A-level POLITICS Paper 1 Government and politics of the UK

How democratic is interest group activity in the UK? Pluralism represents the view that different groups can compete equally for power and influence. Elections only give policy makers a limited idea of public opinion. Joining a pressure group demonstrates commitment to a cause and may give the group legitimacy with politicians. Some groups have memberships in the millions. Going on strike or marching in a demonstration indicates a higher level of commitment still. Interest groups allow citizens to influence policy makers in between elections and they provide useful and relatively reliable information to them. Parliamentary processes provide opportunities for interest group activity. To remain influential though, groups must be non-confrontational and express their views responsibly and legally. However, there are clear inequalities in the ability of different groups to have an influence upon the decision-making process. Governments have a strong record of ignoring some groups, whilst others often have the ear of policy makers. Elite groups find a way to buy political power and, according to the British political journalist Robert Peston, the voices of the super-wealthy are regularly listened to by politicians. Some groups have access to professional lobbyists and American academic, Charles Lindblom, expressed concerns about the privileged position of business. MPs and peers are able to accept jobs outside of Parliament and take money from well-funded interests. This has led to a succession of scandals and some restrictions on lobbying. Passage adapted from a report published in the 2018 Audit of UK democracy. Democratic Audit is an independent research unit based in the Government Department of the London School of Economics. Robert Peston is the political editor for ITV. Charles Lindblom was an academic in Economics and Politics. Analyse, evaluate and compare the arguments in the above extract regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the roles played by interest groups within pluralist democracy in the UK. [25 marks] Turn over for Section C Turn over ►