The state and civil society
STATE = compulsion (Hobbes) - Authoritarianism/ Duties / Obligation
CIVIL SOCIETY = voluntary association (Rousseau) – Libertarianism/ Rights
“Pressure groups” or “interest groups” are civil society organizations
EG
Pure civil organization –
sport, sports associations
Churches/ Religious organization (in non-theocratic states)
Private Firms / Companies/ Banks (within framework of law)
Clubs
Political Parties
Newspapers / Publishers
Co-operatives
Trades Unions
Professional Associations
Campaigns to influence general public opinion
Campaigns to enact particular legisation (the classic pressure group) – eg Pro Blood Sports (“Countryside Alliance”) – vs League for Abolition of Cruel Sports
Charities.
A nation with a ‘strong civil society’ means that there are MANY independent associations with their own rules and objectives. Importantly these organization exist independently of THE STATE and independently of EACH OTHER.
Many of these organizations will come into conflict with EACH OTHER (eg for a share of national resources = the Automobile Association wants more money on roads, the National Cycling Campaign.
A typical person
Amnesty International
Iran Aid
Noise Abatement Society
MS Charity
Asthma Charity
IMUSA / FC United
Supporters Direct
NUJ
UCU
Bank of England Social Club
Society of Editors
Reuters Institute (LSE)
Committee for the Project of Journalists
Yahoo
Google
Facebook
Various other online commercial things
[Boy Scouts]
NIMBY – I also joined a shortlived NIMBY campaign to prevent a block of flats being built in my street. (local authority planning committee requirement to consult = link point between civil society and the (local) state.
Newsworthy because a lot of people are in CIVIL SOCIETY organizations
Newsworthy because LOTS OF CONFLICT (eg over Hindu funeral pyres at the moment).
ALSO – there is very strong PUBLIC INTEREST in writing about the activities of Civil Society – the Fourth Estate role. There may be an element of Common Qualified Privelege = protection against legal action; if not the strong public interest should protect you against most complaints (so long as you give both sides) = BALANCE
PLURALISM = A SOCIETY WITH MANY INDEPENDENT SOURCES OF POWER, SUPPORT, ADVICE, ASSOCIATION, FREINDSHIP
Free press is an essential part of a plural society, and also a beneficiary.
Opposite of PLURAL society is a TOTALITARIAN (Hanna Ardent) society = where the is no civil society, or it is completely dominated by the state or a single organization of some sort.
Eg Saddam Hussein Ba’ath Party is merged with the state. There is only the state. Every single person work for the state and is under military discipline – 1984 – everyone is a secret police person; there is no restraint on the power of the state (except maybe the churches).
In COMMUNISM – there was always a bit of pluralism – especially in eg POLAND because of the Catholic Church – which remained autonomous and not subjected to complete state control. Less so in RUSSIA where the Bishops of the Orthodox Church were appointed by the state (as with the Anglican church in the UK) and were said to be KGB agents – ie he secret police in yet another form.
In totalitarian states – there may be formal independence for civil organization (eg the Youth Organisation or trade unions or co-operatives or farmers associations – but in reality these are centrally controlled by a single power structure – The Party – which controls everything and carries out state policy.
Threats to plural democracy in the west. They are the same as the threats to the free press.
DECLINE IN PARTICIPATION – bowling alone, leading to type of ‘rotting’ in the political system – eg Italy, eg UK expenses crisis. Declioning newspaper readerships seem to go in tandem with this. = DECLINE IN NEWS (especially local news).
A worrying decline in self-organisation and voluntarism (there is regimented participation but this is often encouraged by the state through the education system.
‘ASTROTURFING’ – a form of marketing strategy where commercial companies set up ‘campaigns’ – EG FORREST for political purposes.
Effective pressure groups – Gurkahs this week – very media led
Des Wilson – Lead in Petrol (still a classic)
Ralph Nader – Journalist Campaigner (WHICH magazine/ Consumer Association)
In summary good easy simple journalism, but there is great, gret danger of malice (EG Greenpeace get it wrong on Oil Rig disposal – dodgy science).
Danger of Astroturfing
Danger of Hype – where campaigns are highly visual for TV purposes – Fathers For Jusrice; Greenpeace etc – so danger of getting news values wrong.