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111-476: The Electoral Reform Society ( ERS ) is an independent advocacy organisation in the United Kingdom which promotes electoral reform . It seeks to replace first-past-the-post voting with proportional representation , advocating the single transferable vote , and an elected upper house of Parliament . It is the world's oldest still-extant electoral reform campaign. The Electoral Reform Society seeks

222-681: A "full blown political crisis", reporting upon cross-party firings and resignations, an exodus of shamed MPs, the prospect of criminal and tax evasion charges, and a motion of no confidence being prepared against the Speaker . Public interest in the expenses debate led to the 14 May 2009 edition of the BBC political and current affairs television programme Question Time recording its highest viewing figures in its 30-year run, of 3.8 million, with audience members heckling guest panellist Margaret Beckett . The following week's edition on 21 May

333-553: A "representative democracy fit for the 21st century." The society advocates the replacement of the first-past-the-post and plurality-at-large voting systems with a proportional voting system, the single transferable vote . First-past-the-post is currently used for elections to the House of Commons and for most local elections in England and Wales, while plurality-at-large is used in multi-member council wards in England and Wales, and

444-478: A "stupid thing to do". Speaking to the Manchester Evening News she said of the brooch "It was a brooch my husband had given me. I'd had four weeks of intense media pressure, the like of which I have never known, not just on me but on my husband, my dad, my family. At that point I'd had enough. It was a stupid thing to do but I think it was just trying to put a brave face on—not going out cowed on

555-400: A certain way in the legislature. Access to this channel is generally restricted to groups with insider status such as large corporations and trade unions – groups with outsider status are unlikely to be able to meet with ministers or other members of the bureaucracy to discuss policy. What must be understood about groups exerting influence in the bureaucracy is; "the crucial relationship here [in

666-530: A community receives largely depends on the kind of narrative an advocacy group curates for them on social media. United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expense claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over

777-445: A feeling of satisfaction from expressing a political value. Also, it would not matter if the interest group achieved their goal; these members would merely be able to say they helped out in the process of trying to obtain their goals, which is the expressive incentive that they got in the first place. The types of interest groups that rely on expressive benefits or incentives are environmental groups and groups who claim to be lobbying for

888-625: A global structure such as Greenpeace were better able to adapt to globalisation. Greenpeace, for example, has offices in over 30 countries and has an income of $ 50 million annually. Groups such as these have secured the nature of their influence by gaining status as nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), many of which oversee the work of the UN and the EU from their permanent offices in America and Europe. Group pressure by supranational industries can be exerted in

999-479: A number of ways: "through direct lobbying by large corporations, national trade bodies and 'peak' associations such as the European Round Table of Industrialists ". There have been many significant advocacy groups throughout history, some of which could operated with dynamics that could better categorize them as social movements . Here are some notable advocacy groups operating in different parts of

1110-486: A panel was established to investigate all claims relating to the "second homes" allowance between 2004 and 2008. Headed by former civil servant Sir Thomas Legg , the panel published its findings on 12 October as MPs returned to Westminster following the summer recess. Each MP received a letter stating whether or not he or she would be required to repay any expenses claimed. Details of voluntary repayments by MPs amounting to almost £ 500,000 were also officially published. It

1221-437: A patriotic organization. Advocacy groups exist in a wide variety of genres based upon their most pronounced activities. In most liberal democracies , advocacy groups tend to use the bureaucracy as the main channel of influence – because, in liberal democracies, this is where the decision-making power lies. The aim of advocacy groups here is to attempt to influence a member of the legislature to support their cause by voting

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1332-594: A policy. The motion for the September 2021 Labour Party conference was defeated despite 80% of CLP delegates voting in favour, due to an overwhelming vote against by the affiliated trade unions, most of which at the time did not have policy on electoral reform. In October 2021, the trade union Unite changed its policy to back proportional representation. In June 2022, the trade union Unison also voted to support proportional representation. Other unions that have declared their support for proportional representation include

1443-633: A referendum on the voting system in the wake of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal as part of the Vote for a Change campaign. It is a founding member of the Votes at 16 Coalition . The society was later a principal funder of the YES! To Fairer Votes campaign in the unsuccessful bid for a Yes vote in the 2011 referendum on the Alternative Vote . Its chief executive, Katie Ghose , served as

1554-749: A result of group pressure, for example, the Labour Party in the UK was formed out of the new trade union movement which lobbied for the rights of workers. Advocacy groups also exert influence through channels that are separate from the government or the political structure such as the mass media and through public opinion campaigning. Advocacy groups will use methods such as protesting , petitioning and civil disobedience to attempt to exert influence in Liberal Democracies. Groups will generally use two distinct styles when attempting to manipulate

1665-476: A result of the lax and unprofessional security procedures. Wick went on to explain that following legal advice and review, and soul searching over loyalties, he had felt the matter was of sufficient concern to merit publication in a 'serious newspaper', and following discussions with a number of papers, the Telegraph had been granted exclusive access to study the material for 10 days from 30 April 2009. There

1776-488: A team of journalists based in a training room at the Telegraph offices over London Victoria station . Training Room 4—"tucked off a dead-end corridor "—became nicknamed "the bunker ." Robert Winnett's team of lobby journalists , Whitehall editors, reporters, and social affairs correspondents , initially composed of Martin Beckford, Christopher Hope , Rosa Prince, Jon Swaine, and Holly Watt. James Kirkup joined

1887-640: Is a reward for participation that is socially derived and created out of the act of association. Examples include "socializing congeniality, the sense of group membership and identification, the status resulting from membership, fun, conviviality , the maintenance of social distinctions , and so on. People who join an interest group because of expressive benefits likely joined to express an ideological or moral value that they believe in, such as free speech , civil rights , economic justice , or political equality . To obtain these types of benefits, members would simply pay dues, and donate their time or money to get

1998-400: Is an unresolved issue with the data itself, with different numbers being cited by different sources. The Daily Telegraph stated that 4 million pieces of information existed; The Guardian stated there were 2 million ("two million documents in all, including copies of expense claim forms, handwritten comments scrawled in margins, even attached sticky notes"). The Daily Telegraph had

2109-911: Is not binding on the party leadership but does commit the party to include PR in its election manifesto. Although during his leadership campaign, Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer , said: "I also think on electoral reform, we’ve got to address the fact that millions of people vote in safe seats and they feel their vote doesn’t count. That’s got to be addressed." It has subsequently been reported that he has always opposed proportional representation. Advocacy group Motives for action may be based on political , economic , religious , moral , commercial or common good -based positions. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims, including lobbying , media campaigns, awareness raising publicity stunts , polls , research , and policy briefings. Some groups are supported or backed by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on

2220-471: The New Statesman dubbed "the biggest political scandal you've never heard of". Electoral Commission sources estimated as many as 10 million voters could disappear from the electoral roll under government plans, predominantly poor, young or black, and more liable to vote Labour. The society succeeded in securing changes to the legislation. In a 2014 report, the society recommended several ways to make

2331-830: The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), the Musicians' Union (MU) and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA). Politicians from all wings of the Labour Party have come out in support of proportional representation, including the former leader of Welsh Labour and former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford when he was in office. At the Labour Party Conference in September 2022, delegates from CLPs and trade unions voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting proportional representation. The motion

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2442-642: The Conservative Party followed by the claims of backbench Conservative MPs whom the newspaper dubbed 'the grandees ' of the party. On 12 May, the Leader of the Opposition , David Cameron , announced that all questionable claims by the Shadow cabinet would be repaid. The Liberal Democrats expenses were revealed last of the three main parties, followed by Sinn Féin members' claims in which it

2553-538: The European Union more accountable and argued that there was a democratic deficit . These included: better scrutiny of EU legislation by the British parliament, a voting system which gives voters more influence over individual candidates (e.g. single transferable vote ) and recruitment of party candidates with a wider ranges of views on the EU. In August 2016, the society published a highly critical report on

2664-587: The February 1974 general election . From then on, the society was able to secure a higher public profile for its campaigns. In 1983, the society was recognised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organisation with consultative status. The society has campaigned successfully for the introduction of STV for local elections in Scotland , and led the call for

2775-674: The Information commissioner , who joined the journalists' cases together and ordered the release of some information on 15 June 2007. House of Commons authorities objected to this order in June 2007 and MPs had, in May 2007, voted in favour of the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill which sought to exempt MPs from the 2000 act. The House of Commons voted 96 to 25 in favour of the Exemption of

2886-504: The banning of the slave trade in 1807. In the opinion of Eugene Black (1963), "...association made possible the extension of the politically effective public. Modern extra parliamentary political organization is a product of the late eighteenth century [and] the history of the age of reform cannot be written without it. From 1815, Britain after victory in the Napoleonic Wars entered a period of social upheaval characterised by

2997-433: The political process , while others have few or no such resources. Some have developed into important social, and political institutions or social movements . Some powerful advocacy groups have been accused of manipulating the democratic system for narrow commercial gain, and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption , fraud , bribery , influence peddling and other serious crimes . Some groups, generally

3108-597: The British media for weeks. On 18 June 2009, the details of all MPs' expenses and allowance claims approved from 2004 to 2008 were published on the official Parliament website, but with some details removed, such as addresses, claims that were not approved for payment, and correspondence between MPs and the parliamentary fees office. This brought further accusations of unnecessary secrecy and allegations that this might have prevented serious abuses from being disclosed. Since most claims revolved around MPs' second homes in London,

3219-528: The Conservative Party leader of the opposition, set out his proposal for reform in The Guardian . He proposed strengthening the power of backbenchers over the government, and other measures as part of 'a radical redistribution of power'. Writing in The Guardian on 27 May 2009, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg suggested cancelling MPs holidays until 'the constitutional crisis sparked by

3330-590: The Electoral Reform Society joined with other pressure groups (including Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform ) and Labour MPs to launch Labour for a New Democracy , a campaign to "build support for UK electoral reform in Labour with the aim of changing party policy by the time its next conference takes place". According to polling, three-quarters of Labour members believe the party should commit to supporting proportional representation and adopt it as

3441-481: The European Parliament . The proposed disclosures vary between parties. A study of the possible influence of the voting system on MPs behaviour concluded that those MPs with the safest seats were twice as likely as those with the most marginal seats to be involved in the expenses row. The UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has identified around 40 MPs, including the former Chancellor of

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3552-470: The Exchequer, as having claimed for their tax return costs. A minority of these have affirmed they paid tax on the sums involved; HMRC have confirmed they are investigating former Chancellor Alistair Darling 's tax claims, along with those of others involved. Darling had claimed the costs of preparing his tax return as an expense of his office, although tax law regards them as personal costs. Lord Millett ,

3663-530: The High Court, which ruled on 16 May 2008 in favour of releasing the information. No appeal was lodged against the High Court ruling, and the requested details were made public on 23 May 2008. Prior to The Daily Telegraph' s revelations in May and June 2009 and the official publication of expenses claimed in June 2009, and during the Freedom of Information cases, there were a variety of exposés that covered

3774-402: The House of Commons amendment but the bill was ultimately withdrawn prior to a second reading in the House of Lords because peers were unwilling to sponsor the bill. In February 2008, after referral to an Information Tribunal, it was held that Commons authorities would release information on 14 MPs. This decision was subsequently appealed against, delaying the release of information. In

3885-463: The House of Lords were prosecuted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment. A February 2008 Freedom of Information Act request for the release of details of MPs' expense claims was allowed by an Information Tribunal and was challenged by the House of Commons Authorities on the grounds that it was "unlawfully intrusive". In May 2008 the High Court (England and Wales) ruled in favour of releasing

3996-600: The MPs' code of conduct relating to financial interests; and determining the procedures for investigations and complaints relating to MPs. Henceforth, there will therefore be two codes of conduct for MPs to follow: a non-statutory code drawn up by the House of Commons itself; and a statutory code drawn up by the IPSA. The IPSA will take over some of the functions previously undertaken by the Fees Office. It will not, however, determine

4107-562: The Prime Minister Gordon Brown , the Chancellor , cabinet and shadow cabinet members) through to backbenchers , and members of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. A number of members were expelled from their parties, or would not stand for re-election; some members repaid, in part or whole, sums they had previously claimed. Expenses claims to be repaid averaged £3,000. The highest repayment by an MP

4218-455: The Republic , the largest of all Union Army veterans' organizations, was the most powerful single-issue political lobby of the late nineteenth century, securing massive pensions for veterans and helping to elect five postwar presidents from its own membership. To its members, it was also a secret fraternal order, a source of local charity, a provider of entertainment in small municipalities, and

4329-674: The US, however, advocacy group influence is much more significant. For example, in 1954 the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) lobbied against the Topeka Board of education, arguing that segregation of education based on race was unconstitutional. As a result of group pressure from the NAACP, the supreme court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in education

4440-673: The United States are using social media to interact with citizens every day. The study surveyed 53 groups, that were found to be using a variety of social media technologies to achieve organizational and political goals: As noted in the study, "while some groups raised doubts about social media's ability to overcome the limitations of weak ties and generational gaps , an overwhelming majority of groups see social media as essential to contemporary advocacy work and laud its democratizing function." Another 2012 study argued that advocacy groups use social media to reach audiences unrelated to

4551-600: The United States, the Civil Rights Movement gained much of its publicity through civil disobedience; African Americans would simply disobey the racist segregation laws to get the violent, racist reaction from the police and white Americans. This violence and racism was then broadcast all over the world, showing the world just how one sided the race 'war' in America actually was. Advocacy group influence has also manifested itself in supranational bodies that have arisen through globalisation . Groups that already had

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4662-443: The acceptance of social media use by advocacy groups, populations not affiliated with media advocacy often question the benevolence of social media. Rather than exclusively fostering an atmosphere of camaraderie and universal understanding, social media can perpetuate power hierarchies . More specifically, social media can provide "a means of reproducing power and fulfilling group interest for those possessing excessive power... [having

4773-410: The aim of having their issues translated into policy such as the government encouraging alternative energy and recycling . The judicial branch of government can also be used by advocacy groups to exert influence. In states where legislation cannot be challenged by the courts, like the UK, advocacy groups are limited in the amount of influence they have. In states that have codified constitutions, like

4884-399: The assembly by lobbying. Groups with greater economic resources at their disposal can employ professional lobbyists to try and exert influence in the assembly. An example of such a group is the environmentalist group Greenpeace ; Greenpeace (an organisation with income upward of $ 50,000,000) use lobbying to gain political support for their campaigns. They raise issues about the environment with

4995-520: The assistant editor of the Telegraph , Andrew Pierce , revealed in an interview that the newspaper had paid £110,000 for the information, and described it as 'money well spent in the public interest'. The Times and The Sun had turned down an offer to buy the leaked expenses file. Shortly after the publication of the information, the House of Commons authorities asked the Metropolitan Police to investigate. The Police declined, on

5106-535: The atmosphere in Westminster to that surrounding Senator Joseph McCarthy 's "witch hunts" of suspected Communists during the 1950s. The comment led to a forceful rebuke by Conservative leader David Cameron , who stated that the anger and mood were warranted and that MPs should be more concerned about what the public were thinking. On 23 May 2009 the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams warned about

5217-452: The basis of expenses claims that genuinely are not true." 74 MPs lost their seats in the 2010 general election . On 25 May 2009, Health Secretary Alan Johnson (seen as a possible candidate for Labour leadership) stated that one response to the controversy should be a full review of the electoral and political system. He proposed as part of this, a referendum on changing the electoral system to Alternative vote plus . David Cameron ,

5328-459: The bureaucracy] is usually that between the senior bureaucrats and leading business or industrial interests". This supports the view that groups with greater financial resources at their disposal will generally be better able to influence the decision-making process of government. The advantages that large businesses have is mainly due to the fact that they are key producers within their countries economy and, therefore, their interests are important to

5439-468: The campaign's chair. In 2012, the Society criticised Government handling of its policy of elected Police and crime commissioners – which led to the lowest turnout in British peacetime history . In August 2012, the society predicted turnout could be as low as 18.5% and outlined steps to salvage the elections, mobilising support from both candidates and voters. The Government did not change tack, dubbing

5550-526: The communities they help and to mobilize diverse groups of people. Mobilization is achieved in four ways: "1). Social media help connect individuals to advocacy groups and thus can strengthen outreach efforts. 2). Social media help promote engagement as they enable engaging feedback loops. 3). Social media strengthen collective action efforts through an increased speed of communication. 4). Social media are cost-effective tools that enable advocacy organizations to do more for less." While these studies show

5661-464: The constituency and one in London. Areas of questionable claims highlighted by the Telegraph included: The Telegraph first revealed expenses of the governing Labour Party , beginning with the Cabinet on 8 May 2009, before releasing details of the claims by junior ministers and Labour backbenchers. Further allegations were made on 14 May. On 11 and 12 May, publication focused on the frontbench of

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5772-493: The controversial John Lewis List (a list considered to indicate amounts that could be claimed without question) and individual MPs' expenses claims. Examples of items publicised prior to the May 2009 disclosures included: In May 2009, two months prior to the official disclosure of full expenses claims, The Daily Telegraph obtained a full copy of all expenses claimed. The Telegraph began publishing, in instalments from 8 May 2009, certain MPs' expenses. The Telegraph justified

5883-528: The creation of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority , intended to manage Members' expenses at an "arm's length" from the House, ending the historical self-policing by MPs of their expenses. The IPSA will be responsible for: paying MPs' annual salaries; drawing up, reviewing, and administering an MPs' allowances scheme; providing MPs with publicly available information relating to taxation issues; preparing

5994-627: The disclosures began. The Conservatives still maintained their lead over Labour , but support for the BNP was up. The poll showed that 19% of voters were prepared to vote outside of the main three parties, with the British National Party , Green Party of England and Wales , and UK Independence Party also hoping to capitalise, and was particularly pertinent because of the subsequent European Parliament election . The expenses disclosures were published over an extended period of time, with

6105-587: The end of the Seven Years' War . Charged with seditious libel , Wilkes was arrested after the issue of a general warrant , a move that Wilkes denounced as unlawful – the Lord Chief Justice eventually ruled in Wilkes favour. As a result of this episode, Wilkes became a figurehead to the growing movement for popular sovereignty among the middle classes – people began chanting, "Wilkes and Liberty" in

6216-429: The end of the 1990s the emergence of a new global social movement, the anti-globalization movement . Some social movement scholars posit that with the rapid pace of globalization, the potential for the emergence of new type of social movement is latent—they make the analogy to national movements of the past to describe what has been termed a global citizens movement . According to Stuart McConnell: The Grand Army of

6327-455: The end of the line told me he had a hard drive which contained details of every MP's expense claims over the past four years. Every receipt, every claim and every piece of correspondence between MPs and fees office staff was detailed—some four million separate pieces of information [...] those directly involved in processing the raw data were shocked and appalled by what they were seeing. I was also being told that critical information—particularly

6438-507: The focus moving to different MPs daily. As a result, there was significant pressure on MPs who did not know whether, and for what, they would be discussed, as well as a general deepening hostility that grew over a relatively long period. On 22 May 2009 Nadine Dorries , the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire went on record in saying that many of her colleagues "feared a suicide" and that MPs were "beginning to crack". She likened

6549-506: The following day, both effective 21 June. The Labour Party formed a three-person panel of its National Executive Committee (NEC) in order to investigate some of its MPs who were referred to it over expenses allegations, which quickly became known as the " Star Chamber " (a reference to the court of the same name employed by English monarchs to dispense summary justice in the 16th and 17th centuries). Individual cases (in alphabetical order) include: On 20 May 2009 Harriet Harman announced

6660-438: The general goal of improving farming for every farmer, even those who are not members of that particular interest group. Thus, there is no real incentive to join an interest group and pay dues if the farmer will receive that benefit anyway. For another example, every individual in the world would benefit from a cleaner environment, but environmental protection interest groups do not receive monetary help from every individual in

6771-487: The government as their contributions are important to the economy. According to George Monbiot , the influence of big business has been strengthened by "the greater ease with which corporations can relocate production and investment in a global economy ". This suggests that in the ever modernising world, big business has an increasing role in influencing the bureaucracy and in turn, the decision-making process of government. Advocacy groups can also exert influence through

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6882-434: The grounds that any attempted prosecution might meet with a successful public interest defence. Alongside specific allegations of incorrect claims such as claims for the cost of mortgages which it transpired had already been repaid in full the Telegraph alleged that parliamentary ' Green Book ' expenses rules gave wide scope for a number of abuses, especially those related to costs of maintaining two residences, one in

6993-467: The growing maturity of the use of social movements and special-interest associations. Chartism was the first mass movement of the growing working-class in the world. It campaigned for political reform between 1838 and 1848 with the People's Charter of 1838 as its manifesto – this called for universal suffrage and the implementation of the secret ballot , amongst other things. The term "social movements"

7104-668: The handling of the expense crisis was not well received by the majority of the House. He attacked MPs in Parliament who defended The Daily Telegraph for publishing details of expenses and allowances. Martin then concluded his part in the debate over how to handle the expense scandal, by announcing that the Commons clerk had referred the matter of the leaked information to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Overall, Martin appeared to be more concerned with

7215-475: The information. In April 2009 the House of Commons authorities announced that publication of expenses, with certain information deemed "sensitive" redacted, would be made available in July 2009. However, before this could take place the expense records and documentation were leaked to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which began publishing details in daily instalments from 8 May 2009. These disclosures dominated

7326-638: The interests of businesses. For example, George W. Bush 's re-election campaign in 2004 was the most expensive in American history and was financed mainly by large corporations and industrial interests that the Bush administration represented in government. Conversely, left-wing parties are often funded by organised labour – when the British Labour Party was formed, it was largely funded by trade unions. Often, political parties are actually formed as

7437-649: The late 19th century are seen as the prototypical social movements, leading to the formation of communist and social democratic parties and organisations. These tendencies were seen in poorer countries as pressure for reform continued, for example in Russia with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and of 1917 , resulting in the collapse of the Czarist regime around the end of the First World War . In

7548-669: The leadership of Enid Lakeman , led a successful campaign to keep the STV system in Ireland. In 1973, the STV was introduced in Northern Ireland for elections to local councils and to the new Northern Ireland Assembly , and the society and its staff were called upon to advise in the programme of education set up by the government to raise public awareness. Interest in proportional representation revived sharply in Britain after

7659-616: The level of MPs' pay. That will remain a matter for the Senior Salaries Review Body which annually informs the Speaker of the House of Commons of the percentage increase to be awarded to MPs. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has been criticised for severely complicating the expenses claims process for MPs and their staff. Former Member of Parliament Paul Flynn recalled his experiences with IPSA upon its creation: "A monthly thirty-minute chore

7770-400: The loss of public goodwill suffered by established MPs and parties, and proposed to stand on "clean slate" or anti-sleaze platforms. In the immediate aftermath of the revelations, a Populus survey said that only 45% of people were committed to voting in the next general election (although 54% said they wanted an election as soon as possible), which had fallen by around a quarter since before

7881-468: The media – they will either put across their outsider status and use their inability to access the other channels of influence to gain sympathy or they may put across a more ideological agenda. Traditionally, a prime example of such a group were the trade-unions who were the so-called "industrial" muscle. Trade-unions would campaign in the forms of industrial action and marches for workers rights, these gained much media attention and sympathy for their cause. In

7992-406: The mid-18th century, including political representation , market capitalization , and proletarianization . The first mass social movement catalyzed around the controversial political figure, John Wilkes . As editor of the paper The North Briton , Wilkes vigorously attacked the new administration of Lord Bute and the peace terms that the new government accepted at the 1763 Treaty of Paris at

8103-506: The minority opposition party, the Conservatives, felt he had lost the confidence of the public and the House in general. Martin was the first Speaker to be forced out of the office by a motion of no confidence since John Trevor in 1695. Despite apologising to the public on behalf of the House of Commons on 18 May, Martin announced his resignation as Speaker of the House of Commons and as Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East

8214-412: The motion through the Commons. However, opposition parties stated they would vote against the proposals, and large-scale public opposition emerged. The proposals were ultimately dropped on 21 January 2009. The Commons authorities announced that full disclosure of all MPs' expenses would be published on 1 July 2009. Ultimately the media disclosure made the legal appeal moot; the appeal was finally heard at

8325-405: The movement was careful not to cross the line into open rebellion – it tried to rectify the faults in governance through appeals to existing legal precedents and was conceived of as an extra-Parliamentary form of agitation to arrive at a consensual and constitutional arrangement. The force and influence of this social advocacy movement on the streets of London compelled the authorities to concede to

8436-436: The movement's demands. Wilkes was returned to Parliament, general warrants were declared as unconstitutional and press freedom was extended to the coverage of Parliamentary debates . Another important advocacy group that emerged in the late 18th century was the British abolitionist movement against slavery . Starting with an organised sugar boycott in 1791, it led the second great petition drive of 1806, which brought about

8547-455: The national mind as though there were no moral differences". On 11 June 2009 ex-communities secretary Hazel Blears , who chose to resign from the government just before the English county council and European elections, said that she regretted the timing of her decision. She also stated that her decision to wear a brooch with the words 'rocking the boat' on the same day as the resignation was

8658-459: The nature of the leak of the information, which led to the Telegraph' s publishing details of MPs' expenses and allowances, rather than offering an anticipated apology or explanation. The majority of the MPs felt Martin's defensive approach and attacks on various MPs as whistleblowers and the backbenchers was a clear indication that Martin was no longer able to lead the House with the required impartiality. MPs from his own majority party, Labour, and

8769-421: The ones with less financial resources, may use direct action and civil disobedience , and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or ' domestic extremists '. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use social media to facilitate civic engagement, and collective action. The early growth of pressure groups was connected to broad economic and political changes in England in

8880-494: The performance of a Member's parliamentary duties'. In January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force, allowing members of the public to request disclosure of information from public bodies. One early request came from the journalist Jon Ungoed-Thomas. Another request came from journalist and freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke . Both asked for details of the expenses claimed by certain MPs to be released. The requests were subsequently passed over to

8991-488: The polymath and politician John Lubbock . By the end of the year, the society had attracted the support of 184 Members of Parliament , split almost equally between Conservatives and Liberals . Other early members included Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll ), C. P. Scott , editor of The Manchester Guardian and Thomas Hare , inventor of the Single Transferable Vote. The initial aim of

9102-470: The post-war period, women's rights , gay rights , peace , civil rights , anti-nuclear and environmental movements emerged, often dubbed the New Social Movements , some of which may be considered " general interest groups" as opposed to special interest groups. They led, among other things, to the formation of green parties and organisations influenced by the new left . Some find in

9213-499: The potential effect of the controversy on the democratic process, and that "the continuing systematic humiliation of politicians itself threatens to carry a heavy price in terms of our ability to salvage some confidence in our democracy." On the same day writing in The Times, columnist and former MP Matthew Parris reflected that "extravagance, genuine mistake, sly acquisitiveness and outright criminal fraud are now jumbled together in

9324-428: The potential to] indirectly reinforce elitist domination." By excluding those without access to the internet, social media inherently misrepresents populations- particularly the populations in low-income countries . Since media advocacy groups use social media as a way to boost the narratives of these populations, the effect of social media use can be counteractive to well-intentioned goals. Instead of directly amplifying

9435-482: The prediction a "silly season story". Following the result (in which the national turnout was a mere 15.1%, even lower than the society's prediction), the Society branded the Government's approach to elections as a "comedy of errors", views that were reiterated by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper . The society led bids to change the Government's approach to introduction of Individual Electoral Registration, which

9546-408: The previous years. The disclosure of widespread misuse of allowances and expenses permitted to members of Parliament (MPs) aroused widespread anger among the UK public and resulted in a large number of resignations, sackings, de-selections and retirement announcements together with public apologies and the repayment of expenses. Several members, and former members, of both the House of Commons and

9657-834: The public interest. Some public policy interests are not recognized or addressed by a group at all. These interests are labeled latent interests. Much work has been undertaken by academics attempting to categorize how advocacy groups operate, particularly in relation to governmental policy creation. The field is dominated by numerous and diverse schools of thought: There are three broad perspectives on how special interest groups achieve influence: through quid pro quo exchange, information transmission, and subsidizing policymaking. Apart from lobbying and other methods of asserting political presence, advocacy groups use social media to attract attention towards their particular cause. A study published in early 2012 suggests that advocacy groups of varying political and ideological orientations operating in

9768-501: The publication of expenses politicians from all parties responded to the controversy. The resignation of Michael Martin , Speaker of the House of Commons , followed after he was pressured to step down for approving the allowances system that MPs have manipulated with questionable claims of expenses. The pressure and viable threats of a proposed vote of no confidence in Martin ultimately forced his resignation. Michael Martin's response to

9879-400: The publication of the information because it contended that the official information due to be released would have omitted key information about re-designating of second-home nominations. The information in the leaks published by The Daily Telegraph originated from the parliamentary fees office, and had been offered to other newspaper organisations for more than £150,000. In September 2009,

9990-542: The referendum and called for a review of how future events are run. Contrasting it very unfavourably with the 'well-informed grassroots' campaign for Scottish independence , ERS Chief Executive Katie Ghose described it as "dire" with “glaring democratic deficiencies” which left voters bewildered. Katie Ghose noted a generally negative response to establishment figures with 29% of voters saying David Cameron (a Remain supporter) made them more likely to vote leave, whilst only 14% said he made them want to vote remain. Looking ahead,

10101-409: The removal of addresses from the files—would lead to many of the scams never being publicly exposed. The ultimate source was adamant that the key thing was that both the information and the way in which it was handled should be in the public domain and that its release was in the public interest [...] I was assured that the data was not stolen but that it was an unregistered copy that had been produced as

10212-569: The right to sit in Parliament, Wilkes became an Alderman of London in 1769, and an activist group called the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights began aggressively promoting his policies. This was the first ever sustained social advocacy group – it involved public meetings, demonstrations, the distribution of pamphlets on an unprecedented scale and the mass petition march. However,

10323-434: The row over expenses is resolved'. Setting out a week by week plan, Clegg made wide-ranging proposals, from placing a cap on individual donations to political parties, to replacing the House of Lords with an elected Senate , to allowing a referendum on electoral reform . The major political parties and some minority parties (not UKIP) have stated they will publicly disclose information on expenses claims by UK Members of

10434-521: The society called for an official organisation to highlight misleading claims and for Ofcom to define the role that broadcasters are expected to play. In February 2018, the ERS reported that hundreds of seats were being effectively 'reserved' by men, holding back women's representation. Their report states that 170 seats are being held by men first elected in 2005 or before – with few opportunities for women to take those seats or selections. In September 2020,

10545-470: The society succeeded in getting STV introduced in local and then national elections in Ireland , and in numerous religious, educational and professional organisations. Following World War II , the society suffered from financial problems and a lack of public appetite for reform. When Fianna Fáil put to a referendum a proposal to revert to first-past-the-post voting twice (1959 and 1968), the society, under

10656-616: The society was to have proportional representation included in the terms of the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c. 23), but, despite a determined campaign of political lobbying, it was unable to do so. A PRS pamphlet of the 1920s described the organisation's aims thus: Alongside its sister organisation, Proportional Representation Society of Ireland ,

10767-515: The streets. After a later period of exile, brought about by further charges of libel and obscenity , Wilkes stood for the Parliamentary seat at Middlesex , where most of his support was located. When Wilkes was imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison on 10 May 1768, a mass movement of support emerged, with large demonstrations in the streets under the slogan "No liberty, no King." Stripped of

10878-404: The tax year 2007–2008, MPs' costs of staying away from their main homes was limited to £23,083. In January 2009 Harriet Harman , Leader of the House of Commons , tabled a motion which would exempt MPs' expenses from being disclosed under a Freedom of Information request, in order to prevent any further disclosure of information. Labour MPs were placed under a three line whip in order to force

10989-442: The team once he returned from jury duty . The team grew to "more than a dozen ," as stories were published. Joining the team were a picture researcher and a designer, as well as deputy editor Tony Gallagher , head of news Chris Evans , news editor Matt Bailey, and head lawyer Arthur Wynn Davies. In May 2009, major national newspapers such as The Times described the resulting controversy as "Parliament's darkest day" and

11100-399: The voices and narratives of historically marginalized populations , social media magnifies their concerns through the perspective of individuals with access to the internet. Since advocacy groups have the agency to control a community's narrative through a social media post, they have the agency to control the deservedness of a community as well. That is, the amount of resources or attention

11211-489: The world. This poses a problem for interest groups, which require dues from their members and contributions in order to accomplish the groups' agendas. Selective benefits are material, rather than monetary benefits conferred on group members. For instance, an interest group could give members free or discounted travel, meals, or periodical subscriptions. Many trade and professional interest groups tend to give these types of benefits to their members. A solidarity incentive

11322-516: The world: On some controversial issues there are a number of competing advocacy groups, sometimes with very different resources available to them: A general theory is that individuals must be enticed with some type of benefit to join an interest group. However, the free rider problem addresses the difficulty of obtaining members of a particular interest group when the benefits are already reaped without membership. For instance, an interest group dedicated to improving farming standards will fight for

11433-409: Was akin to " torture ". Her comment was rejected by senior Conservatives. (See also Effect on MPs and on the political structure below) A widespread public reaction was heightened as a result of several factors: the incident broke in the face of an economic recession and financial crisis , under an already unpopular government, only weeks before the 2009 European Parliament elections . Following

11544-536: Was announced on 5 February 2010 that criminal charges of false accounting were to be prosecuted against four parliamentarians, all later jailed. On 19 May charges were brought against two more, on 13 and 14 October 2010 two more faced legal proceedings. Three peers were suspended on 18 October 2010 due to their expenses claims. In the United Kingdom, MPs can claim expenses, including the cost of accommodation, 'wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for

11655-415: Was brought forward for a special edition into the prime time slot of 9 pm BST . Nadine Dorries , a Conservative MP, criticised the Telegraph' s handling, which she described as "picking off a few MPs each day, emailing at noon, giving five hours to reply, recording the conversation, not allowing them to speak, telling them they are going to publish anyway". She stated that the stress felt by some MPs

11766-407: Was complicated by ISPA into endless hours of tedious frustrating trawling through a bureaucratic morass of irrational rules" and he believed, "A simple five-part claims system was atomised into a hundred headings and sub-headings". A surge in proposed independent candidates and enhanced profile of minority parties were noted in the press. In various cases these candidates stood in recognition of

11877-546: Was historically used in the multi-member parliamentary constituencies before their abolition. It also campaigns for improvements to public elections and representative democracy, and is a regular commentator on all aspects of representation, public participation and democratic governance in the United Kingdom. The ERS was founded in January 1884 as the Proportional Representation Society by

11988-440: Was indeed unconstitutional and such practices were banned. This is a novel example of how advocacy groups can exert influence in the judicial branch of government. Advocacy groups can also exert influence on political parties. The main way groups do this is through campaign finance. For instance; in the UK, the conservative parties campaigns are often funded by large corporations, as many of the conservative parties campaigns reflect

12099-558: Was introduced in 1848 by the German Sociologist Lorenz von Stein in his book Socialist and Communist Movements since the Third French Revolution (1848) in which he introduced the term "social movement" into scholarly discussions – actually depicting in this way political movements fighting for the social rights understood as welfare rights . The labor movement and socialist movement of

12210-455: Was reported that the five Sinn Féin MPs together had claimed nearly £500,000 in second home allowances, despite never taking up their seats at Westminster due to the party's abstentionist policy. Sinn Féin stated that its members often have to travel to London on parliamentary business. The claims published by The Daily Telegraph ultimately covered the entire gamut of Parliament—all major parties and several minor ones , ministers (including

12321-437: Was £42,458.21 by Barbara Follett . There were also payments to the UK tax authority for taxes on possible gains or income previously not paid. Former SAS officer Major John Wick, the owner of a London-based risk management company has been named as the middle-man for an unnamed whistleblower ; he has spoken of the need to bring the information he had been given into the public domain. Wick stated that: The person on

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