Pressure Groups in British Politics

Foreword  Introduction  1. What are pressure groups?  Defining pressure groups  Pressure groups and the political system  Types of pressure group  Pressure politics  Primary and secondary groups  Pressure group targets in British politics  Pressure groups and democracy  Summary  Further reading  2. Pressure groups since 1945  Phase (1) 1945 1960  Phase (2) 1960 1979  Phase (3) 1979 1997  Current trends and prospects: pressure groups and New Labour  Summary  Further reading  3. Pressure groups and Europe  The expansion of Euro lobbying  Strategies of Euro lobbying  Organising to lobby the European Union  Targets for group influence in the European Union  Strategies of lobbying towards the Council of Ministers  The impact of organised interests on EU policy-making  Policy networks in the European Union  Summary  Further reading  4. Pressure groups and government  The influence of the political system on pressure group activity  Pressure groups and government  Government group consultation: a matter of mutual advantage  Policy networks  Think-tanks and government policy  The professional lobbying industry  Summary  Further reading  5. Pressure groups and parliament  The continuing significance of parliament  Groups use of parliament  The House of Lords  The representation of outside interests in the House of Commons  Outside interests in the House of Lords  MPs and outside interests  Summary  Further reading  6. Pressure groups and public campaigns  Public campaigning in the 1990s  Protest, participation and political culture  Direct action protest  Groups use of the media in public campaigns  Groups use of the courts  Groups and campaigns targeting political parties  Local government and politics  Summary  Further reading  7. Pressure groups and the policy process: effectiveness,  influence and resources  Pressure group resources  The external environment  Assessing the influence of groups: a cautionary note  Summary  Further reading  8. Pressure groups, pluralism and democracy  Modern liberal democracy  Pressure groups and participation  Pressure groups and pluralism  Reformed pluralism: policy networks and policy communities  Pressure groups, opposition and countervailing power  Trade unions and the Blair Government  Summary  Further reading  Bibliography  Index

This survey explores the changing world of pressure group politics in Britain. The book discusses definitions and provides an analysis of the history and development of pressure groups since 1945. It examines the effectiveness of lobbying and other forms of pressure group activity as well as discussing the role of new social movements.