Examples
Democracy and participation
Promotional pressure Greenpeace, Liberty, CND
groups
Sectional pressure groups Age UK, British Medical Association
Insider groups BMA (e.g. over Covid-19 laws had key influence on government decisions)
Outsider groups Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain
Public campaigning by Countryside Alliance wanted restoration of fox hunting, had both local and
pressure groups national demonstrations
Successful pressure group ASH campaign on smoking, led to better health warning and advertisement
campaign restrictions
Government helping Influence of Lib Dems 2010-15 helped CPAG gain traction
pressure group
Neutral think tanks Res Publica, Chatham House, Centre for Social Justice
Left wing think tanks Fabian Society, Institute for Public Policy research
Right wing think tanks Adam Smith Institute, Centre for Policy Studies
Liberal think tanks Liberty, Reform
Celebrity involvement to 2020 Marcus Rashford free school meals campaign against government led to
influence government changes around free school meals
2009 Joanna Lumley Gurkas case led to huge success
Rights suspension Internment in Northern Ireland 1970s, longer prison hold times for suspected
terrorism following 9/11 2001
Political parties
Small party having policy UKIP major influence on EU referendum 2016
impact
Small party having party Fall of Cameron and main party splits linked to UKIP 2016
impact
Small party impact on 2016 DUP holding up May’s government with supply and demand agreement
governing due to May’s minority government
Small party impact on UK SNP independence policy led to 2014 IndyRef and renewed calls for
independence
FPTP system effect on UKIP gained only one seat but 12% vote in 2015 general election, lost gains
small parties in 2017 due to the fact that issue based
Leadership importance 2017 May had high poll ratings as she had high experience and tough media
2016 Corbyn had little experience and had a poor media image and perceived
lack of intelligence
Unity importance 2016 united Conservative Party dominated disunited Labour
2017 Labour united around radical manifesto which led to dramatic
improvement in votes
, The media importance 2010 Nick Clegg did well in TV debates and did well enough to enter coalition
government
2015 Ed Miliband performed poorly in TV debate and so opinion worsened
Electoral systems
Safe seat areas 2017 C 42% votes = 49% seats from South England - winner bonus
AMS adjustment impact SNP 2016 won 59 constituency seats and had 4 region added, Cs had 7
constituency seats and 24 regional seats added
SV second round votes 2016 Sadiq Khan 44% vote in 1st round, when all added gained 56% in final
round
Referendum on voting AV referendum 2011
Lack of strong government Scottish and Welsh 2016 no overall majority
Westminster 2010, 2015 and 2017 all failed to produce majority governments
The influence of the media
Labour leaning newspaper The Daily Mirror
Tory leaning newspaper The Sun
Social media impact 2015 increase in Labour party membership following social media
Opinion polls impact 2015 saw polls predicting SNP win so Tories campaigned on that basis to gain
votes
Opinion polls June 2017 showed Tory lead 5-12% which did not occur as it was only 2%
underestimation more and a hung parliament
Executive
Member of the cabinet Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Ally of PM in Cabinet Boris Johnson’s 2019 cabinet was filled with Brexiteers, they aren’t
knowledgeable about their departments but would agree with Johnson on
Brexit issues so the PM’s version of Brexit would pass
Cabinet member breaking In 2003, Tony Blair allowed Clare Short to remain in the cabinet despite her
collective cabinet public disagreement with the handling of the Iraq war, which broke Collective
responsibility Cabinet responsibility, however she did resign later
Cabinet member following 2003: Robin Cook resigned over Iraq as he could not take CCR with it
collective cabinet
responsibility
Cabinet member taking 2021: Priti Patel DID NOT do this even though her department lost important
individual ministerial documents (the deletion of around 150,000 arrest records inc fingerprints and
responsibility from DNA)
problems within their 2018: Amber Rudd (home secretary) resigned after she misled MPs over
department targets for removing illegal immigrants.
2012: Andrew Mitchell (chief whip) resigned over allegations that he insulted a
police officer with abusive language.
PM with a large majority Boris Johnson 2019 has 364 seats, the biggest Conservative majority in 30
years but due to Covid most of his efforts have been focused on the pandemic
so he hasn’t been able to do as much
PM with small majority David Cameron as leader of the Conservative-Lib dem coalition 2015 as the
Conservatives didn’t have enough seats to even form a majority
Democracy and participation
Promotional pressure Greenpeace, Liberty, CND
groups
Sectional pressure groups Age UK, British Medical Association
Insider groups BMA (e.g. over Covid-19 laws had key influence on government decisions)
Outsider groups Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain
Public campaigning by Countryside Alliance wanted restoration of fox hunting, had both local and
pressure groups national demonstrations
Successful pressure group ASH campaign on smoking, led to better health warning and advertisement
campaign restrictions
Government helping Influence of Lib Dems 2010-15 helped CPAG gain traction
pressure group
Neutral think tanks Res Publica, Chatham House, Centre for Social Justice
Left wing think tanks Fabian Society, Institute for Public Policy research
Right wing think tanks Adam Smith Institute, Centre for Policy Studies
Liberal think tanks Liberty, Reform
Celebrity involvement to 2020 Marcus Rashford free school meals campaign against government led to
influence government changes around free school meals
2009 Joanna Lumley Gurkas case led to huge success
Rights suspension Internment in Northern Ireland 1970s, longer prison hold times for suspected
terrorism following 9/11 2001
Political parties
Small party having policy UKIP major influence on EU referendum 2016
impact
Small party having party Fall of Cameron and main party splits linked to UKIP 2016
impact
Small party impact on 2016 DUP holding up May’s government with supply and demand agreement
governing due to May’s minority government
Small party impact on UK SNP independence policy led to 2014 IndyRef and renewed calls for
independence
FPTP system effect on UKIP gained only one seat but 12% vote in 2015 general election, lost gains
small parties in 2017 due to the fact that issue based
Leadership importance 2017 May had high poll ratings as she had high experience and tough media
2016 Corbyn had little experience and had a poor media image and perceived
lack of intelligence
Unity importance 2016 united Conservative Party dominated disunited Labour
2017 Labour united around radical manifesto which led to dramatic
improvement in votes
, The media importance 2010 Nick Clegg did well in TV debates and did well enough to enter coalition
government
2015 Ed Miliband performed poorly in TV debate and so opinion worsened
Electoral systems
Safe seat areas 2017 C 42% votes = 49% seats from South England - winner bonus
AMS adjustment impact SNP 2016 won 59 constituency seats and had 4 region added, Cs had 7
constituency seats and 24 regional seats added
SV second round votes 2016 Sadiq Khan 44% vote in 1st round, when all added gained 56% in final
round
Referendum on voting AV referendum 2011
Lack of strong government Scottish and Welsh 2016 no overall majority
Westminster 2010, 2015 and 2017 all failed to produce majority governments
The influence of the media
Labour leaning newspaper The Daily Mirror
Tory leaning newspaper The Sun
Social media impact 2015 increase in Labour party membership following social media
Opinion polls impact 2015 saw polls predicting SNP win so Tories campaigned on that basis to gain
votes
Opinion polls June 2017 showed Tory lead 5-12% which did not occur as it was only 2%
underestimation more and a hung parliament
Executive
Member of the cabinet Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Ally of PM in Cabinet Boris Johnson’s 2019 cabinet was filled with Brexiteers, they aren’t
knowledgeable about their departments but would agree with Johnson on
Brexit issues so the PM’s version of Brexit would pass
Cabinet member breaking In 2003, Tony Blair allowed Clare Short to remain in the cabinet despite her
collective cabinet public disagreement with the handling of the Iraq war, which broke Collective
responsibility Cabinet responsibility, however she did resign later
Cabinet member following 2003: Robin Cook resigned over Iraq as he could not take CCR with it
collective cabinet
responsibility
Cabinet member taking 2021: Priti Patel DID NOT do this even though her department lost important
individual ministerial documents (the deletion of around 150,000 arrest records inc fingerprints and
responsibility from DNA)
problems within their 2018: Amber Rudd (home secretary) resigned after she misled MPs over
department targets for removing illegal immigrants.
2012: Andrew Mitchell (chief whip) resigned over allegations that he insulted a
police officer with abusive language.
PM with a large majority Boris Johnson 2019 has 364 seats, the biggest Conservative majority in 30
years but due to Covid most of his efforts have been focused on the pandemic
so he hasn’t been able to do as much
PM with small majority David Cameron as leader of the Conservative-Lib dem coalition 2015 as the
Conservatives didn’t have enough seats to even form a majority
