Pressure groups have become increasingly important in liberal democracies for influencing and raising awareness of their group's particular causes or interests. This essay will assess whether pressure groups are more powerful than the UK government. To fully understand whether pressure groups are more powerful than the British government, we take into account the different classifications of pressure groups, define what we mean by power, the different ways in which pressure groups influence public choices , the arguments for and against more powerful pressures. than the British government and also the power that the government has, which the pressure groups do not have. The main argument of this essay is that although pressure groups have some influence and power in today's society, they are still not as powerful as the British government. There are many different definitions of what a pressure group is. Peter Lynch argues that a pressure group is “private, voluntary associations that wish to influence or control particular public policies, without becoming the government and controlling all public policies (Lynch, 2007, p. 245). Another definition is that “pressure groups are social aggregates with a certain level of cohesion and common goals that attempt to influence the political decision-making process” (Ball, AR and Millard, F, 1986 , pp. 33-4). A final definition is: “A pressure group is any organization that aims to influence public policy by seeking to persuade decision-makers through lobbying rather than running for office” (Coxall, 2001, p. 3) . Global pressure groups exist to help groups of people or causes, to promote their interests and will attempt to influence a certain section of society, whether it is the government or the government in general..... . middle of paper......us/our_people/our_celebrity_supportersBaggott, R. (1995). Pressure groups today. New York: Manchester University Press. Ball, A. and Peter, G. (2000). Modern Politics and Government. London: MacMillan.Ball, AR and Millard, F. (1986). Pressure politics in industrial societies. London: Macmillan. Coxall, B. (2001). Pressure groups in British politics. England: Pearson Education Limited. Jones, B. and Norton, P. (2010). Politics UK 7th edition. Harlow: Pearson. Lukes, S. (1986). Introduction to power. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Lynch, P. (2007). British politics. Essex: Pearson Custom Publishing. Shelter Scotland. (nd). Accessed November 30, 2010 from http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/Shelter Scotland. (nd). Retrieved November 11, 2010 from http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/Wyn, G. (2000). Pressure groups and British politics. London: MacMillan Press Ltd .