Parliament's definition of virtual representation meant that any member of Parliament could speak for the entire realm. Parliament claimed that it was not a representative body, as the members of Parliament did not necessarily speak for their home districts. The colonists did not vote on the members of Parliament. Given the distances involved, it would have been impractical for all the members of the British empire to have a representative member in Parliament. Parliament believed that a group of well-bred men would have the realm's best interests at heart. The colonists had gotten used to limited self-rule during Britain's period of salutary neglect. They did not like the idea of someone governing the colonies who had never been to America and who did not have a direct stake in laws there. This would ultimately lead to the American Revolution as the colonists wanted the people who governed them to be directly accountable to the voters.

The concept of virtual representation was meant as a rebuttal of the American colonists' claim that they were being taxed by Parliament without being represented in Parliament.  The idea of virtual representation was that the members of Parliament were representing the colonists even though the colonists could not vote for them.  Parliament, it was argued, had the colonists' best interests in mind and was, therefore, representing them.

The colonists did not like this idea.  They wanted actual representation.  They argued that no one could truly represent them unless they had the right to vote for or against that person.

Today, we still have virtual representation in some ways.  We tax minors who work, for example, before they are able to vote.  We say that their interests are being protected even though they cannot yet vote.  The problem in colonial times was that the British wanted to treat all colonists in this way.