Pirate Party UK Looks Forward To 2012 116
Ajehals writes "The UK Pirate Party New Years message suggests a new sense of direction for the party, with a focus on policy and politics beyond what was seen as the party's norm, single issue position of copyright reform. Hoping to learn from and emulate the German Pirate Party's success in Berlin, Partly Leader Loz Kay is looking back over 2011 and to the future." I'm a slow learner; the Pirate Party for years struck me as mostly whimsical. If you live in a country with an active Pirate Party, what do you think of its impact? (According to Wikipedia, there are now PP organizations in at least 40 countries.)
Whats in a name? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:My question to the party is... (Score:5, Insightful)
Copyright reform isn't really about pirating copies of the latest blockbuster film. Frankly, that'll be pretty-much unaffected by any proposed changes to copyright. The real issues lie elsewhere, which is why "pirate party" is a *really* bad name for this group. I really think they ought to agree on a different name that puts the emphasis on the groups of people who *would* benefit from their proposals (mostly, "pirates" wouldn't).
Principally, the benefits are:
1. Consumer rights. Copyright is currently used as a means to enable the media companies to sell the same thing multiple times, because they want to keep getting revenue. But this comes at the expense of inconveniencing the people who legitimately have a right because they've bought it the first time. CDs that can't be ripped to people's preferred playback devices. Broadcast TV that has copy-protection flags that stop recorders working (which isn't advertised ahead of time, and most people just put down to faulty recorders when they fail to work, so people end up missing content they've paid for and have a right to see). Ebooks that can't be read by book-to-voice software because their DRM isn't licensed for it. Films that can't be played on hardware that is technically capable of it because one link in the chain doesn't have an approved encryption key. Lack of ability to view content on open platforms. Libraries that are unable to duplicate digital content for preservation. Legally-protected DRM is a huge pain to many users of content whose use *should* be legal.
2. Artist's rights. It is becoming more and more common for artists to find themselves under legal threat for such issues as "unconscious copying", "stealing ideas" and similar. Yet copying has always been part of how we produce art, and these legal cases threaten to subvert that, holding up the development of new art.
Re:Whats in a name? (Score:4, Insightful)
No PP stands a chance under a FPP system, they would just split the Lib-Dem (or whatever the closest politically is) voters. Its bey
Germany has a proportional system* that gives their PP a chance. Winning close to a majority of the population (of a region) for a seat is hard when less than half have any understanding of the issue.
*i assume it was for that election
Re:Whats in a name? (Score:4, Insightful)
If they do that then they're no longer the Pirate Party, they're just another crap political party doing crap stuff and making crap deals to stay in power. They'll become what they despise.
Taking an interest in important issues other than copyright makes them crap and corrupt instantly? Wow.
Re:Whats in a name? (Score:5, Insightful)
Unfortunately a British Pirate Party is unlikely to ever do as well as their counterparts in Germany. Not due to British political attitudes, but due to our electoral system. With our FPTP system, they will be unable to elect any MPs to parliament unless they can get several dozen thousand votes in a single constituency (average of about 70,000 voters per constituency). They need to be number 1 in a race already crammed with popular mainstream parties.
More hope for MEPs (which are elected more proportionally), but then MEPs aren't exactly influential...
In Sweden (Score:2, Insightful)
In Sweden they have had no influence whatsoever. You could compare them to one of those facebook campaigns. People are willing to show their sympathy for the thought that "everything should be free" (its the beer part that matter to people, In Sweden, we are not so much in to liberties), as long as it is effortless and doesn't cost anything. At the end of the day, taxes, interest rates, unemployment and day care is what sets the agenda.
Sure they did well in the EP elections, but that's only because the EP is a phony parliament.
What the PP did do is to vulgarize the debate to the point that no serious politician, whether interested in liberties or in economic efficiency, would dare to touch the issue of reforming the "intellectual property" system with a ten foot pole for the risk of being labeled a wingnut. Any legal system needs reform from time to time, but this issue has been put in the freezer.
It is of course of no help that the founder and until recent party leader of PP is an alternative economy conspiracy theory wingnut.
The bottom line is that the PP is not going anywhere as a political party until it has an opinion on day care. It is questionable whether it has it in itself of getting that, and if not it should stay out of elections. Be a thought smithy, lobby organization, discussion club, what ever, but don't pretend you belong in parliament.