How Pirates Shook European Politics
Written by Ernesto on June 08, 2009With 7.1 percent of the vote, the Swedish Pirate Party has shocked its critics and secured a seat in the European Parliament. The Pirates received more votes from those under 30 than any other party in the European elections yesterday, and this was celebrated with pints of rum and loads of pirate chants.
Late Sunday night, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt congratulated the Pirate Party on their unprecedented win at the European elections.
The Pirate Party is seen a serious competitor in Swedish politics now, a fact underscored by the Prime Minister who said that his own party will formulate a clear policy regarding net integrity and copyright issues in preparation for the Swedish national elections in September 2010.
A few hours earlier, the party dinner had come to a close with volunteers and members singing “The Broadband Hymn”. They had fittingly gathered at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and as Swedish TV published the exit polls results indicating that the Pirate Party would get around 7% of the votes, wild cheers broke out. Party leader Rick Falkvinge took to the stage.
“Together we have today re-shaped the political map in Europe,” he said. “Right now, Europe is watching what is happening here and politicians everywhere are scrambling to understand our issues. They now know that the party that has information-political perspectives can win many votes.”
And yes, it did. 214,313 of them in Sweden on Sunday. 7.1 percent of the vote and a guarantee of at least one seat in the European Parliament.
The Pirate Party was the most popular party among voters under 30 years of age. Taking into account that Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s Moderate Party is the most popular party among voters over 65 years of age, one can understand why Reinfeldt later in the evening said he will sit down with the Moderate Youth leader Niklas Wykman – a critic of the surveillance legislation and anti-filesharing laws – to discuss Internet issues.
“We’ll share files in Brussels!” a young man shouted as he ran to the bar at election night. Meanwhile, journalists from all over Europe who had flown in to cover the unique occasion tried to get their piece of party leader Rick Falkvinge and vice chairman Christian Engström.
Rick Falkvinge and Christian Engström
The latter, who will probably take the party’s seat in the EU parliament, held a short speech in which he thanked all the volunteers. The Pirate Party stays true to its net-roots and has no formal organization. Anyone who thinks he or she can contribute is welcome to do so simply by posting on the forum and going out and doing it. No formal decisions on campaigning are taken and the thousands of party ballots have been distributed to voting centers simply by someone living close and wanting to play their part.
“It’s amazing that it worked. I never thought it would,” Engström joked.
A journalist from Swedish radio broke into the celebrations with a question for party founder Rick Falkvinge on how he felt. With champagne in his hand and pride in his eyes, he just smiled: “How does it feel to write history? It feels pretty damn good.”
Today, after a night spent drinking rum and chanting seafarer standards, the pirates woke up finding themselves on the front pages of the Swedish newspapers. Pirates waving Jolly Rogers. Pirates taking celebratory late night dips in fountains. Pirates laughing. Pirates hugging. And there is consensus among the op-eds and political pundits on how it could happen: Enthusiasm paid off.
The two large parties in Sweden, the Social Democrats and the Moderate Party, are heavily criticized because of their lack of engagement in the European Parliament. Meanwhile, the Green Party (which also had a great election with 10.9%) and the Pirate Party positioned themselves on their respective expert issues and built a lot of support from the base.
When the EU parliament meets after summer, there will be at least one pirate in the midst of European parliament. If the Lisbon treaty is voted through, there can be two. It may not seem a lot in order to make a difference, but as a blogger put it: One pirate can hijack a whole ship.
Previously: Pirate Party Wins and Enters The European Parliament
Next: Tweet Your Favorite Torrents With TorrentTwitter
106 Responses
Happy daze, good luck to them
god speed to legal file sharing
wd boyz
HELLLLLLLLLLLL YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Awesome! :) Finally something good came out of politics… it’s a shame that there is no PP in Hungary. I couldn’t vote for them, but I would have.
So happy.
:’D
I was wondering if there was any British parties that have similar views as the pirate party such as freedom to share information and such?
Any information would be great.
Thanks
This is Brilliant
Now files sharers have a voice in Europe! Amazing! :-)
hell yaeh!
THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN!!!!!
“One pirate can hijack a whole ship.”
Well said! I hope Pirate Party will grow in the European Parliament! Now the next thing I hope is Ipredator being launched as a celebration, as customer enjoying it as well. :-D Congratulations to Pirate Party!
This is indeed amazing. Most importantly, all other parties will now quickly adapt most of the Pirate Party’s ideas in order to gain back all those votes they lost to them.
I think non-commercial file sharing will be legal in Sweden in 5 years.
And THAT would be good.
Just… Yeah! Never felt so proud, to be a pirate. This is a huge step forward. And now, onwards to total victory.
Our civilization, if not the human being, is build on copying things. How we learn to behave, our personality, our knowledge – we wouldn’t be where we are today without copying stuff. And now some morons think they can prohibit copying?
That’s just hypocritical – not so say “incredible stupid”.
“One pirate can hijack a whole ship.”
hah awesome
@ 14 – Isuroh
The best method to prohibit copying is asking Bill Gates or any other OS distro not to invent the “Control” + “C” and “Control” + “V” button functionality. :-) But like what you siad, that’s just dumb.
cool story bro :)
@16
Screw Ctrl + C/V, highlighting then middle clicking while using Xorg is the way to go.
GRANDISSIMI!!
brilliant. best news in a long time.
Celebrate pirates!
Now nobody can contest the power of the internetz LoL
Proud to be Swedish. Proud to be a pirate. :)
After reading this article and other articles covering the same story, I can’t help but feel disappointed. Europe once again has taken widely held, tried and true economic principles and threw them out the window. Legalizing thievery will stifle innovation and creativity. Unless you believe people don’t like money, this will surely happen.
I went voting…just 4 U…(and 4 europe also… !)
WE’LL WIN THE GAME !!!
keep on
i don’t know they can do it.
http://i00.co.uk/67
@7 i don’t think there is. the closest we get is the Green party i think.
the guy from PunkTorrents attempted to set up a uk wing of the pirate party, but that seems to have gone by the by now.
this seems awesome and all.. but what does it all really mean? im so un-educated..
@ 23
You call yourself an economist? lol
The fact that you think its ‘thievery’ clearly states you are blind.
Please refrain from posting such foolish comments and making a complete ham of yourself, your a disgrace.
@23 Jun 08, 2009 at 17:25 by disappointed-economist
Getting rid of copyrights and patents may stifle the businesses of those who were contributing NOTHING to the process to begin with. Instead, as a result, innovation and creativity will flourish like never before.
But of course MAFIAA propagandists like yourself will never be able to understand or admit to that.
<3
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!
Finally good news!
Very good news !!!
Victory!
http://thenewfreedom.net/null/victory.png
YArr!
I wish something like this would happen in the US. Too many people gobbling up the record companies’ garbage and remaining completely ignorant about copyright issues.
Yep the green party is the only way for the rest of us to vote. There all for filesharing ^_^
@36 I agree. The recession has opened some people’s eyes (look at the support for Ron Paul’s ‘Audit the Fed bill’). But FAR too many people are republican/democrat to the death. A third party may finally show up and be a force to be reckoned with eventually, but that will take many years for the sheep to die off or evolve.
THE PREVOLUTION IS HERE MY FRONDES.. I AM NOW SCRATCHING MY BALLS WITH MY MIDDLE HAND. BYE
Hats Off!
May the Torrents be at your sails, the download speeds fast, and the lans plenty for the pillaging. To Brussels, To freedom, To sharing!
Seriously though, what does it say about politics when politicians make sharing illegal?
Congratulations guys. A remarkable job. Very exciting to see.
UK PP is starting up.
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/
We have to thank Henrik Pontén, Monique Wadsted and Peter Danowsky along with IFPI.
The spectrial did it for Pirate Party.
Pirate forever.
@23 Jun 08, 2009 at 17:25 by disappointed-economist
This is democracy. The people have spoken and they are saying that they refuse to be slaves to the music and movie industry and absolutely resent the tactics that they are using against us.
What’s sad is, there are people around in the world today that believe that it’s perfectly find that the RIAA/MPAA bribing our judges, politicians, law makers, police and even the military.
We all need to evolve. The only people that will be suffering are those that have become so fat and rich and feel that they have the right to control everything. They need to be stopped, and art and culture needs to go back in to the hands of the people, and not the corporations or only those that can afford.
Artists can be allowed to flourish and our culture should have no limits as to our own creativity and abilities. The RIAA/MPAA is stifling all of that and controlling it. Artists will soon learn that they don’t need corporations controlling them, and that they will find a way to be creative and be compensated for it. That’s the way humans are, those that learn to adapt survive. Those that fail to evolve will die.
That is the music industry. They aren’t evolving and are simply becoming more greedy and more powerful. We need to stop them.
We *MUST* slay The Beast.
Voted for PP and Im proud of it :)
Couldn’t imagine an IFPI MEP..
F*CK YEAH!!
The more BULLSHIT the “right holders” are giving society, the more hatred do they expose themselves to.
This is the ultimate strike-back!
Now we see that the whole public oppinion, (which has been manipulated by the “right holders” for a long time with their shitty campains), is changing, radically!
Now I hope that people in Denmark(my country) will follow our brothercountry.
fuck im happy right now! <3
ARRRGH!
INTEGRITET IN SWEDISH MEANS __PRIVACY__ IN ENGLISH NOT INTEGRITY WHY DOES EVERYONE GET THIS WRONG
this should be a wake-up call to those disillusioned americans who believe that they cannot change their countries’ politics. hell, this should be a wake-up call to ANYONE who feels powerless when it comes to politics.
“And there is consensus among the op-eds and political pundits on how it could happen: Enthusiasm paid off.”
all people who are disgruntled with their government, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!
#49 – redmarine -
I suspect that will only make matters worse for those who side with anti-piracy organizations (MAFFIA types) and cause the ranks of the Pirate Party to swell ever more.
The writing is beginning to appear on the wall and the corporate lackeys aren’t going to like what it ultimately says.
If the governments keep poking people in the eye, then the people are simply going to strike back and amputate the offending finger.
Go Sweden!!
“‘commandeer,’ we’re going to commandeer that ship. nautical term”
the pp should pe all over europe.. let’s get rid of the old farts in politics.
Beware their rival, the Norweigan Ninjas!
@44 Ricardo
Is Henrik Pontén related to Pirate Pontén?
go pirates, go pirates, you got elected, ow yeeaaah!
Pirate Party needs to expand it’s scope. Humans are just vessels for Information Evolution. The only thing that will survive the heat death of the universe will be Information. Information struggles to be free. Attempts to limit the free flow of Information are an abomination upon mankind and should be stopped at every turn. This includes imprisonment for those who attempt to restrict the Evolution of Information.
Seriously people look at the guys hand in the photograph, he’s not human! He’s a fucking alien man!
thats excellent news good job pirates
the huge success of the green party was also a success for the internet, since they have also taken a clear posetive stance in privacy issues.
@ disappointed economist.
As a former financial analyst, I highly highly recommend that you read the book “The Wealth of Networks” by Yochai Benkler.
I *guarantee* that you will change your viewpoint after reading that book. It is by far the best researched tome discussing the economics of the information economy. IMHO, it is as important today as Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” was in 1776.
I don’t think any economist today should overlook it. I know several economists and I have yet to meet one that truly understands the implications of a market where the primary good being “traded” has a marginal cost of zero. Truth be told those “widely held, tried and true economic principles” fail when the marginal cost of production is zero.
The name title says it all, but is this and TPB all TF can report on ?? I can’t come to this site without seeing something about TPB or Sweden. Ernesto and the crew need to get off their bloody A$$es and find some real torrent news. The only thing I want to hear about Sweden, is how easy their Biatches are to BANG. LOL
This clearly shows a generational difference with old folks sticking to outdated and broken business models and the young who grew up sharing even when some adults kept saying it was wrong…
If you think humans have progressed without seeing and copying ideas from others without permission, you are an absolute ignorant of history.
Copyright law was created to protect your right to copy, by forcing works to go into public domain after a 14 year period. In the 20th century corporations took these laws and turned them upside down to perpetuate the period, collective progress at the benefit of a very small minority.
Allowing intangibles to be copied is like releasing slaves. Both considered illegal in their times, both considered “harmful” for business in their time; was it fair?
Technology has made their business models obsolete. Neither Artists or fans need labels and their controlled market anymore, the internet has freed us from them. It is their job to adapt or perish in this new situation, not ours, not for the State.
We have rights to give and receive culture and education; the internet is also a giant library, not just a giant mall… Most people know and agree with this, those defending the corporations are a minority, why should they impose their draconian view on life on us all?
I am very happy to see this Brilliant Development. Its time to really make Change.
I understand that they want to keep to the unstructured way of doing things. But I doubt it does any good toward their cause.
People don’t realize this isn’t just about file sharing. We just don’t want our internets in sweden to be monitored.
Having our computers monitored without permission is like having your house searched without a warrant!
One Pirate is enough to leak the parlament!
Long live freedom!
An economy based on copyright = unemployment.
At this point, I could probably write a book on the pirate mindset. Business models has nothing to do with it, cheech. There are people who want to pay for things, and people who don’t. You can’t compete with or adapt to people who refuse to pay for anything like stuck up, self righteous pugs.
LOL, great logic there. So now we’re claiming that copyright is actually there to support piracy. Where do you get these ideas from? Honestly, im actually curious.. How do come up with this stuff?
FYI, copyrights can be renewed at the artists discretion and did it ever occur to you want happens during those 14 years?
And it’s not 14 years.. It’s 50 or 70 years.
Jeeze, couldn’t you atleast get one part of this right?
The two are nothing like each other. People paid for slave though fyi.
You are however acting like the entertainment industry is your slave and their sole purpose is to make you happy.
So, just because you can do the wrong thing, makes it okay? Would you walk into your neighbors house and start taking their things.
They’re adapting no doubt about it. It’s called shut down torrent trackers. This is the only viable approach.
It’s not culture.. It’s not “information.” Say it with me c-o-p-y-r-i-g-h-t-e-d m-a-t-e-r-i-a-l. No, it’s not your right to take other people’s things. You got that wrong. What don’t you understand about the fact that a business can’t function without payment from consumers? Many people also agreed with nazism. Does that make it okay too? The reason why many people agree with it is because it seems like many people out there are just lazy. Too lazy to even care about anyone besides themselves.
Like it or not, society has laws. You can’t do anything you want. Im sorry to break the news to you.
Wish the Pirate Party the best in protecting the freedom of the internets..
It’s good 2 share. Imagine a life without that.
“The Pirates received more votes from those under 30 than any other party in the European elections yesterday”
This mean that the others parties are ther parties of the old piece of shit.
This is thanks to the IFPI and the entertainment parasites.
Rigged spectrial, corrupted governement members, corrupted police, corrupted justice, they are way to obvious and the citizen don’t buy it.
This judge of my butt and the coresponding court district has no credibility and deserve no respect.
Let just use their judgements as toilet paper.
They all make me laught with their rituals! And with their dresses, they look sily.
What a pack of losers your deshonors!
Whahahahahahahahaha!
For those talking about starting a Pirate Party in their country, there may already be one.
http://www.pp-international.net/
Check here to see if there is already one in your country. ^__^
I’m going to gain the rights for “freezing temperatures” and all people who infringe in my rights will be prosecuted to the full extend of the law LoL
Everybody who owns a fridge must pay me it was my work establishing the parameters and I have rights do you hear me you pirates?
I will copyright the sequence of cooling and heating in ovens and everybody who owns an oven will have to pay me for cooking LoL
Vote Pirate Party and don’t forget.
DON’T BUY MUSIC OR MOVIES, whatever you do don’t give money to those little greedy, lazy, people.
What the hell is wrong with you. You are trying to justify what you do, with some sort of legitimacy?
I “pirate” <- which is not the correct term btw, more than anyone. But I vote for people who truly will get things accomplished, not just be a freak’n novelty.
TAKE NOTE: Independent Party Jesse Venture’s short lived term as Governor of the State of Minnesota, accomplished nothing, just another novelty…
last I heard… 7% against 93% (exception of the socialists/communist parties/greens) more than the majority will ALWAYS vote against the pirates.
7% hahahahhaha I am laughing so fucking hard.
remember, 22% still believe George W. Bush is God in the United States, that how bullshit percentages are.
brilliant..i m really happy…
quote: We’ll share files in Brussels^^.
@7 The UK Pirate Party had reformed very recently, you can wander over to http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/ to see what they’re up to.
In terms of established parties, the Greens are pretty much the only party that have similar views on Intellectual Property.
Have a look at http://euelection.openrightsgroup.org/
@69
How does it feel to have put in all that troll work and not get a bite? :-D
Good use of Godwin’s Law BTW.
Power to the people!!!
Epic victory. Mpaa etc have made there bed now they must lie in it!!!
Mmwwhhaaaaa!!!!!
I would agree with disappointed-economist: lax IP enforcement would slay the twin sacred cows of “innovation” and “creativity”. But I don’t see any problem with that. Under the present IP regime, both “innovation” and “creativity” are overproduced: almost everyone can be a writer, almost everyone can invent and patent some trinket, there is no shortage of junk software, junk books, junk music, junk movies and junk “lifestyle” drugs either. If you are hell-bent on innovating and creating, do not imply that others will accept a Soviet-like regime of intellectual property enforcement built upon a Cult of Growth.
@neostyles
Don’t apologize for breaking news, dear. Apologize for lying.
You did well my European Pirate Brothers. Good luck in the political battle.
nice post im really happy.
@neostyles
If you are not just an industry paid troll i would like to see your take on the arguments made on this site http://www.digitalproductions.co.uk/index.php?id=171
as he does a much better job of explaining what i think than i can, maybe you might learn something ;)
If you can’t vote for the Swedish PP in Magyar then you talk to your friends and figure out how you start your own PP. That’s how you help. Remember: this isn’t about file sharing – this is about your freaking civil rights. Cheers.
Ship ahoy! Arrrr !
THANK GOD!!!!!!!
THE SWEDS KICK ASS AGAIN!
seriously, The film and music industry needs to start living the present. If music & film downloads were legal in all countries plus faster than current p2p sharing, we wouldn’t have these problems. Itunes, JunoDownload, eMusic & few others have realized this, others are living in the past for last 10yrs. Cheezus.
Stop messing with the pirates. They rule. Torrent rules. No one can stop it. Live long and prosper mates!!!!
Glad to see intelligence in Sweden alive and well! Britain elected 2 BNP fascists, who are definitely not right wing but more national socialist (anti-capitalist racists). Well done Sweden, shame on Britain
What a waste of votes, though I didn’t even bother to vote.
PP Swe won’t accomplish anything. Even though I file share I and don’t plan to stop to, I don’t think the industry is doing something wrong for wanting to get paid for their stuff.
Well, at least Fi didn’t get a seat. That made me happy.
#70
“Like it or not, society has laws. You can’t do anything you want. Im sorry to break the news to you.”
//
Like it or not, it’s society who should be able to actually DECIDE and SHAPE those laws. There are no objective laws or values, only agreements. And we’re choosing not to accept force-fed structures anymore and voting and voicing it accordingly.
WISE THE FVCK UP IGNORANT OBTUSE F4G.
splandid beginning !
The Green Party will also push for legislation of file Sharing. I would recommend all those who believe in legalising file sharing to look into them
HOW IS THE PIRATE PARTY GOING TO VOTE ON ISSUES THAT ARE NOT COMPUTER/INFORMATION RELATED?
Are they going to put a poll up on their website like torrent sites do?
@93
You really don’t get the *point* of democratic process do you?
New Wallpapers Added.
Visit: http://blog.bitcomet.com/9744199/
Most of the wallpapers are high resolution (HD Wallpapers).
More than 1000 Wallpapers.
Copyright as we know it first existed in 1710. So before 1710 there was no concept of “copyright”, and thus no concept of “copyright material”…but there is obviously already a concept of “information”, and also of “culture”
Just adding some facts to use against some trolls here…
Great job! Thank you for standing up for our file sharing rights!
“Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Frederick Douglass
P.P. Lights a lantern in this political twilight that can be seen around the world.
“As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”
great news, ha ha,,,, http://www.xxxsv.com
7.1% of the vote? That surely means that 92.9% of the Swedish electorate couldn’t give a flying f*ck about the whole filesharing issue?
Does the fact that the PP has atrracted about as much support as the British facist party, the BNP, mean that the UK is about to slide into an era of Nazi dominated politics?
Of course it doesn’t. How about some balance instead of all this spin?
“Yep the green party is the only way for the rest of us to vote.”
Green Party? I suppose that’s one choice. I’d offer the Libertarian Party as another choice.
The main thing of course is “choice.” Anyone who votes for “the lesser of two evils” parties are the ones throwing their vote away. The more votes third parties get, the more popular they will become and the more financial support they will have. It may take awhile, but the two-party system can be broken.
For anyone tired of Big Government, neither of the main parties make much sense.
As an artist I want to tell all the $ eyed capitalists out that YOU DO NOT BECOME A FUCKING ARTIST FOR THE MONEY. A good artist will always make enough to live off, since there will always be demand for commisions. I dont need gold in my fucking teeth and diamonds comming outta my ass! The only people I see complaining are the corporations and the talantless hacks.
well, we will need other parties like utorrenteers, or sth like seeder democrats or christian leechers.:D
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