(This is an archived page, from Edition 2 of the Patterns of Power book. The current versions is at https://www.patternsofpower.org/patterns/political/pressures/balancing/).
Unsolicited pressure forms part of negotiation, but it is by definition one-sided. Politics is about striking a balance that benefits all the people and there are problems in applying weighting to all the above forms of pressure:
· The need for support makes democratic politicians over-sensitive to some electoral groups, such as people living in €˜marginal constituencies€™ or €˜swing States€™ (6.3.2.4).
· Media tend to express points of view without reference to how widely these views are held or to the validity of opposing arguments.
· Interest groups often represent extreme opinions and tend to be radical, in contrast to people who are content with the status quo and who don€™t speak out (and who may be in the majority).
· Businesses can distort the balance in a democracy, by using money instead of reasoned arguments, to add pressures which are in addition to the votes of their employees; they thereby over-represent their interests.
Other forms of representation and consultation can help to ensure that a negotiation is balanced and takes account of the €˜silent majority€™, as discussed in the next few sections. It is also appropriate to take steps to ensure transparency, as reviewed later in this chapter (6.8.5.1).
© PatternsofPower.org, 2014