A CURIOUS JUSTICE...

At first glance, the two gentlemen shown in the picture look like actors from the film, "LA Confidential," with the one on the left clearly playing an arch villain and the other doing a convincing job of playing the corrupt police chief. In fact, they are both peers of the realm - respectively Lord Truscott (Baron Truscott) and another Baron, Lord Taylor of Blackburn. Yesterday, the pair of them were suspended from the House of Lords, the first time such suspensions have happened since Viscount Saville was suspended in 1642 `for siding with King Charles I,` which puts them in good company with our old friend, Speaker Martin, who became the first Speaker of the Commons to be `forced from office` in 300 years. We sure do live in interesting times.

The reason for their Lordships` suspension was that they were found by a Lords committee to be willing to change laws in exchange for cash. Sounds a bit serious to me. Questions about misuse of public office and things like that. Still, they have been found wanting and suspended from their Lordships House for six months. That means they won`t be able to attend the House and thus be unable to claim their attendance and other allowances which can - and no doubt do - amount to £355 a day.

Now, you ask, is that all? How come that an offence which is indeed so offensive doesn`t invoke the full force of the law of the land? Well, it seems that a few months ago, when this sorry affair first came to light, our boys in blue under the leadership of the inestimable Yates of the Yard were indeed brought in to investigate. However, after consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan Police decided not to proceed, a decision which was taken "after considering the prospects for obtaining evidence and whether an inquiry constituted the best use of police resources. In addition, there are very clear difficulties in gathering and adducing evidence in these circumstances in the context of parliamentary privilege." Shades of one rule for them and another for the rest of us? If so, then it all adds up to a curious idea of justice and another item for the agenda of the promised review of political life in our cradle of democracy .