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Pirate Party boarding German politics

Published: 05 January, 2012, 10:45

Gerwald Claus-Brunner of the Pirate Party walks in the plenum after the constituting session of the Berlin city parliament in Berlin. (REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

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TAGS: EU, Crisis, Politics, Europe, Internet, Egor Piskunov, Cary Johnston, Economy


People in Germany, the biggest bankroller in crisis-hit Europe, are demanding President Christian Wulf quit after he threatened a newspaper which broke news of a home loan scandal in which he was embroiled.

­As disillusionment with the political establishment sets in, support appears to be shifting to a new party that has no official stance on the EU or its troubles, as RT found out in Berlin.

It looks like an ordinary scene at one of the many bars in Berlin. But there is one thing which makes this party totally different from the rest. This is a convention of a political party – the Pirate Party of Germany. The guests at this gathering are all drawn from the party’s 18,000 members.  Dmitry, who is tired of the mainstream, is one of them.

“I was really disappointed. It's always the same way – you have the faces and almost no content and the Pirate Party is really different,” he told RT.

One of its key differences, apart from the style in general, is a software system called LiquidFeedback, allowing ordinary Germans the opportunity to propose policies online.

The Pirates stand for more transparency and freedom on the Internet, but when it comes to core issues, like the economy… “No, we don't have a stance on this crisis,” says member George Jaening. “Maybe we will after the next federal convention.”

However, the lack of a coherent economic policy seemed not to be a problem at the last election to the Berlin state parliament, when the Pirate Party managed to win nearly nine per cent of the votes, securing 15 seats.

“Many people do not know where to put us, what we really are,” the party’s political leader, Marina Weisband, explains. “But many people say: ‘You're something new and we like that’, because many Germans believe that politics are rusty at this time.”

As the big players struggle with the key economic and political issues, the Pirate Party does not even have an official stance on the eurozone crisis or on the Arab Spring. Nevertheless, it continues gathering supporters – a mere coincidence or an alarming signal for mainstream politicians?

The Free Democrats Party, which is Angela Merkel's federal coalition partner, was the first to feel the voters’ change of heart, losing that Berlin vote along with another five local votes across the country.

“Mainstream politics are losing attractiveness, because there's often too little distinction between different parties from different fields or areas,” Dr. Leonhard Dobusch, a researcher at the Free University of Berlin, explains. “Sometimes it's difficult to see the difference between conservatives and social democrats.”

Experts say the Pirate Party's key success tool is the Internet. They see it as the new driving force, changing politics much in the manner that TV did over half a century ago.

Observers of Germany’s disillusioned electorate believe that unless the mainstream parties adapt and change their tactics, it may not be too long before they become the ones sitting on the margins.

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Tally January 05, 2012, 18:10
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Well there we have it America. The American Pirate party, already has coverage, we just need our own. A good hijacking of politics is in order. This will get the voters out. And, like Anonymous and Israel money launderings that are difficult to track as they are many countried, Pirates Anonymous Occu;ation USA. Well done Germany! Right the ship!

Melanie (unregistered) January 05, 2012, 17:36
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The problem is not just in Germany; in my own country most people no longer bother to vote because none of the three major parties can be distinguished in any way from the others, and none of them represent anyone except their wealthy friends and big business.  They don't listen to anything the people say.  But the small parties are fighting against a media which constantly tells the people that there is no point in voting for a small party because it has no chance to win.  So they don't vote at all.  The fact is, if we ignore the media and just vote for whoever we think really does listen to us, those little parties might just get somewhere, as the Pirate Party has shown.  Well done to them, and good luck for the future.

frank (unregistered) January 05, 2012, 14:25
+10

I totally agree, even though the pirate party is a bit to left wing for my taste. I do agree in generall that we need new faces and ideas in our political land scape.

The "old" parties have nothing to offer for the young generation except of lobbyism, corruption and leoliberal capitalism.

I dont want that anymore. Pirates, you have my vote for now, make it count.