Use Of Focus Groups And Referenda In

Uk Essay, Research Paper

Pete Robinson

Does British and foreign experience support the view that the greater use of focus groups and referenda today are signs of a healthy democracy? Alternatively do they undermine the role of parliament?

Increasingly in Britain today the use of focus groups is becoming more and more common, not just by research institutions but by the government. A focus group is a small selection of people who represent the country, as there will be people present from all areas in Britain, all ages etc. The focus group is then asked questions to which it is to discuss and then to provide answers to the questions. More often than not these opinions are used simply to reassure the government, but more recently they have been used to form the new policies in areas that would have been otherwise neglected by the government. Referenda are now also taking a larger role, with several being held in the last few years. It may not be long before all important decisions are taken by holding referenda such is the case in Switzerland. Is this democracy gone mad or a new wave of ultra democracy ?

The party most responsible for the introduction of focus groups into Britain is Labour. When Tony Blair took over as leader of Labour in 1994 after the death of John Smith they were still seen as the left wing party of the 70 s and 80 s. Blair realised that their views were outdated and that they would never win the next election unless they changed the majority of their policies. Labour used over 500 focus groups between 94 and the election of 1997, in which they gained a very large majority. The focus groups provided them with a clear indication of what the British public wanted and consequently Labour changed their policies to fit in with this. Unsurprisingly the Labour Party of 1997 bore a huge resemblance to the Conservative Party, and it appears that the only reason people voted for Labour was because they believed the propaganda poured upon them by Blair et al, change for changes sake, if you will. However the Labour victory did highlight the role of focus groups and the massive influence that they can have on political parties. One can only assume that in such cases this is good for democracy because it gives people the opportunity to express their views and in a small way have a bearing on how the country is run. There is also a negative side towards the use of focus groups and that is that a government may use them too much and become far too reliant on them. An indication of this overuse is the 5000 strong People s Panel set up by Labour to give the public reaction to Labour/ government proposals. If the people on the panel respond negatively to an issue the government will probably not go ahead with it, for fear that they will fall out of favour with the electorate, even if the issue is of massive long-term importance. Equally as likely is the scenario that the government will introduce policies that are detrimental to the country in the long run but introduce them simply to gain support for upcoming elections.

The continued use of focus groups by the government will have many effects, some positive, but most importantly several key negative points. In future the government will be far better informed of public opinion and will be able to take care of the major issues more quickly and effectively. This will also lead to a government that is unlikely to make huge mistakes, such as poll tax and, in all honesty, the Millennium Dome. By having such a well informed government finance could be allocated to the right sectors, and money that would have been wasted e.g. the 650m for the Dome, could be spent on more worthy causes.

The increased use of focus groups in British politics would have serious side effects, most importantly of all the reluctance of governments to make decisions that at first are unpopular with the public. This would make governments afraid of taking snap decisions, in times of crisis for example, without first consulting focus groups. It would also lead to them putting off major decisions for the next government to deal with, which would be potentially dangerous, and would turn parliament into a huge public relations exercise. Party politics would also die out because each party would only institute policies that are popular with the public. Therefore the parties annual conferences would become obsolete, as would bodies such as the NEC. If all the parties were essentially the same democracy as a whole would suffer because there would be no real choice when it comes to an election. Pressure groups would also suffer, as there would no longer be a need for them because if the public wanted change then they would probably get it. Eventually politics would become very bland or non-existent, as there would be no clash of basic ideologies because focus groups or peoples panels take all of our decisions.

If idea of using focus groups was taken to the extreme then democracy would obviously have gone too far, but as long as it is used in moderation then it can only improve the role of our government.

Another factor that has crept into our lives of late is the referenda. A referendum allows part, or the whole, of a country a vote on a single issue. Referenda are usually only held on major issues, such as Scottish and Welsh devolution, but in the USA and Switzerland many issues are voted on.