How representative is Parliament?

Parliament is representative in a number of respects:

• Each eligible voter has a choice of constituency representatives. The chosen representative should represent everyone in the constituency, not just those who voted for him or her. Nearly all MPs hold regular ‘surgeries’ in their constituencies, where constituents can ask for help with problems. This may lead to the MP asking a question to a minister on behalf of a constituent. Alternatively, constituents may travel to Westminster and lobby their MP.
• There is usually a good range of political parties from which to choose. It may be argued that the parties currently in the House of Commons represent a good cross-section of political opinion. At a general election, in most constituencies voters have a choice of at least three political parties, and usually five or six.
• Although Parliament is not a microcosm (small-scale version) of society, it may be argued that it broadly reflects the nation and takes into account the interests of minority groups that may be under-represented in Parliament. The extent to which these groups can be seen to be protected is illustrated by the passing of race relations legislation in the 1960s and 1970s at a time when there was not a single black or Asian MP.
• Parliament is usually responsive to public opinion. When the public mood is moved by an event, Parliament can be quick to take these feelings into account. After the mass shooting of children at a primary school in Dunblane in 1996, Parliament moved quickly to tighten the law on gun ownership. It could be argued that Parliament is sometimes overly responsive, however. Many commentators agree that Parliament rushed to judgement too quickly when it passed the Dangerous Dogs Act after a number of highly publicised attacks by dogs on young children.

There are also a number of arguments that Parliament is not sufficiently representative in certain key respects:

• In the House of Commons, certain groups of people are not properly represented. Despite increased numbers in recent years, women account for fewer than one-sixth of MPs. Others, such as those from ethnic groups, are similarly under-represented (although this may be more to do with party selection procedures than any fault of Parliament itself).
• Political parties are represented in a disproportionate manner. Under the ‘first-past-the-post’ electoral system, parties do not usually gain seats in the House of Commons in proportion to their support in the popular vote. Traditionally, the Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties have been hit hard in this respect. More recently, however, the Conservatives have also found themselves to be under-represented by over 50 seats in proportion to their percentage of the vote after the general elections of 1997 and 2001.
• The workings of the British electoral system prevent some parties, such as the Green Party and the UK Independence Party from being represented at all in the House of Commons.
• The House of Lords has been criticised because it is an unelected chamber. Until recently most peers were hereditary and therefore not representative of the country politically, socially, economically, or by gender or ethnic origin. Most peers are now nominated, which it is argued does not necessarily improve the House’s representativeness.