“Probably at the end of the hardliners have won.” Since the revelations by the whistleblower Snowden is the “Guardian” in the sights of government and the intelligence agencies in the UK. Editor Rusbridger describes in an interview how it came to the destruction of hard drives in the publishing house.

Rusbridger interview headlines;

There have been preliminary discussions with employees of the government, which initially ran very friendly. But then changed the tone and attitude, I do not know why, but they said they would take legal action. Then I saw something coming, we had already made ​​arrangements and part of the research moved from London to the United States. I tried to convince my interlocutor that what they demanded, is completely pointless. That’s why I agreed to destroy the material in London.

It was first editorial internal reasons, which I can not speak. Second, we were in the slightly bizarre situation that the conversation with the government had begun harmless. It began as a kind of discussion, without threats, and we had initially agreed to keep it all for us. I thought it would be helpful for both sides to have a communication channel open so that no one came up with the idea to send us to the police or take legal action. So we stuck to the agreement, to address the issue off the record. And because we have not reported on the same day about it, it would have been strange, three days later, or a story to make it.

I suppose that there were different factions in the government. Some advocated a confrontational approach and wanted to send us to the police. Others said it was counterproductive and thought it better to have a conversation. Probably have won at the end of the hardliners.

This was also the phone hacking scandal that we have uncovered. You also have to think digitally, to understand the nature of the current threat. The Englishman loves his home, it is his castle, most of the readers of the “Daily Telegraph” and the “Daily Mail” to see it that way. These people can never imagine that the police come unasked through their front door. What they do not understand: the police might already be in their homes, they no longer need to the door.

There was almost no debate in Westminster, hardly a Member has addressed this issue. The Liberals are hampered by the fact that they sit with the Conservatives in government, and the Labour Party has not a very glorious past in the struggle for civil rights. However, several critical voices in the Territories. Two deputies have become more active, there are parallels to be drawn Damian Green, a Tory MPs that the police have arrested 2008. Perhaps the Tory backbenchers are faster than Labour.

I do not think he said anything or plans. Glenn had been extremely careful with what he has written. We will find out in the next few weeks more especially, what the relationship between governments, intelligence agencies and the major Internet and technology companies concerned.

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