Evaluate The View That Parliament Is Representative Of The Electorate.

Introduction

Paragraph Focus

• Para 1 = Democratic Representative

• Para 2 = Representation of Public Interests

• Para 3 = Direct Representation

Para 1 = Weaker Argument - Not Representative

• The House of Lords is unelected, yet still holds significant powers to influence policy, scrutinise the government and delay legislation.

• Rather than being elected, most members of the House of Lords are appointed by the House of Lords Appointments Commission or by party leaders

• Further, there are still 92 hereditary peers and 26 ‘Lords Spiritualʼ, who are bishops from the Church of England.

• This can be seen as fundamentally unrepresentative, as those who arenʼt elected shouldnʼt have major power in a democracy

Para 1 = Stronger Argument - Representative

• The House of Commons can be seen as representative as it is democratically elected on a regular basis, with each MP representing a relatively small number of voters.

• This means that voters are able to hold their representatives to account and remove them if they judge them to have not represented them effectively, by voting for a different party/candidate

• for example, After Conservative MP Scott Benton was suspended from the Commons for breaching lobbying rules, he was replaced by a Labour candidate in the Blackpool South By-Election

Para 2 = Weaker Argument - Not Representative

• MPs often donʼt vote according to their constituentsʼ wishes, instead they almost always vote according to how they are whipped to do so

• this is in order to keep in favour with their party and climb the party ladder, therefore giving themselves a chance of becoming a minister.

• for example, In the previous Parliament, the vast majority of MPs have rebelled against the party line less than 2% of the time

Para 2 = Stronger Argument - Representative

• There are relatively small size of most constituencies, and a single MP is responsible for those who live within the constituency

• this result in effective representation of local interests and a strong link between the constituency and MP.

• MPs handle correspondence from their constituents and problems their constituents have and hold weekly constituency surgeries.

• MPs also represent their constituentsʼ interests in Parliament.

• For example, in October 2022, 33 Conservative MPs rebelled against Liz Trussʼ government and abstained in a vote on banning fracking

Para 3 = Weaker Argument - Not Representative

• 62 MPs in the 2019 Parliament (nearly 10%) are LGBT+, compared to an estimated 3.1% of the UK population.

• Representation in terms of gender and ethnicity did also improve between 2019 and 2024, though not majorly.

• for example, Representation of women increased from 34% to 37%

• There have also been attempts by parties and the House of Lords to improve direct representation in Parliament.

• including using all-women shortlists and headhunting/mentoring promising candidates from minority backgrounds

Para 3 = Stronger Argument - Representative

Parliament remains highly unrepresentative in terms of gender, race and educational

background, amongst other ways.

After the 2024 election, just 37% of the House of Commons and 29% of the House of Lords

are women, compared to over half of the population.

After the 2024 election, just 13% of the House of Commons and 7.3% of the House of Lords

are from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared to over 18% of the general population.

After the 2024 election, 23% of the House of Commons and 57% of the House of Lords

went to private schools, compared to just 7% of the general population.

Further, 90% of the House of Commons went to university, compared to 42% of the

population, and 20% went to Oxbridge.

Of Rishi Sunakʼs first cabinet, 61% went to private schools and 45% went to Oxbridge.

Counterpoint: Starmerʼs first cabinet is the most diverse in terms of education

background ever recorded, though, with just 8% of the Cabinet having attended

private school.

This lack of direct representation can be seen as a big problem, not only because it is unjust

and a representative parliament would have symbolic value, but also because it would lead to

representatives who are better able to understand the wishes of the population and who can

broaden the political agenda.

For example, a male dominated parliament is unlikely to fully understand or seek to address

a lot of the discrimination women face in society