Insider and Outsider Pressure groups — what's the difference?

Insider Pressure Groups - have access to government through 'access points'. They are politically sophisticated groups of people who generally have a large membership of highly-skilled members with a lot of funding and who can sometimes offer government information which is valuable to them.For example: British Medical Association (BMA) - membership is made up of highly-skilled medical practitioners and qualified doctors. The government benefits from these individuals as they can gain information about how the NHS is functioning, how junior doctors feel and about the interests of workers. The members therefore have a lot of power to lobby government, as the government may fear a strike.Outside Pressure Groups - It's important to note that there are two types of outsider groups (this will set you aside from other students).a) Potential Insider Groups - Groups that are politically sophisticated and have the potential to offer something to government. Eg: Amnesty International UK. However, they remain outside of the sphere of influence of government because it may be in their interest to be an NGO and not aligned.b) Deliberate Outsider Groups - Groups which partake in illegal behaviour or acts of civil unrest in order to draw attention to what they're doing. This action often plays more on 'shock' or emotions, than statistics and evidence. Example: Fathers4Justice

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Answered by Lydia I. Government and Politics tutor

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