without holding power for themselves. Pressure groups can be a successful way of people participating in the political process as they can start petitions and take part in demonstrations, showing decision makers the support they have for their cause. For example, in 2018, thousands took part in marches across London, organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to increase funds for the NHS. As a result of the campaign, over £2.8 billion had been allocated to the NHS. However, not all pressure groups are successful in gaining the attention of the government and other decision makers as they may use illegal methods to do so. This can be through violent protests and blockades or sitins, which can result in free media coverage and an increase in profile and publicity. Yet, as a result of the use of illegal methods, pressure groups may also face backlash and a tarnished reputation, resulting in a decrease in support and influence on decision makers. For example, in 2015, Fathers’ rights activists caused a security breach at Buckingham Palace after using a ladder to scale the building and climb on to the roof. This led to the incarceration of many of these activists and a drop in public and political support for this group. Therefore, pressure groups are a way of people influencing decision making in Parliament, however, people may not participate using legal methods, making them ineffective. A third way people can influence decision makers in Parliament is by creating or signing epetitions. There is an e-petition whereby members of the public are able to create their own petitions and have it published on the Parliament website. These petitions allow citizens to put pressure on the House of Commons and bring problems to their attention. If a petition receives more than 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament. In 2014, the Guardian newspaper backed a petition by the group ‘Equality Now’ who campaign against violence to women, urging the then Education Minister Michael Gove to take action against female genital mutilation. As a result of the petition, which attracted 250,000 signatures, Gove promised to write to all schools to raise awareness for the issue. However, not all petitions are successful in influencing the government as, although the petition may get through to Parliament, politicians may not agree with the public on a certain issue and not take any further action after debate. This means that the opinions and issues faced by the public are ignored by decision makers in the House of Commons, so they are not able to influence the political system. Therefore, while citizens have the right to influence decision makers in Parliament through signing and creating e-petitions, the government also have the ability to ignore these, making them less influential. In conclusion, citizens are able to have significant influence on decision makers in Parliament, through voting, pressure groups and e-petitions, however these are not always successful. Citizens may be deterred from participating in the voting process as they may find different systems confusing and are not able to influence decision makers in Parliament. Citizens may also join pressure groups, however, the use of illegal methods in different groups may make them ineffective in influencing decision makers in Parliament. Citizens may also choose to create and sign e-petitions, however, although these may be put through for debate in the House of Commons, politicians may take no further action if they disagr...