Parliament the Mirror of the Nation

"In contemporary politics and political theory, democracy is often associated with descriptive representation. Whether it goes under this name or such cognate labels as the "politics of presence," "indicative" representation, or simply "group" representation, it has become commonplace to treat concern about the presence of a range of social groups in legislatures and other institutions as intrinsic to a commitment to democracy itself. Today, anxieties about a "democratic deficit" often stem from a complaint that the composition of political bodies does not reflect the important divisions within society at-large"--