Heathrow 13: climate change protesters avoid jail. Six women and seven men have avoided jail for trespassing at Heathrow, following a protest against the possible expansion of the airport.
The activists, dubbed the Heathrow 13, were given sentences of six weeks suspended for 12 months, which means that if they break the law within a year, they are likely to serve the sentence. They had been found guilty in January of aggravated trespass and entering a security-restricted area of an aerodrome. They had been warned by district judge Deborah Wright to expect a custodial sentence. During the trial at Willesden magistrates court in north-west London, the defendants had argued that their actions were reasonable, proportionate and necessary to prevent death and serious injury via air pollution and climate change, saying that 31 people a year die prematurely around Heathrow due to its pollution, and thousands die due to the effects of climate change.
The Fracking Debate. July 2015 Nov 2015 Lancashire County Council decided that they would not allow planning permission for fracking to take place on the Fylde Coast in June of 2015 disappointing fracking company Cuadrilla.
Hillsborough and Judicial Review. Banning Donald Trump from the UK- A debate in Parliament. MPs held a debate in Westminster Hall this week, debating whether Donald Trump should be banned from the UK given some of his recent comments in the run up to the US Presidential election.
This is a great example for a whole bunch of topics in AS Politics. Firstly, it can be used for Pressure Groups. The debate was a result of an e-petition which received over 500,000 signatures. Outlook Web App. BMA and Strike Action. Strike Action delayed – Ballot – The BMA has called off strike action at the eleventh hour, with the government and the BMA agreeing to postpone such action in favour of talks.The entirety of this row is great evidence for pressure groups in Unit 1.
Firstly, the role of the BMA has been crucial. Depending on the typology that you use they would commonly be seen as an ‘insider’ group providing specialist information to the government (for example in the 2012 Lansley NHS Reforms). However, in this instance, unhappy with proposed changes to junior doctors contract they balloted their members on strike action, a method we would more likely associate with an ‘outsider’.
Either way, you could certainly attribute this to a ‘sectional’ group, defending the interests of junior doctors. It is crucial that they have had some level of success – they forced the government to ‘blink first’. Like this: Like Loading... Stop the War chair Andrew Murray: ‘Everyone sees friends at Christmas. But Jeremy, apparently, has a problem’ The morning I sit down for a long chat with Andrew Murray, the chair of the Stop the War coalition, British politics is a mere 36 hours away from what some people would have you believe is one of the most controversial events of 2015.
It is scheduled to happen at a Turkish restaurant near Southwark tube station, and will involve food, the presence of the former Roxy Music member Brian Eno, and music from one Dmitri van Zwanenberg – according to the promotional blurb, a “busker with a yellow violin”. Council blocks Little Plumpton fracking application. An application to start fracking at a site on the Fylde coast in Lancashire has been rejected by councillors.
Energy firm Cuadrilla wanted to extract shale gas at the Little Plumpton site between Preston and Blackpool. Lancashire County Council rejected the bid on the grounds of "unacceptable noise impact" and the "adverse urbanising effect on the landscape". Cuadrilla said it was "surprised and disappointed" and would consider its "options" regarding an appeal. A spokesman added: "We remain committed to the responsible exploration of the huge quantity of natural gas locked up in the shale rock deep underneath Lancashire.
" 'Triumph for democracy' The Little Plumpton bid had been recommended for approval by the county council's planning officials, subject to working hours, noise control and highway matters. Lego ends partnership with Shell after Greenpeace viral campaign. Political Information Portal. Juniors Doctors Protests. This is an excellent story for those about to begin the study of Pressure Groups in the UK.
The row over junior doctors’ pay has been going on for a while, bouncing back and forth between the Health Department and the BMA. However, focussing on the events of the last two weeks, it is a tour de force in the theory of this topic. Firstly, in mid-October, around 20,000 protesters marched through London campaigning against the proposals from Jeremy Hunt at the Department of Health. This was a protest largely orchestrated by Dr Anna Warrington and was organised using social media, in this case Facebook. This is an astounding example of the impact that new social media is having on pressure group action – in fact given that this was not a march that was organised or endorsed by a traditionally set-up pressure group this could be seen as an example of a new social movement (NSM).
Coupled with this however are excellent examples of how else pressure groups can act. Like this: Like Loading... Ashbourne College Government & Politics. What are pressure groups?
A pressure group is an organised group that seeks to influence government (public) policy or protect or advance a particular cause or interest. Groups may promote a specific issue and raise it up the political agenda or they may have more general political and ideological objectives in mind when they campaign. Pressure groups operate at: Local; Sub National (Regional); National and International level (including European Union) Pressure Groups are different from Political Parties (1) Different objectives Parties seek representation and power through elections whereas pressure groups in the main seek political influence. . (2) Structure and organisation In the main political parties are inherently more democratic. . (3) Size, resources and support Political parties used to be mass membership vehicles.
. (4)Tactics Political parties will employ traditional tactics of communication and campaigning which are seen as legitimate forms of expression. . (5) Success. their sensitivity.
Case study EU referendum. EU. Social movements. Arguments about pressure group activity. Factors for success. Pressure group methods. #59 Pressure and Protest 2015. Animal rights group ends 15-year campaign against experiments at Huntingdon. Animal rights leaders have ended their high-profile campaign against a testing centre after 15 years of intimidation and direct action that broke new ground with the sophisticated targeting of the centre's City backers.
The campaign led to the jailing of dozens of activists and a change in the law to counter the guerrilla tactics of the group that targeted financial institutions, suppliers, contractors and directors of the Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) testing centre in Cambridgeshire. Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) and its supporters embarked on what one judge called a "ruthless, sustained campaign" making false allegations of child abuse, sending hoax bombs and delivering sanitary towels allegedly contaminated with the Aids virus to try to traumatise staff. During the campaign, the leaders targeted more than 40 companies to try to force them to sever their links with HLS.
Brian Cass, HLS managing director, was attacked outside his home with a pickaxe handle.