Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy Essay

Do pressure groups strengthen or undermine British democracy - Essay Example ed to have a thorough examination regarding the role of these pressure groups in British democracy including magnitude of impact they have on the ordinary citizens. The subject deserves to be analyzed from both sides so as to understand the extend which these groups strengthen democracy and the extend they are a hindrance to democracy. A balance between the two sides of the research will be used to draw a conclusion on the role of pressure groups in regard to democracy in Britain. Pressure groups are nothing more than formal institutions whose main aim is to impact on policies for public provisions in a democratic society. They present shared views, attitudes and perceptions regarding various policies. This type of non-partisan activism usually seeks to draw public attention to some issues in which they hold a controversial stand concerning them as compared to political parties. They then use various tools like campaigns and the media to create public awareness and raise public concern regarding them. This is important because some of the ordinary citizens may not be well aware of any change in policies nor how these changes are going to affect them. Therefore, they act as an important public awareness and education tool and hence a channel through which the public can enjoy their democratic rights. According to Coxall and Robins (1998), the best way in which pressure groups strengthen democracy is getting the public to participate in politics regarding various issues that affect them. This is important because it increases public participation in politics and their access to the government’s political system. They become more effective when there are confronting pressure groups holding varied views. This provides a platform for expression of views. The varied ideas are later on used to reach a consensus in which the varied views and concerns are considered. Pressure groups provide social progress as a way of strengthening democracy. The social progress is one

African and american politics of social change Essay - 1

African and american politics of social change - Essay Example Before the era of the civil rights movement, there was no existing political or social movement in America with profound effects on the political and legal institution (Wendy, 2008). The civil right movement sought to restore the missing and the violated rights of the black people living in America as guaranteed by the fourteenth and fifteens amendment. The movement altered the relation between the state and the federal government; this is because many of the times the federal government was forced to enforce laws protecting the black people in America. The civil right movement resulted to the reemergence of the judiciary in America; this included the Supreme Court whose role was to protect the individual liberties against the majority power. Even with the incredible progress from this movement, the existing racialism and inequity between the black and the white proved difficult to eliminate. With the progress, the blacks still faced lower wages, racial discrimination, and their neighborhoods still had higher crime rates. For the younger black the movement was too mainstream to generate the intended social changes, they wanted something that could give blacks th e same opportunities as the whites both economically and socially. They felt that the movement comprised more of the white perceptions than the black perception. The head for the civil rights movement was reverend martin Luther king; he was also the head of the "southern Christian leadership conference." (Wendy, 2008) The black power movement, on the other hand, rose mainly after the civil rights movement gained momentum, this in the early 960s going on. The movement marked the turning point for the differing relationships between the blacks and the whites in the United States of America. The movement had some proactive and positive force which aimed at helping