Political_Parties

POLITICAL PARTIES AND PRESSURE GROUPS POLITICAL PARTIES AND PRESSURE GROUPS (Your Name) (College) (Subject) POLITICAL PARTIES AND PRESSURE GROUPS What are political parties and pressure group' Do they play a part in democracy in a country' A political party is a political group that typically seeks to control government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and tiresome to seat them in political office. Parties contribute in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions. Parties regularly espouse an expressed ideology or vision bolstered by a written platform with precise goals, forming a coalition among disparate interests. A pressure group is perceived as structured group that seeks to pressure government on their legislation or policy but does not vote candidates for election. Pressure groups are important part of a strong democratic nation (Strike 2001). Indeed the unrelenting and rapid expansion of pressure group activity and contribution in the political process is often looked as a sign of growing political association among many thousands of people. The purpose of pressure groups is to make the people in power to make decision which will ogre well the pressure groups depending on pressure groups main purpose for their being. Pressure groups are not after authority of political office, but try to influence decisions made by people who hold this political power (Dunn 2002). In present Pressure groups plays an important role in policies made between the the main elections. In some instances pressure groups are able to have sufficient support and supporters to, which help in forcing the government to write off or make changes in legislation. However, pressure group includes churches and Charities, businesses and trade associations, trade unions and professional associations. Think tanks of various complexions, and so forth. Although some pressure groups were set up for the specific purpose of influencing government, many pressure groups exist for other purposes and only engage in politics as a secondary or associated activity. For instance, the primary purpose of the AA and RAC is to provide motoring services to their members. Nevertheless, they also lobby government over issues such as motoring taxes and road safety. This also applies to what are undoubtedly the most powerful pressure groups in the UK, major businesses, whose political influence is largely exerted away from the glare of publicity. Pressure groups are organizations that seek to exert influence on government from outside. They do not therefore put candidates up for election or seek in other ways to ‘win’ government power. What the community and the society need in general must be provided. Politicians must take action in order to fulfill the need of their constituents who put them into power. These are what constitutes the values, believes and attitudes of the society in general. Majority of the people are involved the reforms which affect the society positively whether if its constitutional or having laws and order which is efficient and just to every person in community irrespective of political affiliations or religion. this can seen in changes which are vital to the community like improved public transport, expansion of our police forces, reform of the welfare system ,improved education, improved national health and protection of the environment which is the responsibility of the government. When there is political basis in which in which a certain pressure group is advocating the government will tend to be attentive to their inquiries. If the agenda of the pressure group is a political liability and not a political asset irrespective if it’s a sound idea it will be always be not supported . One of the key areas in which parties operate is that of the formulation of policy program. At a local level, parties are of imperative importance during an election. Local party cohorts are crucial in getting out and cheering people to actually vote. It is these party faithful who deliver leaflets, organize local phone-ins, organize transport etc. The participation of such people is crucial for a party but it is also a major part of ensuring that an election is run effectively and fairly - an important component of a democracy. Parliamentary committees are also part of the party instrument. It is these committees that scrutinize potential government legislation or actions. These committees need able and open minded members. The assortment process of parties for an election or potential candidates for Parliament is implicit in this process and goes back to the role played by parties at a local level. In this sense, parties organize the business of Parliament (Dahl 2004). Followers of liberal democracy reason that it’s main elements [which include regular competitive elections based upon universal adult suffrage, government accountability to parliament and ultimately to the electorate, the rule of law and freedom of speech and assembly] make for a relatively efficient and representative political system. However liberal democracies when looked more critically using theoretical frameworks based around the ideas of Marxism, Elitism, Corporatism and the New Right and we shall find also that conclusions about pressure groups and democracy also vary according to the analytical frameworks used to analyse pressure group activity. In the theoretical framework of democratic pluralism states are assumed to be neutral arbiters [or impartial referees] evaluating the claims of a vast number of possibly competing pressure groups in harmony with the national interest (Katz, et al 2002). States are assumed to attempt to symbolize the interests of societies as a whole rather than the interests of a narrow ruling class or ruling elite and pressure groups are said to make important contributions to the democratic process. Thus whereas political parties represent the general interests of voters across a range of issues pressure groups provide for the representation of citizens’ views on particular issues regarding their own personal well-being [as in the case of sectional groups] and/or to their particular causes for concern [as in the case of promotional or cause groups.]As a result of the resources at their disposal pressure groups can represent individuals more effectively than they could do themselves, a point which may be especially appropriate to more disadvantaged individuals such as the poor or the disabled and to minority groupings such as immigrants. It is possible that pressure groups can address controversial issues which political parties might initially seek to avoid and likely also that as new issues reach the political agenda new pressure groups can be formed to address these issues .Pressure groups enable their members and supporters to participate more fully in the political process on a continuing basis between general elections and this is likely to enhance political understanding and thereby to strengthen support for the liberal democratic system as a whole. Functions of the pressure groups are varied and they carry out a range of functions. These include: Representation, Political participation, Education, Policy formulation and Policy implementation Pressure groups provide a mouthpiece for groups and interests that are not adequately represented through the electoral process or by political parties. This occurs, in part, because groups are concerned with the specific rather than the general. Whereas parties attempt to broaden their appeal, trying to catch (potentially) all voters, pressure groups can articulate the views or interests of particular groups and focus on specific causes. Some have even argued that pressure groups provide an alternative to the formal representative process through what has been called functional representation. However, questions have also been raised about the capacity of groups to carry out representation: Groups have a low level of internal democracy, creating the possibility that they express the views of their leaders and not their members. The influence of groups on government does not always reflect their membership size or their popular support, as discussed later. Pressure groups have become an increasingly important agent of political participation. Of UK citizens, 40–50 per cent belongs to at least one voluntary association, and a large minority (20 per cent) belongs to two or more. Moreover, a range of pressure groups, mainly outsider groups, seek to exert influence precisely by mobilizing popular support through activities such as petitions, marches, demonstrations and other forms of political protest. Such forms of political participation have been particularly attractive to young people. However, the capacity of groups to promote political participation has also been questioned. Group membership does not always involve contribution. There is a tendency for modern groups to become ‘chequebook groups’. Examples include some of the largest groups, such as the National Trust and Friends of the Earth. Much of what the public knows about politics it finds out through pressure groups of one kind or another. Many pressure groups, indeed, operate largely through their ability to communicate with the public and raise political consciousness. Groups therefore often devote significant resources to carrying out research, maintaining websites, commenting on government policy and using high-profile academics, scientists and even celebrities to get their views across. An emphasis is therefore placed on cultivating expert authority. However, the effectiveness of groups in stimulating political education has also been questioned. Pressure groups are every bit as biased and subjective as political parties, and there are few checks or constraints on what a pressure group spokesperson may say. Although pressure groups, by definition, are not policy-makers, this does not prevent many pressure groups from participating in the policy-making process. In particular, pressure groups are a vital source of information and advice to governments. Many groups are therefore regularly consulted in the process of policy formulation, with government policy increasingly being developed through. Nevertheless, questions have also been raised about the role of groups in formulating policy: Only a small body of privileged groups involved in policy formulation. Many have argued that groups should not influence the policy process because they are not elected and so are not publicly accountable. The role of some pressure groups extends beyond trying to shape the content of public policy to playing a role in putting policy into practice. The best example of this is the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which works with the Department for Rural Affairs (Defra) in implementing policies related, for example, to farm subsidies, disease control and animal welfare. Not only do such links further blur the distinction between groups and government, but they also give the groups in question clear leverage when it comes to influencing the content of policy. However, questions have also been raised about the role of groups in implementing policy: Some have criticized such groups for being over-close to government, and therefore for endangering their independence. Others have argued that policy implementation gives groups unfair political leverage in influencing policy decisions. Politics, and consequently politicians, invariably have to take action to what society in general and individuals purposely want out of their community. These are the values and attitude that society in general has (Adler 2000). Most of them are involved in reform of the electoral system constitutional change better and more efficient law and order; an expansion of our police forces an improved public transport system reform of the welfare system improved national health and education systems better protection of the environment greater government responsibility. A government is likely to pay attention to any of the values or the interest/pressure groups if there is a political basis to do so. If the prop up for one is an electoral liability (even if it is a sound prospective policy) then it is probable that such support will not be forthcoming. One of the key areas in which parties operate is that of the formulation of policy program. At a local level, parties are of imperative importance during an election (Chomsky 1992). Local party cohorts are crucial in getting out and cheering people to actually vote. It is these party faithful who deliver leaflets, organize local phone-ins, organize transport etc. The participation of such people is crucial for a party but it is also a major part of ensuring that an election is run effectively and fairly - an important component of a democracy. Parliamentary committees are also part of the party instrument. It is these committees that scrutinize potential government legislation or actions. These committees need able and open minded members. The assortment process of parties for an election or potential candidates for Parliament is implicit in this process and goes back to the role played by parties at a local level. In this sense, parties organize the business of Parliament (Arnstein 2000). Bibliographies Adler, M (2000). We hold these truths. NY: Macmillan Arnstein, D. (2000).”Democracy and the arts of schooling”. Albany: SUNYP Chomsky, N (1992). Deterring democracy. NY: Hill. Dahl, Robert A, (2004). On Democracy. New Haven: YUP. Dunn, J (2002). Face of the future. Cambridge: CUP. Katz, M, et al. (2002) Search for Common Ground. New York: TCP, Strike, Kenneth A. (2001).Reflections on restructuring. AJE, 30(2), 259.