The pirates take 7% in Swedish EP Elections [Archive]

Edelweiss

25th June 2009, 10:57

In Germany a MP of the Social Democrats just left the SPD in protest of the recently concluded Internet censorship laws and switched to the German Pirate Party. That males him the first MP of the Pirates in a national parliament! :)

25th June 2009, 11:28

Do what you want, 'cause a pirate is free. You are a pirate! (http://cristgaming.com/pirate.swf) :lol:

L.J.Solidarity

25th June 2009, 12:21

Do you think swedish society has 7% geeks or did the pirates manage to broaden their voter base? The German PP got 0.9% in the European elections, I think that roughly corresponds to the percentage of computer geeks among the electorate. The only surprise is that they manage to get at least several 100 of those to take part in their occasional anti-censorship demonstration. The (German) pirates may be considered a "protest party" for (petty-)bourgeois, predominantly male youths who mostly study/studied science and (plan to) work in rather well-paid tech jobs. Some of them seem to fear the state censoring the web and/or spying on them, a fear that is probably legitimate.

Nothing Human Is Alien

25th June 2009, 13:36

Do you think swedish society has 7% geeks or did the pirates manage to broaden their voter base?

They saw a huge boon as people reacted negatively to the FRA and IPRED laws and the trial of the Pirate Bay 4.

Crux

25th June 2009, 13:39

http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/653avhtm.asp?pg=1

Do you think the left could learn anything from the pirates?
What, you think we should join the Liberal Bloc? Sure, the success of the pirate party is in some way also a result of the failure of the mainstram left, and the Left party in particular, who lost one of their MPs. However the Pirate party is hardly an alternative. they have said themself they will vote with the majority of whatever group they get accepted into, most likely the Liberal Group, so while I agree on the issues they do have a stance on we have essentially another rightwing party in the european parliament.

Revy

25th June 2009, 13:45

Edelweiss

25th June 2009, 15:28

Edelweiss, apparently, the German MP who switched to the Pirate Party is under investigation for possession of child pornography:

http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-enters-the-german-parliament-090621/

I know. The bourgeois media is now somehow implying that the MP switched to the pirateparty because he wants to be free to consume child porn, which the censorship is initially against. He is claiming that the child pornographic material found on his computers was needed for his own "research" on the topic. I don't know if that is true or not, but in any case he one of the few bourgeois politicoans who knows what he is saying when he speak about the Internet.

Dimentio

25th June 2009, 16:03

They saw a huge boon as people reacted negatively to the FRA and IPRED laws and the trial of the Pirate Bay 4.

Oh yes. I saw a recent opinion poll for next year's elections. 0,1% percentage points more for them, and they would enter the Swedish parliament.

Bilan

25th June 2009, 16:42

I'd vote for the Pirates.
I'm going to vote for the "Irony Party" in our election. And or the Beer and Fishing party. It's a tough decision.

Revy

25th June 2009, 17:28

I'd vote for the Pirates.
I'm going to vote for the "Irony Party" in our election. And or the Beer and Fishing party. It's a tough decision.

Why not the Australian Sex Party?

L.J.Solidarity

25th June 2009, 17:34

The pirate's MEP decided to join the european greens. So apparently they're trying to be a "left-liberal" rather than a neoliberal/liberal-conservative party.

Dimentio

25th June 2009, 17:41

The pirate's MEP decided to join the european greens. So apparently they're trying to be a "left-liberal" rather than a neoliberal/liberal-conservative party.

Apart from their stance on personal integrity, they have no principles at all, and they are entirely honest with that ^^

Apparently, they also contacted the left group.

Comrade Blaze

26th June 2009, 04:30

I would vote for the pirates, down with copyright and internet censorship!:p

Comrade Blaze:thumbup1:

Bilan

26th June 2009, 05:29

Why not the Australian Sex Party?

They don't recognise the need for breaks.
The Beer and Fishing party, however: They're all about breaks.

Comrade Blaze

26th June 2009, 06:00

They don't recognise the need for breaks.
The Beer and Fishing party, however: They're all about breaks.

If I was a part of that party I wouldn't want breaks :p

Comrade Blaze

Zeus the Moose

26th June 2009, 06:57

Why not the Australian Sex Party?

I propose a merger: the Beer, Sex, and Finishing Party!

Seriously, though, I think the success of the Pirate Party in Sweden looks mostly due to a loss of appeal of the Left Party to younger voters. If I remember correctly, people who have voted for the first time in previous elections were more likely to vote for the Left Party. My guess would be that the Pirate Party attracted a lot of first-time voters.

Comrade Blaze

26th June 2009, 09:21

I propose a merger: the Beer, Sex, and Finishing Party!

You have your first party member :p

Comrade Blaze

SocialismOrBarbarism

26th June 2009, 09:55

Well, I was looking at the program of the US pirate party, and...

Companies should be taxed at a far lower rate than at present, and companies which have a gross income less than the national per-capita income average should not be taxed at all. State-level taxation of companies should not exist, though municipal and federal taxes should be lowered. Municipalities should contribute to state budgets relative to the state contributions to the municipality, and should likewise be able to gather from local businesses at a rate that permits businesses to grow from the ground up.http://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gif

Revy

26th June 2009, 11:59

There is still the Left Party. They are socialist.

But they shouldn't be taking part in the coalition with the Social Democrats and the Greens. That's something to be concerned about.

Dimentio

26th June 2009, 12:20

There is still the Left Party. They are socialist.

But they shouldn't be taking part in the coalition with the Social Democrats and the Greens. That's something to be concerned about.

It is a bit of a myth that the Pirate Party dragged voters from the Left Party. It was more the green party which did that. To not say that the voters from the Left Party are more prone to stay home.

The Pirate Party actually took more votes from right-wing libertarian voters.

Bilan

26th June 2009, 15:12

If I was a part of that party I wouldn't want breaks :p

Comrade Blaze

I presume you're a virgin then.

GPDP

26th June 2009, 15:14

Well, I was looking at the program of the US pirate party, and...

http://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/../images/icons/icon13.gif

This does not surprise me. One of the few issues on which we share common ground with the libertarian right is on censorship of the internet, and they are, by far, the bigger, or at least the more vocal group here in the states. So it makes sense that they would possess right-wing pro-capitalist economic views, as the people most vehemently opposed to internet censorship tend to share such views.

mo7amEd

26th June 2009, 15:21

I'm usually against voting... but this time I put my vote on the pirate party and convinced a lot of friends to do the same. This is for the simple reason that I have no faith in any party that run for the european parliament, and the new FRA and IPRED laws are ridiculous. I think most voters concerned about their integrety rather than they geeky internet habits.

Absolut

26th June 2009, 20:20

I propose a merger: the Beer, Sex, and Finishing Party!

Seriously, though, I think the success of the Pirate Party in Sweden looks mostly due to a loss of appeal of the Left Party to younger voters. If I remember correctly, people who have voted for the first time in previous elections were more likely to vote for the Left Party. My guess would be that the Pirate Party attracted a lot of first-time voters.

I think this is pretty much correct. The Left Party has always had its strongest base amongst younger people. This election their strongest base was amongst 50-60 year olds or something like that. As Dimentio said, the Green Party also took a lot of votes from the Left Party, I was pretty surprised to see them going over 10%, but then again, I hadnt paid that much attention to the EU-elections, except being disappointed at Arbetaren for encouraging people to vote and not taking an anti-voting stance.

Dimentio

26th June 2009, 20:50

Saorsa

27th June 2009, 00:48

@ Bilan: If you could vote for the Socialist Party (the CWI lot) would you?

Crux

27th June 2009, 06:27

There is still the Left Party. They are socialist.

But they shouldn't be taking part in the coalition with the Social Democrats and the Greens. That's something to be concerned about.
I don't think socialist is a correct charcterization of the Left Party, they are more akin to the socialdemocracy of twenty years ago. In any case they've been the "left"-alibi for socialdemocracy shift to the right for as long as i can remember. The recent move is just making it even more official.

Revy

27th June 2009, 06:35

I don't think socialist is a correct charcterization of the Left Party, they are more akin to the socialdemocracy of twenty years ago. In any case they've been the "left"-alibi for socialdemocracy shift to the right for as long as i can remember. The recent move is just making it even more official.

well I'm sure there's some other socialist party to vote for.

Bilan

28th June 2009, 10:03

@ Bilan: If you could vote for the Socialist Party (the CWI lot) would you?

It's a tough choice. But in all seriousness, I would probably give the SP-CWI my first preference, and the Beer and Fishing party my second.
Because that's my priorities in order. Almost.