Thaum1el
06-08-09, 12:53AM
Thaum reports directly from an historic even - the Pirate Party victory feast in Stockholm's Royal Institute of Technology. Exclusively for NoChickTrix.
The Pirate Party got 7.1 % of the votes in the Swedish election to the European Parliament, which ensures them of one seat out of eighteen reserved for Sweden in the European Parliament. If the controversial Treaty of Lisboa is passed, there will be another observer place, that will eventually go to the party.
"The polls had said 8-9 % percent, but everything over 4 % is a political sensation", party chairman Rick Falkvinge told Swedish dailly Dagens Nyheter. "This ensures representation in Brussels for a new generation. This means that we can start securing civil rights, which we have fought for, for three and a half years. This means. This means that the old school politicians finally have to realize that if they accept money from the wheelbarrows of cash of the lobbyists, they will loose their jobs. And in this moment, these lobby cash loose its value. This is what we've fought for."
Why has so many young people voted for the Pirate Party?
"Because the older generation of politicians have disassembled their entire lifestyle. It is not okay to monitor all phone calls and mail, it's not okay to monitor all the surfing we're doing - travelling bookings, dating, chatting, all of it. This strikes against young people's entire lifestyle, and they have realized this."
Is it time to prepare for the national elections?
"It is important, of course, to get into the national parliament as well, but also to get into the European Union. Many of these issues originates in Brussels, and that's where we need to do the long-term work. But yes, we also need to work towards the national parliament, where we can reach quicker results, in a shorter time."
Eventually, the victory party went a bit out of hands. Artist Carl Johan Rehbinder went up on the stage and gave top candidate Christian Engström and the Chairman Falkvinge each a whip.
"This is the Party whip", he said, "it's your reward."
Då ställde sig Christian Engström bredbent med händerna mot väggen, och Rick Falkvinge piskade honom i rumpan. Publiken blev galen av förtjusning.
- Folk har väl humor. Man måste få skämta lite också, sa Engström efteråt.
"People have humour, I'm sure they appriciate the joke", Engström said afterwards.
The party didn't end there. It continued until early morning. Hundereds of purple clad pirates ate, drank rum and sung pirate songs.
"Welfare begins at 100 megabit", they sung.
In membership figures, the Pirate party is not the third largest party in Sweden, after government party Moderaterna and opposition leaders, the Social Democrats.
The Pirate Party got 7.1 % of the votes in the Swedish election to the European Parliament, which ensures them of one seat out of eighteen reserved for Sweden in the European Parliament. If the controversial Treaty of Lisboa is passed, there will be another observer place, that will eventually go to the party.
"The polls had said 8-9 % percent, but everything over 4 % is a political sensation", party chairman Rick Falkvinge told Swedish dailly Dagens Nyheter. "This ensures representation in Brussels for a new generation. This means that we can start securing civil rights, which we have fought for, for three and a half years. This means. This means that the old school politicians finally have to realize that if they accept money from the wheelbarrows of cash of the lobbyists, they will loose their jobs. And in this moment, these lobby cash loose its value. This is what we've fought for."
Why has so many young people voted for the Pirate Party?
"Because the older generation of politicians have disassembled their entire lifestyle. It is not okay to monitor all phone calls and mail, it's not okay to monitor all the surfing we're doing - travelling bookings, dating, chatting, all of it. This strikes against young people's entire lifestyle, and they have realized this."
Is it time to prepare for the national elections?
"It is important, of course, to get into the national parliament as well, but also to get into the European Union. Many of these issues originates in Brussels, and that's where we need to do the long-term work. But yes, we also need to work towards the national parliament, where we can reach quicker results, in a shorter time."
Eventually, the victory party went a bit out of hands. Artist Carl Johan Rehbinder went up on the stage and gave top candidate Christian Engström and the Chairman Falkvinge each a whip.
"This is the Party whip", he said, "it's your reward."
Då ställde sig Christian Engström bredbent med händerna mot väggen, och Rick Falkvinge piskade honom i rumpan. Publiken blev galen av förtjusning.
- Folk har väl humor. Man måste få skämta lite också, sa Engström efteråt.
"People have humour, I'm sure they appriciate the joke", Engström said afterwards.
The party didn't end there. It continued until early morning. Hundereds of purple clad pirates ate, drank rum and sung pirate songs.
"Welfare begins at 100 megabit", they sung.
In membership figures, the Pirate party is not the third largest party in Sweden, after government party Moderaterna and opposition leaders, the Social Democrats.