I love Sweden. The men are hot. The women are hot. The latest news out of Sweden has made me even more effusive about the country. Without having been there, I have just developed a DEEP and possibly undying love for all things Swedish. (Well, maybe not all)
Socialism and beautiful blonde men and women are certainly a draw to Sweden, but they do not even begin to compare to the fact that Sweden has elected a Pirate to the EU. AAAAARRRR! Sweden and Pirates- Are there any two words in the English language that sound better together? I think not.
The Pirate Party (which sounds like a party I want to go to) represents the portion of society who are upset with the massive amounts of Copyright Infringement Laws being passed in the European Union and what they perceive as harassment by the players in the government and judiciary who are always taking the sides of big corporations against "file-sharers" and file-sharing web-sites.
The party resulted from anger over a judgement against "Pirate Bay", which sounds like a Disney ride, but happened to be one of the largest file-sharing sites in the world. The judgment was a month prior to the elections and served as a rallying call for the people and the Pirate Party of Sweden captured 7% of the vote.
According to Rickard Falkvinge, the party leader, "People were not taken in by the establishment and we got political trust from the citizens."
Because the Pirate Party has only one vote in the Parliament (out of more than 700), they will more than likely have to join forces with another party in order to have their voices heard. They will more than likely join the Green Party or the ADLE group.
For a really interesting perspective on how the European Parliament actually works, please check out this post. It's a lot to take in, but I think this the most substantive explanation of the EU's parliament and how their system really works.
Socialism and beautiful blonde men and women are certainly a draw to Sweden, but they do not even begin to compare to the fact that Sweden has elected a Pirate to the EU. AAAAARRRR! Sweden and Pirates- Are there any two words in the English language that sound better together? I think not.
The Pirate Party (which sounds like a party I want to go to) represents the portion of society who are upset with the massive amounts of Copyright Infringement Laws being passed in the European Union and what they perceive as harassment by the players in the government and judiciary who are always taking the sides of big corporations against "file-sharers" and file-sharing web-sites.
The party resulted from anger over a judgement against "Pirate Bay", which sounds like a Disney ride, but happened to be one of the largest file-sharing sites in the world. The judgment was a month prior to the elections and served as a rallying call for the people and the Pirate Party of Sweden captured 7% of the vote.
According to Rickard Falkvinge, the party leader, "People were not taken in by the establishment and we got political trust from the citizens."
Because the Pirate Party has only one vote in the Parliament (out of more than 700), they will more than likely have to join forces with another party in order to have their voices heard. They will more than likely join the Green Party or the ADLE group.
For a really interesting perspective on how the European Parliament actually works, please check out this post. It's a lot to take in, but I think this the most substantive explanation of the EU's parliament and how their system really works.