Looking through the spy glass

For the past fortnight Edward Snowden has been hogging the spotlight and the really big headlines  because of his whistle blowing having exposed a huge US government spying operation.

At the time of writing Snowden, a fugitive from US law enforcement, is sitting it out in Moscow Airport while a request for asylum is being considered by Ecuadoran authorities.

While 'Snowdengate' has taken the issue of government spying on its own citizens into a new sphere, the dark art, if not the oldest profession in the world, must come a close second.

In Ireland thirty years ago a serious political row erupted over claims that the Fianna Fail led government of Charles Haughey had been spying on journalists.

Charles Haughey on the day he became Fianna Fail leader and Taoiseach in December 1979

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