http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party-wins-and-enters-the-european-parliament-090607/
Pirate Party Wins and Enters The European Parliament
Written by Ernesto on June 07, 2009
The
Pirate Party has won a huge victory in the Swedish elections and is
marching on to Brussels. After months of campaigning against well
established parties, the Pirate Party has gathered enough votes to be
guaranteed a seat in the European Parliament.
When the Swedish Pirate Party
was founded in early 2006, the majority of the mainstream press were
skeptical, with some simply laughing it away. But they were wrong to
dismiss this political movement out of hand. Today, the Pirate Party
accomplished what some believed to be the impossible, by securing a
seat in the European Parliament.
With 99.9% of the districts counted the Pirates have 7.1 percent of
the votes, beating several established parties. This means that the
Pirate Party will get at least one, but most likely two of the 18 (+2)
available seats Sweden has at the European Parliament.
When we asked Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge about the outcome,
he told TorrentFreak: “We’ve felt the wind blow in our sails. We’ve
seen the polls prior to the election. But to stand here, today, and see
the figures coming up on that screen… What do you want me to say? I’ll
say anything”
“Together, we have today changed the landscape of European politics.
No matter how this night ends, we have changed it,” Falkvinge said.
“This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it’s time to make a
difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples’
lifestyle, bit by bit. We do not accept that the authorities’
mass-surveillance,” he added.
Rick Falkvinge celebrating tonight’s election win
The turnout at the elections is 43 percent, a little higher than the
at the 2004 elections. This would mean that roughly 200,000 Swedes have
voted for the Pirate Party. This is a huge increase compared to the
national elections of 2006 where the party got 34,918 votes.
Both national and international press have gathered in Stockholm where the Pirate Party is celebrating its landmark victory.
Falkvinge answering questions
At least partially, The Pirate Party puts its increased popularity
down to harsh copyright laws and the recent conviction of the people
behind The Pirate Bay. After the Pirate Bay verdict, Pirate Party
membership more than tripled and they now have over 48,000 registered
members, more than the total number of votes they received in 2006.
With their presence in Brussels, the Pirate Party hopes to reduce
the abuses of power and copyright at the hands of the entertainment
industries, and make those activities illegal instead. On the other
hand they hope to legalize file-sharing for personal use.
Arrrr
“It’s great fun to be a pirate right now”, Christian Engström, Vice Chairman of the Pirate Party told the press when he arrived.
Pirate Party Wins and Enters The European Parliament
Written by Ernesto on June 07, 2009
The
Pirate Party has won a huge victory in the Swedish elections and is
marching on to Brussels. After months of campaigning against well
established parties, the Pirate Party has gathered enough votes to be
guaranteed a seat in the European Parliament.
When the Swedish Pirate Party
was founded in early 2006, the majority of the mainstream press were
skeptical, with some simply laughing it away. But they were wrong to
dismiss this political movement out of hand. Today, the Pirate Party
accomplished what some believed to be the impossible, by securing a
seat in the European Parliament.
With 99.9% of the districts counted the Pirates have 7.1 percent of
the votes, beating several established parties. This means that the
Pirate Party will get at least one, but most likely two of the 18 (+2)
available seats Sweden has at the European Parliament.
When we asked Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge about the outcome,
he told TorrentFreak: “We’ve felt the wind blow in our sails. We’ve
seen the polls prior to the election. But to stand here, today, and see
the figures coming up on that screen… What do you want me to say? I’ll
say anything”
“Together, we have today changed the landscape of European politics.
No matter how this night ends, we have changed it,” Falkvinge said.
“This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it’s time to make a
difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples’
lifestyle, bit by bit. We do not accept that the authorities’
mass-surveillance,” he added.
Rick Falkvinge celebrating tonight’s election win
The turnout at the elections is 43 percent, a little higher than the
at the 2004 elections. This would mean that roughly 200,000 Swedes have
voted for the Pirate Party. This is a huge increase compared to the
national elections of 2006 where the party got 34,918 votes.
Both national and international press have gathered in Stockholm where the Pirate Party is celebrating its landmark victory.
Falkvinge answering questions
At least partially, The Pirate Party puts its increased popularity
down to harsh copyright laws and the recent conviction of the people
behind The Pirate Bay. After the Pirate Bay verdict, Pirate Party
membership more than tripled and they now have over 48,000 registered
members, more than the total number of votes they received in 2006.
With their presence in Brussels, the Pirate Party hopes to reduce
the abuses of power and copyright at the hands of the entertainment
industries, and make those activities illegal instead. On the other
hand they hope to legalize file-sharing for personal use.
Arrrr
“It’s great fun to be a pirate right now”, Christian Engström, Vice Chairman of the Pirate Party told the press when he arrived.
