US spy chief Clapper defends Prism and phone surveillance

[Magda Hassan]

Analysis of Briitsh Foreign Secretary William Hague's limited hangout, presumably agreed in advance with both British and Yankee spook agencies:

William Hague on spying scandal: what he said … and what he didn't say


William Hague's statement to the House of Commons offered a straightforward and robust defence of GCHQ, the legal framework in which it operates, and the challenges the intelligence agencies face in their efforts to stop terrorist attacks.

But the foreign secretary did nothing to address the long-standing concerns of campaigners and academics over the regulatory system in which those agencies work; neither did he try to draw a distinction between the different types of data being gathered, or why the laws in this area are now deemed to be verging on irrelevant.

Refusing to be drawn on specifics, he also declined to comment on the leaked documents that showed GCHQ has had long-standing access to the Prism programme, set up by America's National Security Agency to garner information about "foreigners", including Britons.

Hague began with reference to the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, which will receive a preliminary report on GCHQ and the Prism programme on Tuesday. By coincidence, the ISC, which is chaired by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, is in Washington this week and will see officials from the NSA on Wednesday.

Yeah, purely a coincidence....
What a lot of hot air Hague blows there. The real information is in what he doesn't say.