Pirate Party UK
Encyclopedia
Pirate Party UK is a political party in the United Kingdom
. 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.
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.
, a large surge in Pirate Party interest occurred around the world. After the success of the Swedish Pirate Party in the summer 2009 European Election
s 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 and the Pirate Party UK was officially registered on 30 July 2009.
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.
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.
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. 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, composer and lecturer Laurence 'Loz' Kaye was elected as the new leader on 26 September 2010. In a message sent to members, Kaye stated his key aim as "building the political structure of the party". Previously, Kaye had been the Election Agent for candidate Tim Dobson who stood for Pirate Party UK in Manchester Gorton.
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.
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.
are "pretty much close to zero", 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.
Mark Sims intended to stand in East Ham
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. The result was 96 votes (0.3%).
Graeme Lambert also stood in the local election in Bury
gaining 3.62% of the vote, a record for the party.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. 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.
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
Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, 2011
The 2011 by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth held on 13 January 2011...
.
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 TrialThe Pirate Bay trial
The Pirate Bay trial is a joint criminal and civil prosecution in Sweden of four individuals charged for promoting the copyright infringement of others with the torrent tracking website The Pirate Bay...
, a large surge in Pirate Party interest occurred around the world. After the success of the Swedish Pirate Party in the summer 2009 European Election
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
s 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 and the Pirate Party UK was officially registered on 30 July 2009.
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
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
was concerned they were a fraudulent site.
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.
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. 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
Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...
.
Following the resignation of first party leader Andrew Robinson, composer and lecturer Laurence 'Loz' Kaye was elected as the new leader on 26 September 2010. In a message sent to members, Kaye stated his key aim as "building the political structure of the party". Previously, Kaye had been the Election Agent for candidate Tim Dobson who stood for Pirate Party UK in Manchester Gorton.
Core policies
The Pirate Party UK has three core policies:- 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.
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.
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 parliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
are "pretty much close to zero", 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:| Candidate | Constituency | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Robinson | Worcester Worcester (UK Parliament constituency) Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; from 1295 to 1885 it elected two MPs.... |
173 | 0.4 |
| Graeme Lambert | Bury North Bury North (UK Parliament constituency) Bury North is a borough constituency in Greater Manchester, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
131 | 0.3 |
| Alexander van Terheyden | Bethnal Green and Bow | 213 | 0.4 |
| Tim Dobson | Manchester, Gorton Manchester Gorton (UK Parliament constituency) Manchester, Gorton is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-1885–1918:... |
236 | 0.6 |
| Luke Leighton | South West Surrey | 94 | 0.2 |
| Shaun Dyer | Leicester West Leicester West (UK Parliament constituency) Leicester West is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :... |
113 | 0.3 |
| Finlay Archibald | Glasgow Central Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency) Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act... |
120 | 0.4 |
| David Geraghty | Derby North | 170 | 0.4 |
| Jack Nunn | Cities of London and Westminster Cities of London and Westminster (UK Parliament constituency) Cities of London and Westminster is a borough constituency covering the area comprising the City of London and southern portion of the City of Westminster in Central London... |
90 | 0.2 |
Mark Sims intended to stand in East Ham
East Ham (UK Parliament constituency)
East Ham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, in the London Borough of Newham...
but missed the deadline due to the air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...
.
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
Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, 2011
The 2011 by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth held on 13 January 2011...
in 2011, after Labour's victory in the 2010 election was declared void by the courts, and the incumbent Phil Woolas
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
was removed. 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 electionScottish Parliament election, 2011
The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to...
| Region | Candidates | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| West of Scotland |
|
850 | 0.3 |
| Glasgow |
|
581 | 0.3 |
Graeme Lambert also stood in the local election in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
gaining 3.62% of the vote, a record for the party.