Liberal Democracy

A key concept in liberal democracy is based on a consensus (shared thoughts and judgements from the public). This can be supported by a quote from Price who says a key concept of liberal democracy at a starting point refers to “collective judgements outside the sphere of government that affect political decision making” (Price, 1992 8). Price’s quote elaborates the importance of public opinion within politics especially within a liberal democracy. The concept of public opinion developed around the time of the emergence of the enlightenment theory. A key theorist in the enlightenment theory was Rousseau. Rousseau developed the ‘general will’ of the people. The ‘general will’ consisted of the desires and interests of the public as a whole rather

Public relations assists in corporate social responsibility as it can provide a voice for the government when communicating with the public to convey messages in a positive way through the media.

Other elements of public relations are news management and the use of flacks. A ‘flack’ is a term used to describe a PR who manages news in the media by dealing directly with journalists and representing their clients. An example of news management would be if a crisis occurred such as the politician’s expenses scandal. Another element of public relations would be to influence policy processes. To influence policy processes public relations tries to achieve this by lobbying politicians. “Lobbyists act on behalf of their ‘clients’ by acting as intermediates between them and the government. Lobbying nevertheless can provide groups with little in-house expertise or contacts the information and access that can help their campaigns. Hiring a professional lobbying consultant does not guarantee success; it will help the client navigate his way around the political system and will provide access to relevant politicians and bureaucrats.” (Rawnsley 2005: