Thursday, May 03, 2012

Yar! Piratenpartei Deutschland!

It was only a matter of time. After Sweden saw a pirate seated in parliament in 2009, the pirate party made inroads into German government. Representing up to 13% of the population, it may now be the third largest paarrrrrrrty in Germany.
Initially concerned with intellectual property issues, the movement has recently begun to include government transparency. [Which is undoubtedly code for wenches and grog.]
They've won 13 seats in Berlin state parliament as well as 4 seats in the Western Saarland region. The story.

"Make no mistake, the biggest reason voters are flocking to the Pirates is that they’re disillusioned with the opaque deal-making and elite hierarchies of traditional politics. The Pirate movement on the other hand is very much born of the internet, with its open nature, ever-shifting meritocracy and low barriers to entry for new ideas. The goofiness of net humour is there in force — Pirates have been known to turn up to Berlin’s parliament in fancy dress — but the message is serious, and it is taken seriously."

3 comments:

Mike said...

I also noticed that piracy is one of the topics the US is discussing with China. I can only assume they're talking like pirates.

Jay said...

Yes, they arrrrrrrgh.

Joe said...

Someone start one here!