Yep, this is not a joke.  Pirates won a seat in Sweden win a seat on the EU Parlaiment.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/08/2009-06-08_swedens_pirate_party_wins_one_seat_in_european_parliamentary_elections_.html

For one, I find this rather troublesome.  Because if these people ever get their way, it would be an economic armageddon.  People will stop writing books, publishing music, making movies, or inventing a lot of things.

And the freeloaders will inherit the Earth.

A whole host of fringe parties grabbed spoils that they shouldn't have done, such was the voter apathy within Europe over this election..

Somehow*, we managed to send two extreme right-wing BNP members to the Parliament...and if these people get their way, it'd be a lot, lot worse than freeloaders inheriting the earth... >:(






*Actually, that's what Proportional Representation is capable of doing, along with mainstream parties being completely out of touch with the electorate...

Being that it is the E.U. they should be used to chaotic parties.  I would think that common sense and a sense of fair compensation among people would keep them from gaining too much power. (I hope)  I was kind of hoping Black Beard had returned from the dead not some stupid illegal download junkies. >:(

It strikes me that what they should do for the EU elections is have representation in the EU parliament proportional to the vote in each country: that'd get the turnout up.

The BNP here got a seat, not because they got more votes than last time, but because overall turnout was so much lower, their percentage was higher.

I'm not so against the BNP/Pirate party winning seats, but for different reasons.  The Pirate crew will have no chance to change legislation (so Mushroom's armageddon scenario ain't going to happen), but they will be able to argue a view that represents a lot of people who aren't currently represented.  That is true of the BNP, too, of course, but IMO we're going to see the same sort of thing happen with the BNP Euro-MPs as has happened to more than half their councillors: four years with snout in trough, doing nothing of any value whatsoever and shown up to be more venal, corrupt and less competent than the rest of our politicians.  Having the BNP with elected representatives is the best way to raise the profile of how deceitful they have actually been in order to get there.

The Pirate crew will have no chance to change legislation (so Mushroom's armageddon scenario ain't going to happen), but they will be able to argue a view that represents a lot of people who aren't currently represented. 


I do not believe it will happen either.  Notice, I said "if these people ever get their way".  Not that I think it will ever happen.  And even if it did, I can't see any other major country in the world following them.

And being able to "argue a view that represents a lot of people who aren't currently represented", I seriously doubt that.  Since in one way ot another, the kinds of laws the want to throw out would impact the vast majority of their citizens.  Our modern economy is based on things like copyright and patent laws.  Corporations would go bankrupt.  Inventors, authors, and artists would loose most of their income.

And millions of lawyers would suddenly be thrown out of work.

Hmmm, maybe that is not such a bad idea after all.  ;D

I do not believe it will happen either.  Notice, I said "if these people ever get their way".  Not that I think it will ever happen.  And even if it did, I can't see any other major country in the world following them.
They've been elected as MEPs - even if Sweden thought it was a good idea, there's still the rest of Europe to convince.


And being able to "argue a view that represents a lot of people who aren't currently represented", I seriously doubt that.  Since in one way ot another, the kinds of laws the want to throw out would impact the vast majority of their citizens.  Our modern economy is based on things like copyright and patent laws.  Corporations would go bankrupt.  Inventors, authors, and artists would loose most of their income.
Maybe I'm being a little bit too hopeful, here... but for the first time, pretty much, there is someone in the legislature who actually understands the digital age - it's not that copyright and patent laws should be thrown out of the window, but they do need rethinking in a world where it's almost impossible to police violations.  All legislation has either been framed before places like thepiratebay was possible, or by people who really don't understand what is possible and what the technology can actually do.

Their proposals for reform of copyright/patent law aren't *that* cataclysmic for the music/film industries (ISTM that their 5-year copyright proposal is an opening position, so they can agree a compromise that's probably nearer a decade or two after writing rather than the current 70-years-after-death sort of arrangement)


And millions of lawyers would suddenly be thrown out of work.

Hmmm, maybe that is not such a bad idea after all.   ;D

:)

Pirates (of the non-sailing kind) rock.  More power to them, I say.  ;D