Pirate Party UK

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Pirate Party UK
Welsh: Plaid Môr-leidr DU
Welsh name Welsh: Plaid Môr-leidr DU
Leader Laurence Kaye
Treasurer Shaun Daley[1]
Nominating Officer Phil Cooke[2]
Campaigns Officer Andy Halsall[3]
Founded 30 July 2009 (2009-07-30)[4]
Headquarters the Pirate Party UK at Flat 11, 45 Streatham Hill, London, SW2 4TS, United Kingdom
Membership  (21 May 2012) 500[5]
Ideology Pirate politics,
Freedom of Speech,
Privacy,
Copyright and Patent Reform
International affiliation Pirate Parties International
European affiliation None
Colours Turquoise
Website
www.pirateparty.org.uk

Politics of the United Kingdom
Political parties
Elections

The 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 also stood in the 2011 Oldham East and Saddleworth and 2012 Manchester Central by-elections. The highest number of votes the party has achieved to date is 5.2% by Loz Kaye when standing in the Manchester Bradford Ward during the 2012 Local Elections. In parliamentary elections the party has generally received less than 1% of the vote. They have indicated they do not expect to be elected, and that they are just trying to raise awareness.[9]

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

Pirate Party UK leader Loz Kaye

Contents

History [edit]

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[10][11] and the Pirate Party UK was officially registered on 30 July 2009.[6][12][13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16] 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,[17] composer and lecturer[18] Laurence 'Loz' Kaye was elected as the new leader on 26 September 2010.[19] In a message sent to members, Kaye stated his key aim as "building the political structure of the party".[20] Previously, Kaye had been the Election Agent for candidate Tim Dobson[21] who stood for Pirate Party UK in Manchester Gorton.

Core policies [edit]

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.[22]

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.[23]

Political objectives [edit]

It has previously been noted by Robinson, the former Pirate Party UK leader, that the Pirate Party UK's chances of getting a candidate elected to the UK parliament are "pretty much close to zero",[9] 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.

Leadership [edit]

  • Loz Kaye - Leader
  • Andy Halsall - Campaigns Manager
  • Phil Cooke - Nominating Officer
  • Shaun Daley - Treasurer
  • Leanne Ainsworth - Party Secretary

Elections [edit]

General election 2010 [edit]

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]

Candidate Constituency Votes  %
Andrew Robinson Worcester 173[26] 0.4
Graeme Lambert Bury North 131[27] 0.3
Alexander van Terheyden Bethnal Green and Bow 213[28] 0.4
Tim Dobson Manchester, Gorton 236[29] 0.6
Luke Leighton South West Surrey 94[30] 0.2
Shaun Dyer Leicester West 113[31] 0.3
Finlay Archibald Glasgow Central 120[32] 0.4
David Geraghty Derby North 170[33] 0.4
Jack Nunn Cities of London and Westminster 90[34] 0.2
Total 1,340 0.34

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 [edit]

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

Region Candidates Votes  %
West of Scotland
  1. Rob Harris
  2. Laura Riach
  3. Andrew Paliwoda
  4. Miah Gregory
 850[38] 0.3
Glasgow
  1. Finlay Archibald
  2. Mark Wood
  3. Asmaa Hounat
  4. Stuart Murray
 581[39] 0.3

Graeme Lambert also stood in the local election in Bury[40] gaining 3.62% of the vote.[41]

Local Elections 2012 [edit]

Pirate Party UK stood 6 candidates in 3 regions in the United Kingdom local elections.[42][43] They received 551 votes, or 2.26% on average over the 6 wards they stood in, the best results for the party in an election. In the Manchester Bradford ward the party leader, Loz Kaye, received 5.2% of the vote, the highest the party has achieved in any election.

Candidate Constituency Votes  %
Tim Dobson Manchester Ancoats and Clayton 75[44] 3
Loz Kaye Manchester Bradford 127[45] 5.2
Maria Aretoulaki Manchester City Centre 57[46] 3.1
Finlay Archibald Glasgow Govan 51[47] 0.2
Rob Harris Glasgow Anderston 46[48] 0.2
Phil Hunt Edinburgh Meadows/Morningside 195[49] 1.9

Manchester Central by-election (2012) [edit]

Loz Kaye was the PPUK's candidate in the Manchester Central by-election on 15 November 2012. He received 1.9% of the vote.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Treasurer election results". Pirateparty.org.uk. 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
  2. ^ "Administrative Persons". Pirate Party UK. Retrieved 2011-10-24. 
  3. ^ Kaye, Loz (June 2011). "A Message from the PPUK Leader". Pirate Party UK Blog. Pirate Party UK. Retrieved 5 June 2011. "congratulations to our new Campaigns Officer Andy Halsall"  More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  4. ^ Barnett, Emma (2009-08-11). "Pirate Party UK now registered by the Electoral Commission". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-08-12. 
  5. ^ "Membership". Pirateparty.org.uk. 2012-05-28. Retrieved 2012-05-28. 
  6. ^ a b "Register of political parties, Pirate Party UK". The Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2010-02-03. [dead link]
  7. ^ a b "Pirate Party UK". Retrieved 2012-06-04. 
  8. ^ Turton, Stuart (2009-08-12). "Q&A: Why the UK needs the Pirate Party". PC Pro. Retrieved 2009-08-12. 
  9. ^ a b Turton, Stuart (12 August 2009). "Q&A: Why the UK needs the Pirate Party". PC Pro. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  10. ^ Scott, Katie (8 June 2009). "Pirate Party wins European Parliament seat". Wired UK. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  11. ^ McCormick, Andrew (8 June 2009). "Pirate Bay fans get voice on copyright issues". Revolution magazine (Brand Republic). Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  12. ^ "Pirate Party launches UK poll bid". BBC News. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  13. ^ Harris, Mark (11 August 2009). "Pirate Party UK sets sail". TechRadar (Future plc). Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  14. ^ Barnett, Emma (2009-08-13). "'Hundred people an hour' joining Pirate Party UK". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-13. 
  15. ^ "rancidpunk resigns". 22 August 2009. 
  16. ^ "'PPUK Announces Parliamentary Candidates'". Pirate Party UK. 
  17. ^ "'The Pirate Party UK, One Year On'". Pirate Party UK. 
  18. ^ "Loz Kaye elected leader of UK Pirate Party". Wired News. 
  19. ^ "Pirate Party Elects New Leader'". Pirate Party UK. 
  20. ^ "'A Message From the New Leader'". Pirate Party UK. 
  21. ^ "'Pirate Party UK - History '". Pirate Party UK. 
  22. ^ "Our Core Beliefs - Pirate Party UK". Pirateparty.org.uk. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2010-05-23. 
  23. ^ "The Pirate Party UK Launches its 2010 Election Manifesto - Pirate Party UK". Pirateparty.org.uk. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-05-23. 
  24. ^ "Everything starts somewhere". Pirate Party UK Blog. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  25. ^ "Pirate Party celebrates 1,340-vote election result". ITPro. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-05-07. 
  26. ^ Election 2010, Worcester, BBC
  27. ^ Election 2010, Bury North, BBC
  28. ^ Election 2010, Bethnal Green & Bow, BBC
  29. ^ Election 2010, Manchester Gorton, BBC
  30. ^ Election 2010, Surrey South West, BBC
  31. ^ Election 2010, Leicester West, BBC
  32. ^ Election 2010, Glasgow Central, BBC
  33. ^ Election 2010, Derby North, BBC
  34. ^ Election 2010, Cities Of London & Westminster, BBC
  35. ^ "Pirate Party UK Announces Parliamentary Candidates - Pirate Party UK". Pirateparty.org.uk. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-05-23. 
  36. ^ "Voters go to the polls in Oldham by-election". BBC News. 13 January 2011. 
  37. ^ "Scottish election: Pirate Party UK profile". BBC News. 13 April 2011. 
  38. ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - Scotland - West of Scotland". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  39. ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - Scotland - Glasgow". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  40. ^ "Local election candidates announced". Bury News Online. 2010-04-04. Retrieved 2011-04-14. [dead link]
  41. ^ Dalziel, Spencer (6 May 2011). "UK Pirate Party wins record votes in local English elections". The Inquirer. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  42. ^ "Pirate Party UK - Best ever result in a UK election". PPUK press release. 4 May 2012. 
  43. ^ "Best ever result for the Pirate Party in Scotland". PPUK press release. 4 May 2012. 
  44. ^ Elections 2012,Manchester Ancoats and Clayton, Manchester City Council
  45. ^ Elections 2012,Manchester Bradford, Manchester City Council
  46. ^ Elections 2012,Manchester City Centre, Manchester City Council
  47. ^ Elections 2012,Glasgow Govan , Glassgow City Council
  48. ^ Elections 2012,Glassgow Anderston , Glassgow City Council
  49. ^ Elections 2012,Edinburgh Meadows/Morningside , Edinburgh City Council

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