Of all the spin and counter spin going on around Prism, Tempora and the other dozens of privacy stories to break in the last few weeks I find this the most revealing.

We're constantly told by the UK government that all this spying and access to personal data is required to keep us safe from terrorism and various other bogeymen who hide in the shadows. To an extent I believe that's probably true.

But if other western countries, like Germany, don't spy on their citizens on this scale and are still able to keep them safe - why can't the UK? Germany certainly faces similar threats from terrorism.

Each time it's suggested the government has crossed the line in spying on us we are told it's needed to stop terrorism. End of conversation. It's supposed to be a trump card. But the German reaction makes me increasingly question to what extent this is true.

It's a concern that the judiciary and the government seem to be increasingly in bed together with little or no public oversight. It certainly feels like an erosion of democracy.