It is unfortunate that the disgusting behaviour of more than just a handful of senators tends to be what comes foremost to our thinking of the Senate. If one sets aside the disgusting behaviours that dominate our discussion of the upper chamber, and considers the intended role of the Senate, and those times when it has indeed fulfilled its expectations, it is clear that it has--or should have--a real benefit for democracy. More than once, in the US, Britain and Canada, better legislation has resulted from the review and amendments from the second chamber in the respective governments. But how we can cleanse it to function soberly and effectively is indeed a difficult question.