Successful Pressure Groups UK: Case Studies
This section provides in-depth case studies of two prominent pressure groups in the UK: the British Medical Association (BMA) and Greenpeace, highlighting their methods and successes.
British Medical Association (BMA):
The BMA, as an insider group, has achieved significant successes in influencing UK health policy.
Highlight: BMA pressure group successes include leading public debates on healthcare, successfully campaigning for a sugar tax on fizzy drinks in 2018, and achieving a smoking ban in 2007.
Methods used by the BMA include:
- Briefing MPs on health policy
- Meeting with ministers
- Responding to consultations
- Organizing strikes (e.g., the junior doctors' strike in 2016)
Example: The BMA's campaign for a smoking ban, which succeeded in 2007, demonstrates how pressure groups examples can lead to significant legislative changes.
However, the BMA has also faced challenges:
- Cancelled plans for a second junior doctors' strike in September 2016
- Failed to prevent the imposition of new contracts on junior doctors in October 2016
Greenpeace:
As an outsider group, Greenpeace employs different tactics to influence policy.
Highlight: Greenpeace successes and failures show a mixed record of influencing environmental policy in the UK.
Methods used by Greenpeace include:
- Direct action (e.g., shutting down a coal-fired power station in 2007)
- Patrolling seas to challenge nuclear testers and illegal fishers
- Producing detailed reports to influence governments and the public
- Lobbying the UK government and Parliament
Successes:
- Influencing government attitudes towards carbon emissions
- Successfully campaigning for a ban on microbeads in 2017
Challenges:
- Government environmental policies still fall short of activists' expectations
- Some methods have been criticized for alienating the public and government
- Failed to prevent Cairn Energy from drilling for gas off the coast of Greenland
Example: Greenpeace's campaign against microbeads, which led to a government ban in 2017, illustrates how outsider pressure groups UK can achieve policy changes through persistent campaigning.
This section provides valuable insights into the methods and successes of BMA and Greenpeace in UK 2021, showcasing how different types of pressure groups can influence government policy through various means.
