Pressure groups
Jun. 6th, 2004 02:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravenLet us now assume that Arthur Weasley is sick of relying on loopholes in the law, and wants to not only own a flying car but actually fly said flying car. An honourable aim, as one wonders exactly what you do with a flying car besides fly it.
So what does he do? He tries to get the law changed. And how does he do that? He starts a pressure group. It’s called the Society for the Legalisation of Airborne Muggle Vehicles, or SLAM for short. This essay is going to concern how SLAM fits into the system of existing pressure groups.
In the wizarding world as in the Muggle one, there are two types of pressure group – sectional and cause groups. Sectional groups tend to be more successful; they are permanent and exist to promote and protect the interests of a particular section of society, perhaps a single profession or socio-economic background. Fundamentally, they revolve around the self-interest of their members. Good examples are the unions, for example the NUT (which consists of six Muggle unions and a wizarding one) and the British Medical Association alongside St. Mungo’s General Healers’ Union.
Cause groups include any group not related to members’ self-interest. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace fit in this category, as does the Petition to Bring Back Quodpot and the Campaign For No Dumping of Magical Waste, better known as the magical offshoot of CND.
Grant’s subdivisions
A Muggle political scientist named Grant divides cause groups into three further categories: sectional cause, attitude cause and political cause.
Sectional cause groups seek to promote the interests of a particular section of society, but members of the pressure group may not be in that section. An excellent example is SPEW, the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare (founded by Hermione Granger and with current membership of three). House-elves themselves are not promoting their welfare.
Attitude cause groups seek to change people’s attitudes over a particular issue: for example, an ex-Ministry think tank, Werewolf Welfare Research, which aims to bring an end to prejudice against those afflicted with lycanthropy. The think tank is also a prime example of a political cause group, seeking to alter a certain aspect of the political/legal system, as one of its stated aims is to change the current state of affairs where werewolves are being shunted between the Beast and Being Divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. At the time of writing, the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit are both in the Beast Division, and the think tank aims to have them brought to the Being Division along with the office for Werewolf Support Services.
There are some problems with the two categories of sectional and cause groups.
First of all, some pressure groups genuinely fit in both categories. One house-elf, Dobby, is known to be a part of SPEW, which for him is clearly a sectional group, while for its human members, it is a cause group.
Also, some sectional groups try to come across as cause groups, simply because they may be more successful if not seen to be campaigning purely on issues of self-interest. An example is the St. Mungo’s General Healers’ Union petitioning the Ministry of Magic to impose stricter laws against drunk-Apparition. One might say this is for the benefit of all, but equally it could be argued that the resulting legislation meant the members of the union spent less time trawling the streets for missing body parts.
Thirdly, it is commonly supposed that sectional groups are more successful than cause groups, but this is becoming less true as time goes on: for example, the Muggle group Greenpeace is entering into more of a dialogue with businesses and governments and achieving its aims. Sadly, the same cannot be said for SPEW.
Another method of pressure group categorisation is considering whether they are insider or outsider groups.
Insider groups are groups with access to government ministers and policy-makers, with a real chance of influencing legislation as it is made. They abide by “the rules of the game”, so to speak, and some of them can become very influential indeed. Examples are the National Farmers’ Union and Nitwit And Blubber, the Hogwarts’ teaching union.
Grant’s subdivisions
Again, Grant has divided insider groups into three types – prisoner insider groups, low-profile and high-profile insider groups.
Prisoner groups are reliant on either the Muggle government or the Ministry of Magic in order to function. Examples are English Heritage and the National Trust, who require aid from the government in order to preserve sites such as the Formby red squirrel reserve and aid from the Ministry to preserve wizarding historical sites, such as the village of Godric’s Hollow, important in the development of modern Quidditch.
Low-profile groups influence legislation behind the scenes. This category can be said to apply to any wizarding group that has had an influence on Muggle legislation, and if a purely Muggle example is needed, the British Medical Association operates in a similar way.
High-profile insider groups include the NFU, which despite its insider status attempts to gain media coverage and public support since the BSE scare and the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Outsider groups are groups which lack the skills and knowledge required for being insider groups, and may make demands that undermine their credibility.
Grant’s subdivisions
Potential insiders are, as the name suggests, groups which may gain insider status in the future, perhaps because of an increase in public support or a change in the political climate. An example is the Werewolf Welfare Research think tank, which was an insider group under the Ministry of Millicent Bagnold, and relegated following the instatement of Cornelius Fudge.
Outsiders by necessity lack necessary skills, resources, or credibility to become insider groups. They may be very small, for example local groups to prevent bypasses being built, or SPEW.
Ideological outsiders believe their aims can only be achieved if they are outside of the political system, generally because their aims involve overturning the current system. A Muggle group, Earth First, falls under this category.
Again, there are problems with these distinctions. First of all, pressure groups do not, as Grant seems to believe, have a great deal of choice in whether they are insider or outsider groups. Secondly, some groups are well-known for using both insider and outsider methods – Greenpeace has been in dialogue with ministers whilst holding demonstrations outside – and thirdly, in an increasingly fragmented society, old categories are less easy to apply, particularly as some pressure groups now span both Muggle and wizarding issues.
Which leaves us with Arthur Weasley and the Society for the Legalisation of Airborne Muggle Vehicles. The distinctions are useful, but hard to apply – it could be a sectional group for disenfranchised flying-car-owners, it could be a cause group for those people whose political principles will not allow them to stand idly by whilst a man is denied his right to own a flying car, it could be a sectional cause group for the promotion and protection of flying car owners, it could be an attitude cause group for the alteration of public attitudes towards the inhumanity of illegal flying car ownership, it could be a political cause group, attempting to change the law allowing the ownership of flying cars, it could be an insider group, because its leader is both the head of and the permanent private secretary for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department, it could be an outsider group because love him or loathe him, Arthur Weasley is just a little bit mad.
Who can say, etc.
So what does he do? He tries to get the law changed. And how does he do that? He starts a pressure group. It’s called the Society for the Legalisation of Airborne Muggle Vehicles, or SLAM for short. This essay is going to concern how SLAM fits into the system of existing pressure groups.
In the wizarding world as in the Muggle one, there are two types of pressure group – sectional and cause groups. Sectional groups tend to be more successful; they are permanent and exist to promote and protect the interests of a particular section of society, perhaps a single profession or socio-economic background. Fundamentally, they revolve around the self-interest of their members. Good examples are the unions, for example the NUT (which consists of six Muggle unions and a wizarding one) and the British Medical Association alongside St. Mungo’s General Healers’ Union.
Cause groups include any group not related to members’ self-interest. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace fit in this category, as does the Petition to Bring Back Quodpot and the Campaign For No Dumping of Magical Waste, better known as the magical offshoot of CND.
Grant’s subdivisions
A Muggle political scientist named Grant divides cause groups into three further categories: sectional cause, attitude cause and political cause.
Sectional cause groups seek to promote the interests of a particular section of society, but members of the pressure group may not be in that section. An excellent example is SPEW, the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare (founded by Hermione Granger and with current membership of three). House-elves themselves are not promoting their welfare.
Attitude cause groups seek to change people’s attitudes over a particular issue: for example, an ex-Ministry think tank, Werewolf Welfare Research, which aims to bring an end to prejudice against those afflicted with lycanthropy. The think tank is also a prime example of a political cause group, seeking to alter a certain aspect of the political/legal system, as one of its stated aims is to change the current state of affairs where werewolves are being shunted between the Beast and Being Divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. At the time of writing, the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit are both in the Beast Division, and the think tank aims to have them brought to the Being Division along with the office for Werewolf Support Services.
There are some problems with the two categories of sectional and cause groups.
First of all, some pressure groups genuinely fit in both categories. One house-elf, Dobby, is known to be a part of SPEW, which for him is clearly a sectional group, while for its human members, it is a cause group.
Also, some sectional groups try to come across as cause groups, simply because they may be more successful if not seen to be campaigning purely on issues of self-interest. An example is the St. Mungo’s General Healers’ Union petitioning the Ministry of Magic to impose stricter laws against drunk-Apparition. One might say this is for the benefit of all, but equally it could be argued that the resulting legislation meant the members of the union spent less time trawling the streets for missing body parts.
Thirdly, it is commonly supposed that sectional groups are more successful than cause groups, but this is becoming less true as time goes on: for example, the Muggle group Greenpeace is entering into more of a dialogue with businesses and governments and achieving its aims. Sadly, the same cannot be said for SPEW.
Another method of pressure group categorisation is considering whether they are insider or outsider groups.
Insider groups are groups with access to government ministers and policy-makers, with a real chance of influencing legislation as it is made. They abide by “the rules of the game”, so to speak, and some of them can become very influential indeed. Examples are the National Farmers’ Union and Nitwit And Blubber, the Hogwarts’ teaching union.
Grant’s subdivisions
Again, Grant has divided insider groups into three types – prisoner insider groups, low-profile and high-profile insider groups.
Prisoner groups are reliant on either the Muggle government or the Ministry of Magic in order to function. Examples are English Heritage and the National Trust, who require aid from the government in order to preserve sites such as the Formby red squirrel reserve and aid from the Ministry to preserve wizarding historical sites, such as the village of Godric’s Hollow, important in the development of modern Quidditch.
Low-profile groups influence legislation behind the scenes. This category can be said to apply to any wizarding group that has had an influence on Muggle legislation, and if a purely Muggle example is needed, the British Medical Association operates in a similar way.
High-profile insider groups include the NFU, which despite its insider status attempts to gain media coverage and public support since the BSE scare and the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Outsider groups are groups which lack the skills and knowledge required for being insider groups, and may make demands that undermine their credibility.
Grant’s subdivisions
Potential insiders are, as the name suggests, groups which may gain insider status in the future, perhaps because of an increase in public support or a change in the political climate. An example is the Werewolf Welfare Research think tank, which was an insider group under the Ministry of Millicent Bagnold, and relegated following the instatement of Cornelius Fudge.
Outsiders by necessity lack necessary skills, resources, or credibility to become insider groups. They may be very small, for example local groups to prevent bypasses being built, or SPEW.
Ideological outsiders believe their aims can only be achieved if they are outside of the political system, generally because their aims involve overturning the current system. A Muggle group, Earth First, falls under this category.
Again, there are problems with these distinctions. First of all, pressure groups do not, as Grant seems to believe, have a great deal of choice in whether they are insider or outsider groups. Secondly, some groups are well-known for using both insider and outsider methods – Greenpeace has been in dialogue with ministers whilst holding demonstrations outside – and thirdly, in an increasingly fragmented society, old categories are less easy to apply, particularly as some pressure groups now span both Muggle and wizarding issues.
Which leaves us with Arthur Weasley and the Society for the Legalisation of Airborne Muggle Vehicles. The distinctions are useful, but hard to apply – it could be a sectional group for disenfranchised flying-car-owners, it could be a cause group for those people whose political principles will not allow them to stand idly by whilst a man is denied his right to own a flying car, it could be a sectional cause group for the promotion and protection of flying car owners, it could be an attitude cause group for the alteration of public attitudes towards the inhumanity of illegal flying car ownership, it could be a political cause group, attempting to change the law allowing the ownership of flying cars, it could be an insider group, because its leader is both the head of and the permanent private secretary for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department, it could be an outsider group because love him or loathe him, Arthur Weasley is just a little bit mad.
Who can say, etc.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2004-06-06 07:44 am (UTC)*scribbles down hastily and giggles when considering the state of politics exam answers*
no subject
on 2004-06-07 07:16 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-06-07 07:50 am (UTC)It's a legitimate example, in my mind; it's current, it's up to date, and it'll be different!
no subject
on 2004-06-07 08:34 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-06-07 08:35 am (UTC)If it's a paper that I can't do and I know I'll have to resit, I'm taking the magical option and having fun. That's my logic.
Fear my rebellious streak.
no subject
on 2004-06-06 08:12 am (UTC)no subject
on 2004-06-07 07:17 am (UTC)