RSPCA pressure group

A pressure group can be described as an organised group that does not put up candidates for election, but seeks to influence government policy or legislation. They can also be described as ‘interest groups’, ‘lobby groups’ or ‘protest groups’. Some people avoid using the term ‘pressure group’ as it can inadvertently be interpreted as meaning the groups use actual pressure to achieve their aims, which does not necessarily happen. In Britain, the number of political parties is very small, whereas the number of pressure groups runs into thousands; as the membership of political parties has fallen, that of pressure groups has increased.

One example of a pressure group is the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The RSPCA were the first pressure group to introduce a law to protect animals and they work hard to ensure that all animals can live a life free from pain and suffering. Furthermore, through campaigning they raise standards of care and awareness of issues for the animals who have no voice. With the support of the public, they push for laws to be changed, the improvement of the welfare of animals on farms, in research labs, in the wild, in paddocks and in people’s homes.

The RSPCA use investigations and prosecutions to stand up to people who deliberately harm animals to send out a clear message that animal abuse will not be tolerated. In addition, highly trained officers tackle neglect and cruelty at every level and work hard to stamp out large-scale serious, organised and commercial animal cruelty.

This pressure group is an animal welfare charity and they rely on the continuing support of animal lovers to help them so they can continue to be there for animals. The RSPCA accepts donations from the public and people can get involved by campaigning, volunteering or fundraising to help the charity.

Moreover, the RSPCA is an insider pressure group. This means that the government will ask high place people with them for advice and it will be listened to more than an outsider pressure group. However, they are a charity and receive no government funding; they only rely on people to support this work through donations.

To what extent are the current ideas of the Labour Party and the Conservative Party similar and different?

There are many similarities and differences between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. This is due to their manifestos and what the MP’s within the party believe in.

Firstly, the Conservative Party believes that individuals should own and control businesses and services and make profits from them, and that the government should not interfere with these things. If this creates a gap between rich and poor, then it's not down to the government to sort it out. It's all about survival of the fittest. This compares to the Labour party who believe that The government should work with private companies to provide good public services and that the government should be involved in helping to close the gap between rich and poor by providing opportunities for those in need. Also, the Labour party think that all public services such as schools and hospitals need to receive funding from the government in order to provide good-quality services that are available for everyone to use.

Furthermore, the Conservatives think that tax should be low, so that people can keep as much of what they earn as possible. As businesses and services are privately owned, it's thought that people will have more money to spend on these things, instead of the government taking peoples money and choosing for them. Therefore, the Conservatives believe that this will improve public services, because in order to get people to use them, they need to be good. On the other hand, the Labour Party say that there need to be different levels of tax depending on how much people earn. Therefore, the more people earn, the more people should pay otherwise there will be a group of very rich people and a group of very poor people. Furthermore, the tax is used to provide services for everybody, rich and poor.

Moreover, within the community, the Conservatives believe that traditional values should be encouraged to help build strong communities and families. Also, that strict discipline and respect will cut crime and criminals should be treated harshly. However, the views of the Labour party are different again because they believe that communities need to be strong by promoting tolerance of and respect for all and by all and that everyone should enjoy their individual rights but they must also understand that they have responsibilities to those around them.

In conclusion, the two main parties have many differences and believe in different aspects of politics. This shows the representation of the Labour party being left wing and therefore for holding beliefs about equality compared to the Conservative party being right wing and showing beliefs which support competition between businesses and having different classes within society.

Does Jeremy Corbyn align himself more with traditional socialism or is he a social democrat? Why?

Throughout his political career, Jeremy Corbyn has been known as a passionate left winger of the labour party. Furthermore, many people associate Jeremy Corbyn with traditional socialism, however, since gaining control of the labour party, there are key arguments that show Corbyn has been embracing social democrat principles.

Firstly, whilst Corbyn was a backbencher, he voted for the Transport Bill May 2000. This is associated with traditional socialism because it takes away the capitalist view of profit and ensures that profit goes back into improving services for all of the people, instead of just the business holders. Therefore this links with the belief of the socialists that wealth should be a collective ownership. Corbyn also aligned himself with traditional socialism due to him supporting free education due to his belief that education should be available for everyone. This further supports traditional socialism because of agreeing with the reduction of social class divisions because currently only middle and upper class people can afford higher education.

However, Jeremy Corbyn has also proposed policies that agree with the ideology of social democracy. For example, Corbyn proposes a mixed economy which is a key idea of social democracy. In a mixed economy, there are private and public industries which are used to keep the balance between capitalism and state intervention. In addition, Corbyn has proposed the re-nationalization of utilities, such as water gas and electricity, whilst allowing free enterprise  and entrepreneurship. Jeremy Corbyn has also been a strong supporter of comprehensive social welfare which is an aspect of social democracy and has contentedly supported the NHS, a key expansion of the welfare state that was introduced through the Beveridge Report 1942.

In conclusion, Jeremy Corbyn individually aligns himself with traditional socialism and strongly supported the ideology in the backbenches. Now Corbyn is the labour party leader, there is evidence to suggest a moderate shift to social democracy, which is supported by the majority of party members.