Pirate Party UK

Pirate Party UK (Often abbreviated PPUK; in Welsh: Plaid Môr-leidr DU) is a political party in the United Kingdom.^[6] The Pirate Party's core policies are to bring about reform to Copyright and Patent laws, support privacy and reduce surveillance from government and businesses, and guarantee genuine freedom of speech for everyone.^[7][8]

The Pirate Party UK contested its first election in 2010, standing 9 candidates in the 2010 General Election, and one at a subsequent by-election.

Laurence "Loz" Kaye is the current Party Leader, having succeeded Andrew Robinson, the only previous leader, after he stepped down in August 2010.

History

Following the Pirate Bay Trial, a large surge in Pirate Party interest occurred around the world. After the success of the Swedish Pirate Party in the summer 2009 European Elections there was a sudden growth of Pirate Party organisations across Europe (notably in Germany and France) and beyond. Forum membership soared. The official formation of the Pirate Party in the UK followed shortly after the European Elections^[9][10] and the Pirate Party UK was officially registered on 30 July 2009.^[6][11][12]

In August, it was claimed that Pirate Party UK was undergoing rapid growth similar to one the Swedish Pirate Party had enjoyed in early 2009. It was reported that they had been flooded by enquiries and at its peak around 100 people an hour were signing up to become party members. Donations had been coming in so fast that PayPal was concerned they were a fraudulent site.^[13]

On 22 August 2009, one of the Party Officers, John McKeown, resigned from his post after he made a blog post that caused controversy and debate upon party policy. He felt that as he was elected prior to official formation of the party, when there were fewer members, he could not safely say he represented the majority view of the party.^[14]

In December 2009, the party voted to accept Peter Liddell as the new Party Treasurer, and John Barron was voted Nominating Officer, as well as ratifying several other positions within the party in November.

On 23 January 2010, the party opened voting to its members for the internal party elections for NEC members. It was announced on 1 February 2010 that the party members had voted to retain the current executive members.

On 30 March 2010, the party declared its intent to stand 10 candidates across England and Scotland, however to do so, further party funding would be required.^[15] On 27 April 2010, the party announced that it had nine official candidates on the ballot papers, as Mark Sims had missed the deadline due to the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.

Following the resignation of first party leader Andrew Robinson,^[16] composer and lecturer^[17] Laurence 'Loz' Kaye was elected as the new leader on 26 September 2010.^[18] In a message sent to members, Kaye stated his key aim as "building the political structure of the party".^[19] Previously, Kaye had been the Election Agent for candidate Tim Dobson^[20] who stood for Pirate Party UK in Manchester Gorton.

Core policies

The Pirate Party UK has three core policies:^[7]

• An end to excessive surveillance, profiling, tracking and monitoring on individuals performed by Government and big businesses.
• Ensuring that all members of society have real freedom of speech and real freedom to enjoy and participate in humanity's shared culture.
• The reform of copyright and patent law to legalise non-commercial file sharing and reduce the excessive length of copyright protection, and prevent patents being used to stifle innovation or manipulate prices.

During the initial formative weeks and months of the Pirate Party UK, there was a large number of individuals who visited the party's online forum and suggested additional policies such as changes to the UK electoral system, the legalisation of cannabis, and NHS reform. Subsequently the forum's structure was changed in order to demarcate more clearly the party's own values from the various additional suggestions that have been independently put forward by individuals. The party leadership has clarified on the official party blog that the Pirate Party UK intends to remain strictly focused on its three core policies.^[21]

On 22 March 2010, the party announced their 2010 general election manifesto, which expanded on how the party intended to practically implement their core policies if elected.^[22]

Political objectives

Despite the Swedish Pirate Party's recent European Election successes, it has been noted by Robinson that the Pirate Party UK's chances of getting a candidate elected to the UK parliament are "pretty much close to zero",^[23] due to the use of the First Past the Post system for electing MPs to Parliament. Instead, their immediate aim is to raise awareness amongst the voters and the politicians in the other political parties.

General election 2010

The party stood 9 candidates in the 2010 General Election and received 1,340 votes overall, or about 0.34% of the total votes cast in those constituencies that had Pirate candidates:^[24][25]

Mark Sims intended to stand in East Ham^[35] but missed the deadline due to the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.

All their candidates lost their deposits, with their best performance being 0.62% in Manchester Gorton.

The Pirate Party fielded Loz Kaye at the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election in 2011, after Labour's victory in the 2010 election was declared void by the courts, and the incumbent Phil Woolas was removed.^[36] The result was 96 votes (0.3%).

Scottish and Local Elections 2011

Pirate Party UK stood 8 regional candidates in 2 regions in the Scottish Parliament election^[37]

Graeme Lambert also stood in the local election in Bury^[40] gaining 3.62% of the vote, a record for the party.^[41]

References

External links

• Official Pirate Party of the United Kingdom website