BEYOND SATIRE

YES MINISTER

"If a chap tells you he's done nothing wrong
you must trust a chap's word."


On the 18th March Sir Mark Waller, responsible for oversight of the security services appeared before a committee of the House of Commons. I viewed the session recently on the Parliament Channel.

Waller had been in the job 18 months when he heard about the Snowden revelations last summer. His initially response, he explained to the committee had been: "Crikey."

Waller, looking twitchy, exuding a combination of affability and bemusement looked ill at ease. On reading of Snowden’s allegations Sir Mark said he had gone to see GCHQ to see if there was anything to them. He saw the deputy chief of the GCHQ and was satisfied the “allegations were without foundation.” There followed the following exchange on the committee:-

‘Vaz said: "And how did you satisfy yourself? It seems from your comment that you had a discussion with them."
Waller replied: "Certainly."
Vaz said: "You heard what they had to say."
Waller replied: "Certainly."
Vaz probed further: "And you accepted what they had to say?"
Waller: "Certainly."
"Is that it?" asked Vaz.
"Certainly," replied Waller.
Vaz added: "Just a discussion?"
Waller: "Certainly."[1]

Well, we can all rest assured in the knowledge that our civil liberties and privacy are being so robustly defended.









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