Purchasing Peers - Democracy's Death Knell

The lead story in today's Sunday Times on the availability of mostly Labour Peers in the House of Lords to amend legislation for huge fees must surely mark the end of not just this corrupt government but our present methods of governance. A few quotes:

Truscott — a former Labour MEP who was a government minister until 18 months ago — made it clear he had exactly the right credentials.

In the course of their short tea-time conversation he agreed to help them amend a government bill that was harmful to their client, in return for cash. He said he had done similar work before. He said he had intervened on the Energy Bill — a piece of legislation he had been responsible for as a minister only months earlier. His fee was seemingly modest by peers’ standards, but probably not for most people outside the house. He charged £2,000 a day, which would have added up to £72,000 for the three-day-a-month one-year contract he later proposed....

The House of Lords is supposed to be an important check on the power of the Commons, where mature and independent peers bring their experience to bear on proposed legislation.

However, we found that four Labour peers were willing to help amend laws for a fee.