Gizmodo: pirate party

Swedish Pirate Party Wins a Seat in the European Union

Jesus Diaz — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:46:19 EDT

The Swedish Pirate Party—Piratpartiet—has got a seat in the European Union parlament. The ballots are still being counted—almost done now—but with 7.1% of the votes, it's a sure thing. Aaaaaaaarrrrr is all I can say. [Results]

Swedish Pirate Party Expected to Win (Not Plunder) a Seat in E.U. Parliament

Dan Nosowitz — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:20:00 EDT

It looks like Europe is just as taken with the Pirate Party as we at Giz are, because a recent electoral poll shows them with enough votes to secure a seat in the E.U. Parliament.

The guilty verdict handed down to the Pirate Bay leaders resulted in a huge amount of publicity and popularity for the Pirate Party, regardless of the fact that the two are not officially related. Membership has shot up to a record 42,000+, and a recent poll to check out the frontrunners in the E.U. election showed even rosier numbers.

The Pirate Party is now the second-most popular party for voters 18-30, and Swedish newspaper DN.se predicts a vote of 5.1% in the election, which will be enough for a seat in Parliament. Sure, it's a minority vote (and that's being generous), but a pirate can surely stand his ground. [DN.se (warning: Swedish) via TorrentFreak]

Sweden's "Pirate Party" Makes a Run for the E.U. Parliament

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT

In efficient, socialist, and thoroughly entertaining Sweden, a political party based on copyright activism has a legitimate shot at a seat in the European Parliament. Remember: A vote for them is a vote for piracy.

The Pirate Party, staffed entirely by volunteers, may have only gotten about 35,000 votes (0.63%) in Sweden's 2006 elections, but with the current uproar over the Swedish goverment's restrictive laws and the media sensation of our torrenting buddies the Pirate Bay, registration has swelled. With 12,000 contributing members, the Pirate Party is now larger than both the Swedish Green Party and the Swedish Left Party, and they're staking the future of their organization on a run for a seat in the European Union Parliament this June.

The Pirate Party doesn't have a lock on a seat; they'll need about 100,000 votes, which would require a huge jump from their previous total. But given the atmosphere, they've certainly got a shot at it. Check out their website for more information on their aims, which include not only copyright law but Internet privacy as well. [Wired]