Expelling peers

Letter printed in Feb 5th Scotsman
Since the four Labour Lords caught red handed this week taking 'back handers' were not exposed by Parliamentary authorities it would appear the corruption at the heart of Westminster is so rotten that we must rely on 'outside agencies' like a Sunday Newspaper to expose it?
There is surely no one in Britain today who believes these four lawmakers in the Palace of Westminster are the only ones 'on the make' or believes Westminster is prepared to clean up its own house so to speak. These Labour Lords are, after all, merely the latest in a long line of financial 'offenders'. And what penalty will they get?
Jack Straw, the Leader of the House of Commons, is apparently to recommend that Peers found guilty of taking cash in future be expelled from the House of Lords altogether. This 'closing the stable door after the horse has bolted' approach means these new sanctions will not be applied to the aforementioned Lords. But surely the Party itself is free to take action nonetheless?
So, perhaps Jack Straw can tell us for example whether Labour will expel these 4 disgraced Peers from the Party? And if not, why not? Is it because as the Sunday newspaper has inferred these four are merely the tip of an odious iceberg of corruption, one which the parties at Westminster have been mired in for some time.
Its therefore not time to clean up politics in Britain and rid us of these money grabbers and bribes, its way past time.

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