POLS 3440 Lecture Notes - Body Politic, Sentenced, Rein
Document Summary
Unit 09: lobbying: money and power (and friends in high. After completing this unit, you should be able to: assess the role and activities of lobbyists, describe the principal features of the lobbyists" registration act and the lobbyists". Code of conduct: identify the weaknesses in the current rules and enforcement. This week we will look at one of the dark sides of politics lobbying and the influential role played by professional lobbyists. Lobbying is sometimes described as the world"s second oldest profession (after prostitution). Mr. justice john gomery, in his second report on the sponsorship scandal, describes lobbying as a burgeoning part of our political system. Depending on one"s point of view, it may be seen as a cancer on the political system or a benign, even useful, force in a smoothly functioning democracy. Lobbyists are people who earn their living by making things happen. Access and influence are the currency of the business.