ABSTRACT
It is evident from the discussion in Parts II and III of this book that there is no single theory of political representation in Britain which commands general acceptance. Instead there is a continuing debate in which a variety of theories are invoked, some of them being variations on a theme and others being logically incompatible with one another. Each of these theories originated in a particular period as a reaction to a particular set of circumstances. As circumstances changed, so fresh theories were formulated to meet them, but it cannot be said that the fresh theories have generally replaced the older ones. To some extent this has happened over the years, but the more usual development has been for the fresh theory to take its place alongside the older ones as an additional strand in the British political tradition.
