BUFFOONS in ermine, unelected well-heeled wasters... there you go, it's so easy to hype up the rhetoric when talking about the House of Lords.

Any hired gun of a hack worth his or her salt can do it - and the same applies to politicians looking for a cheap nod of approval. Hmm... so let's think of some popular hate figures. Today's choice is social workers, First World War generals or inhabitants of the "other place".

Let's go for the last on the list. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Or will it?

The thing is, you see, I'm rapidly coming round to the view that the ladies and gentlemen who seem to have their ample backsides permanently parked on red leather are now the last hope for democracy in this country.

Ah, you say, but no one's elected them. So that's not right, is it? Maybe not - but consider this. Barely a third of the adult population who can actually be bothered to vote have caused the log jam in British politics whereby New Labour is destined to rule us forever. The result is a presidency - the Blairs increasingly resembling Argentina's Peron dynasty. Indeed, the production of Cherie - The Musical is only a matter of time. As for the Opposition, forget the Tories - they're plunging earthwards like a spent firework.

But showbiz apart, it's the increasingly repressive legislation that should be bothering all of us. Licensing laws that kill pub music stone dead, detention without trial and Nazi Germany-style ID cards have all been pushed through, regardless of public opinion.

But not everything. For, thankfully, the Lords managed to place some obstacles in the way of the Bill to outlaw religious hatred. This is a scurrilous piece of playing to the ethnic gallery that potentially will put critics of Christianity, Islam - or any other belief system you'd care to mention - in prison.

So there's still hope for Britain. Gawd bless your lordships!