Page 26 - An Introduction to Political Communication Second Edition

POLITICS IN THE AGE OF MEDIATION

are typically less institutionalised and more overtly ‘political’ in their
objectives, being concerned with such issues as the conservation of
the natural environment, and the prevention of cruelty to animals
being reared for human food consumption, or for use in the testing
of drugs and cosmetics. They tend to campaign around single issues,
such as the anti-nuclear movement in the early 1980s, and the British
anti-poll tax campaign of the late 1980s and early 1990s (Deacon
and Golding, 1994). They are unlike the established parties, however,
in drawing their support and membership from a more diverse social
base. While the Labour and Conservative parties in Britain (and the
US Democratic and Republican parties) are traditionally associated
with ‘labour’ and ‘business’ respectively (given that these associations
are much looser now than was once the case) an organisation such
as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and its equivalent in
other countries, at the height of its influence drew support and active
membership from the entire spectrum of social classes in Britain.
The environmental movement of the 1990s, likewise, has found
support across classes, age groups, and religious and ideological
affiliations.
The environmental movement, it should be noted, is an example
of a pressure group which sought to break into the mainstream of
the political process by establishing ‘Green’ parties throughout
Europe. As a political party the Greens have not succeeded in
establishing themselves in the British Parliament, although they have
many elected representatives in Germany and other European
countries. Even in Britain, however, the environmental movement
has had a major impact on the political agenda, requiring both
Conservative and Labour governments to develop at least the
appearance of pro-environmental policies. 1
Pressure group politics, like that of parties and public
organisations, is about communication, using the variety of
advertising and public relations techniques now available. Some
groups, like Friends of the Earth, have proved themselves to be skilled
exponents of these techniques. But because of their non-institutional,
more or less marginal character, they are frequently deprived of the
financial and status resources which accrue to more established
political actors, and must therefore devise less expensive means of
communicating their political messages, such as symbolic forms of
protest and demonstration designed to attract the attentions of
journalists. Chapter 8 will explore these techniques and assess their
effectiveness in some detail.

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