The Lobbies Made Me do It—or Why It's Too Easy to Blame Lobbyists When Everything Goes South
Lobbying should not be an excuse for lawmakers to evade their responsibilities in governing.
I was recently following an intervention of an MEP as part of a circle of conferences on the EU.
This MEP, who is a strong defender of climate (and definitely not someone I’d consider a populist), did not have words strong enough against the lobbies that, supposedly, do everything they can to deny climate change or limit climate-friendly policies to a minimum.
Look, I understand that we’re in a campaign and that MEP needs to find strong and emotional arguments to convey their messages across. But comments like this one feed into the narrative that 1. the EU is far from a democratic system, and 2. that over-powerful lobbies pull the strings in Brussels. And 3. I fear this might be an excuse for lawmakers to skirt their responsibilities in governing.
I’m certain you’ve all been facing similar accusations, from your families and friends, probably even from friends of the Brussels bubble advocating… for NGOs.
In this piece, I’d like to give a few answers to these critics and propose a few elements for our industry to shift the public perception of lobbying.
Rooting for the underdog
The first thing that surprises me when someone criticises lobbies, is that the attacks are always directed at private interest.
NGOs or trade union are never put in the “bad lobby” bag. But do they not represent interest?
There is a general disdain, in our society, for money and the power it brings. And while I’m not advocating for a US-style society where everyone and everything is valued in monetary terms, I don’t think the opposite is sound either.
I argued in the past that business acumen is one of the main aspect of public affairs. Lobbyists above all work for the bottom line of their organisations. And that includes the non-profit sector.
In fact, I’d argue that chasing profit is a worthy endeavour—but that’s a story for another time.
Revolving doors—both ways
The second aspect of the criticism is the closeness of lobbies (once again, business lobbying) and politicians.
And while this is a serious issue that I’m certainly not underestimating, I’d like to point out that this closeness is perhaps more evident between NGOs and policymakers.
Let’s think about it: if you direct or chair a trade union, a climate-friendly organisation, etc. and you tried everything to convince policymakers to advance a policy, what is the next logical step for you? Yes—to run for office and present the legislation of your dream yourself.
While, if you are a business person, an entrepreneur, the usefulness of politics for your personal and professional interest is much less evident. In fact, I’d venture that business figures venturing into politics do it rather for egoistic reasons than purely because of ideology.
The right to influence & the choice to listen
While interest representatives should have the right to present their ideas and solutions, let’s not forget that policymakers also have the choice to listen to them.
Lobbies don’t pull the strings of policymaking in Brussels—in fact, we’re in control of very little.
Last minute amendments, unexpected votes, thin majorities, closed-door negotiations… on countless occasions, lobbyists are rather surprised about the outcome of a file they might nonetheless spend a lot of resources on influencing.
And in the end, it’s always the policymakers that decide and vote for all of us. That’s called representative democracy.
If said MEPs get overly influenced by a sigle interest, that’s concerning, sure, but that’s an MEP problem—not of lobbyists.
Who run the world?
… Girls!
Certainly not evil all-powerful lobbyists.
I mean let’s be serious. Look at governments, with all their ministries and civil servants and military and taxes and McKinsey studies—do they look like they are in control of anything?
Then how does anyone expect any organisation to have control of the world, policymaking, the way we consume and vote? Let’s be honest. Lobbyists don’t pull the strings. They merely try to have a little control over what's ahead or them.
And sure, a vote might lead to billions in revenues (or losses) for a company. But to extrapolate from it that private interests have full control of what is being decided in Brussels is ludicrous at best, populist at worst.
What it means for private and NGOs lobbyists
This is all fine and fun, but what can you take home from that?
If you represent an NGO:
You have the ears of policymakers. Use that.
But don’t blame business lobbyists if you can’t get your message across. Maybe your arguments weren’t as good as you thought. Maybe you didn’t speak to your stakeholder’s needs. Try to get inspired by good business practices.
If you represent private interests:
It’s probably more difficult for you to influence legislation, simply because you’re not the underdog.
So adapt your message accordingly. Craft a narrative that will make policymakers want to listen to your message.
If you are a MEP:
Maybe it’s not only the lobbies’ fault. You were elected—along with 700 other people with opposing views and objectives.
Did you fail to gather a coalition to support your solution? Why did it fail? What can you do better?
Do your work, get your peers to vote on stuff, and let interest representatives do their work too, which is to advise and inform policymaking.
Thank you for reading
Oof—this piece came out longer than I expected. I hope you’re still there.
I guess I had a lot to say—No wonder, it’s been a couple of months since I haven’t written a single work for The Beubble.
Recurring readers and newcomers, welcome to The Beubble milesime 2024. I hope you’ll appreciate what’s to come.
And if you liked this piece, don’t hesitate to send it to a friend.