It is difficult for a Backbench MP to influence government policy if a government has a large majority in Parliament. The power of individual backbench MPs is reduced making it harder to challenge the government. Also, the PM has powers of patronage which demand loyalty; few MPs want to cause a general election by defeating the government. Thus accepting their fate as lobby
Although we are currently in a coalition the government still has a majority through the combination of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. This therefore often renders opposition as a form of scrutiny meaningless and also means that it is difficult for the executive to be held to account. Party loyalty is also very strong. The power of prime ministerial patronage renders many MPs excessively docile and loyal, hence the term ‘lobby fodder’. With the rise in the professional politician many prefer to remain loyal in order to gain power and move up in the hierarchy as opposed to become a rebel who remains in the back benchers.
05.11: Module Five Milestone 1. Why did political parties and special interest groups’ form? What roles do they play in shaping public policy? - Interest groups manipulate the public policy by lobbying by their own special interest that think have thought about. The main way they have an effect on public policy, they supply evidence to the legislators/ the political parties.
Referendums have become more widely used since 1997 and have helped to decide controversial policies. The advantages of referendums are large; however there are also a number of disadvantages. Referendums can be used in many ways. For example when the government is split on an issue a referendum can resolve that issue without destroying government itself. This means that referendums therefore can prevent disputes in government and secure a consensus decision so wider use of them would ensure that the number of disputes is reduced even further.
Georgia Taggart Politics Essay: “Pressure group action poses a threat to the form of representative democracy practiced in Britain”. Discuss. A pressure group is a group of like-minded people who have shared interests, interests of which they try to influence and put pressure on policy makers and beyond. Pressure groups, unlike political parties, do not seek election themselves, they just wish to influence those who are elected in order to amend or make policies. Pressure groups can either insider or outsider groups.
Sociologists often carry out research which can influence and be used by governments to dictate social policy. Some sociologists argue that sociological research has a large impact on social policy, whilst others argue that it has little influence, and that investors and the powerful are what influences social policy. Governments are elected by the people, as such the government and other political parties want to please the voters. This means that new social policies can influence how the government is perceived and how popular it is, if a new social policy is not popular then the government will lose popularity, and therefore voters. Moreover, governments will not accept findings which go against their beliefs, this suggests that social policy is only influenced by sociological research if the research findings happen to agree with the governments view.
In presidential elections people vote for or against a president and this vote is formed from a variety of influences specifically the words of other people. Peers debate amongst one another when making a large decision like determining the nation’s next president. Their choice of words must be persuasive and supported with factual information, otherwise the opposing side will not be persuaded. The candidates work hard to build up a strong influential appearance, yet a slip of words or a minor reaction to an incident can destroy their reputation in seconds. It is easy for society to slander another person’s name; these same words have the potential to influence the outcome of a future generation.
“The Rebirth of Patronage: Have We Come Full Circle” Feeney and Kingsley (2008) states,“Patronage can be narrowly defined as the power to make appointments and distribute government jobs, especially for political advantage, but its social implications are much broader” (p. 167). Patronage can be used as an advantage for politicians who are running for any political office in order to win potential votes for their campaign. Most politicians are knownfor using different tactics like offering jobs, health care, and other issues that appeal to citizens. Will patronage divide or unite the United States? Patronage can have positive or negative effects on the United States while the merit system is against patronage and the spoils system is in
Some pay more attention than others, but they all have to consider the views of the folks back home. Congress is also organized primarily along party lines, so party membership is an important determinant of a member’s vote. Each party develops its own versions of many important bills, and party leaders actively pressure members to vote according to party views. It is not surprising that representatives and senators vote along party lines about three-fourths of the time. Finally, what if a representative or senator seriously disagrees with the views of his or her constituents on a particular issue?
The oral questions are sometimes dominated by loyal backbench government supporters, and it is often suggested that the media provide a more effective form of scrutiny than does parliament. MPs have remarkably limited access to resources, partly because of the largely secretive nature of UK government. They can sometimes contribute to the pressure that might ultimately lead to the resignation of an incompetent