Over on Politics.co.uk party president Tim Farron has a piece on the ramifications of the story that has dominated much of the past year: the extent of the powers held by states to snoop on our communications. Tim sets out some thoughts about the oversight of these systems, which he thinks are presently inadequate.

Here’s an excerpt:

Our democratic process is built upon a system of checks and balances. Those who exercise power over the individual are held to account by others. For all the faults of the Westminster bubble (and there are many), the quiet revolution in the way select committees are run has done wonders for our flagging parliamentary process. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth in the case of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), the body charged with supervising the work of the UK’s secret services.

The ISC is a group of the great and good. Experienced hands. ‘Sound men’ as Sir Humphrey might put it. Their loyalty to the Crown unquestionable, ultimate discretion assured. These are the eight men and one woman in whom we entrust the protection of our liberties and ask to justify the tracking of every single digital activity we undertake.

I don’t mean to criticise the members of the committee, which include my good friend Sir Menzies Campbell. It is difficult to objectively assess the nature of their work, given the very secrecy which surrounds it. And it is this very secrecy which condemns the ISC and the powers they regulate.

No-one is naive enough to expect state secrets to be discussed publically in front of a TV audience. But only a fool would think we are re-assured by the appearance of a mandarin quietly saying ‘trust me, everything is alright’. When the programs systemically collecting your personal information are so secret that even the Cabinet are not aware of their existence, our democratic oversight has rescinded to the point of extinction.

You can read Tim’s full piece here.

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