Pressure groups can be classified into many different types, depending on their ideologies and ambitions. “Insider” and “outsider” are the two main categories that pressure groups fall into – insider groups being pressure groups that have political influence over the government and strive to inform them, and outsider groups being groups of pressure excluded from government who focus primarily on achieving gains. public approval and inform the public about their problems. Both groups are considered essential in a pluralistic society to represent diverse interests. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay On the one hand, pressure groups actually strengthen democracy because they allow particular interests and causes to be heard. They are also able to exert influence on public decision-making, through protests for example, meaning that the public is able to make more informed decisions on important issues. These issues can then be discussed by the government. For example, ASH has had a great influence on government policy regarding cigarette smoking. In summary, pressure groups allow for the consideration of a wide range of groups, interests, beliefs and ideologies, which is vital in a pluralist democracy. Another reason pressure groups strengthen pluralist democracy is that they help solve the problem of political apathy. . They increase participation and access to the political system, as some people do not actually want to make decisions by voting, but rather choose to express themselves by joining these pressure groups and thus discussing important causes/issues. Because people join groups with different beliefs and causes, the government has more access to information about groups with many different ideologies. An example of a large pressure group that has had a lot of influence and therefore emphasizes the idea of ​​pluralist democracy in the UK is Greenpeace, with 130,000 supporters here alone and 2, 8 million worldwide. On the other hand, pressure groups weaken pluralist democracy as some groups may have more influence than others. Groups occupying a higher economic position are obviously able to express their views more clearly than groups lower down the economic ladder. This is often then used to “buy” their power, through advertising for example. Key internal groups such as the British Medical Association have great influence in terms of policy making. So this shows that the UK may not have such a pluralistic democracy that if some parties have more influence than others not all views are considered/heard - which can lead to biased decisions by the government. Another argument against lobby groups strengthening democracy is that the government may favor certain groups over others. This may be because certain pressure groups are more advantageous to them electorally. For example, the Labor Party tends to support unions as they help fund the party, while the Conservative Party favors the private lenders who fund them. The government may also favor certain groups because (if they are initiated in.