1.INTRODUCTION
　　There were two major channels for representing popular opinion, if people in Britain would like to influence the government in the twentieth century. The first is the party electoral one, in which a person votes for a party as a member of a territorial constituency, and the second is the pressure group-functional one, in which a person joins a group sharing the same attitudes or occupations. But a vote can only be used perhaps every four years, so in the case of general elections, pressure groups allow citizens a continuous opportunity to influence policy in some areas.
　　2.Pressure group
　　Pressure group is a generic term for any kind of group seeking to influence the government to adopt or change particular policies.
　　Wyn Grant suggests that: ‘A pressure group is an organization which seeks and one of its functions to influence the formulation and implementation of public policy’
　　Such groups are: ‘organized entities that have such characteristics as a defined membership, stated objectives in relation to public policy and, often, a paid staff working to attain those objectives’ (1995:3-4)
　　3.Types of groups
　　We need to distinguish four types of groups which try to influence government without themselves holding office. First, there are the interest groups, usually based on an occupation or economic interest. Second, there are the promotional or attitude groups which advocate a cause, and their potential membership is, in theory, coextensive with the entire population. The distinction between the two groups is not always clear-cut. Finally, it is worth remembering every few groups are primarily oriented to the national political process and their interest in the political arena may be episodic.
　　4.Major Distinctions between Parties and Groups
　　1.The major goal of a political party is to win formal control of government to implement its program, whereas an interest group does not wish to win formal control of government, but simply desires to influence public policy in its areas of concern;
　　2. Parties have an avowedly public purpose as broad coalitions that facilitate compromise and governance in a society as a whole, whereas interest groups are narrow concerns that focus and aggregate their members’ interests and articulate them to government;
　　3. And parties run candidates in elections, whereas interest groups do not (Almond and Powell, 1966).
　5.Pressure Groups and British Politics
　　“Of all the Western democracies, Britain has perhaps the longest-established interest group system. Thus, despite the lack of a written constitution, British policy-making has certain well-established procedures – standard operating procedures – which generally accord interest groups a key role in the policy process.”Jeremy Richardson (1993: 86)
　　6.Techniques
　　Pressure groups may exercise influence and exert pressure throughout the cycle of policy-making. The most effective and persistent technique is to lobby the civil servants and minister behind the scenes.
　　A group may lobby friendly MPs. A number of MPs are paid retainers by interest groups, to represent their case in the House or paid directly for advice. This does not mean that MPs can be ‘bought’. They are obliged, if they speak in a debate in the Commons, to declare any financial interest they may have in the matter before the House, and since 1975 there has been a register in which MPs are required to declare their interests and outside earnings.
　　7.Pressure Groups for Democracy
　　 1. Participation and political access
　　 PGs increase participation and access to political system, thereby enhancing the equality of democracy. They complement and supplement electoral democracy in two main ways: first, by providing an important mechanism by which citizens can influence government between elections; and second, by enabling the intensity of feeling on issues to be considered, opinions to be weighed as well as conducted.
　　2. Improvement of government
　　Consultation with affected groups is the rational way to make decisions in a free society. It makes government more efficient by enhancing the quality of the decision-making process: the information and advice provided by groups helps to improve the quality of government policy and legislation.
　　3. Social progress
　　PGs enable new concerns and issues to reach the political agenda, thereby facilitating social progress and preventing social stagnation: e.g. the women’s and environmental movements.
　　8.Conclusion
　　The role of pressure groups and the development of the ‘group politics’ style of decision-making are crucial to an understanding of the development of British politics. They also raise important questions concerning power, accountability and democracy. The claim that British is a pluralist political system rests on the belief that several autonomous groups are involved in policy-making and that no group dominates the process. (责任编辑：南粤论文中心)转贴于南粤论文中心: http://www.nylw.net(南粤论文中心__代写代发论文_毕业论文带写_广州职称论文代发_广州论文网）