ABSTRACT
Democratic representation has to be more than that. There are few signs that the larger sense of representation is strengthening; there are several signs that it has been weakening. The weakening in some councils of the traditional party political, Tory or Labour seesaw in favour of the Liberal Democratic interest is a surprising and welcome change; it indicates a wish to attend more effectively to local affairs, not to be chiefly a minor branch of national party political interests. Heartening also is the increased activity, local as well as national and even international, on issues of the day: the Environment, Racism, Human Rights. The peculiarly British pressure groups are more typically tied into local issues, more homely; but some also have wider horizons. The British spirit in government has for long had many elements which have made it more consensual than confrontational.
