Collective action and watchdogs are certainly more effective but even with personal lobbying, people tend to misunderstand the point of it: it isn't to affect c

Collective action and watchdogs are certainly more effective but even with personal lobbying, people tend to misunderstand the point of it: it isn't to affect change for that one person, whether immediately or ever, but to accumulate the political capital requisite to compete adequately with other political powers in an adversarial interests system. Not doing something is basically forfeiting the game.