Iceland's Pirate Party takes big lead in polls ahead of election next year

A protest party in Iceland which advocates 35-hour working weeks, the loosening of drug regulation and a drastic rethink of copyright law is now comfortably the most popular political group in the country, according to new polling results. The Pirate Party was founded by a group of activists, poets and hackers in 2012 as an extension of the international movement of the same name. It managed to win three of the 63 seats in Iceland’s parliament, the Alþingi, at the last election in April 2013 – and is now polling at 37.8 per cent, a huge figure for the country’s fragmented political scene.

According to polling company MMR, it increases the party's lead on both current coalition parties, Independence and Progressive, which command just over 30 per cent combined.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iceland-pirate-party-takes-big-lead-in-polls-ahead-of-election-next-year-a6834366.html

Anyone else heard of this party and its policies?

No. Tbh I don't know much about Iceland except it's excellent head ways in education, but pretty much most of what I hear about this country is positive.

eddie wrote:No. Tbh I don't know much about Iceland except it's excellent head ways in education, but pretty much most of what I hear about this country is positive.

Best thing about them is they put their dodgy bankers in jail and didn't give them more money, won't have austerity and are doing a lot better then us!

Well there you go! Lol

I like, strangely, the idea of the six months darkness / six months light thing too.
Most people say that the six month darkness thing would drive them crazy but I think I'd kinda like it.

I'd have to think about that one, when it's dull all day it makes me depressed, so six months darkness might not be a good idea.

If they are the same pirate party as here (and it seems to be based on the same)
Good on Iceland.  they are Awesome basically using logic and reason to tell profiteering business to fuck off. the amount that humanity is held back because some rich ---- bough some pieces of paper that say they own ideas. Ridiculous, Copyrigths are an unnatural state for humanity and do nothing but hinder innovation and human advancement.

"...The party is so radical that it does not even nominally have a leader, though former Wikileaks spokeswoman and now founding MP Birgitta Jonsdottir tends to speak for it in public.

Speaking about the Pirate Party’s recent surge in the polls, she has cited the government’s decision in March last year to abruptly withdraw from plans to join the EU as causing widespread dissatisfaction on the island...."



Sounds like she is pro eu to me... and the last bit is heavy on the spin!!!



My take on it is that the govt and their back up partners (the opposition) have both been pursuing the same pro eu agenda for a long time... regardless of whichever one was in govt or opposition, I'll bet that they were both pushing the same way towards joining the EU... this being the only option given and not what the people of the country wanted then saw the pirate party getting huge surge of support by simply offering to do what the people actually want... as is key in a democracy!!!


I reckon the last years surge in support was the real and only reason for the sudden end of govt planning action to join eu!!



And I also believe that the more recent surge in support is the continued growth of opinion against the govt plans to join the eu!!!

eddie wrote:Well there you go! Lol

I like, strangely, the idea of the six months darkness / six months light thing too.
Most people say that the six month darkness thing would drive them crazy but I think I'd kinda like it.

I don't - six months would seem like a lifetime! I don't like the dark hours in winter as it is.

Raggamuffin wrote:

eddie wrote:Well there you go! Lol

I like, strangely, the idea of the six months darkness / six months light thing too.
Most people say that the six month darkness thing would drive them crazy but I think I'd kinda like it.

I don't  - six months would seem like a lifetime! I don't like the dark hours in winter as it is.

I like the dark. There's something about nighttime and darkness that makes me feel peaceful.

eddie wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I don't  - six months would seem like a lifetime! I don't like the dark hours in winter as it is.

I like the dark. There's something about nighttime and darkness that makes me feel peaceful.

It's OK in the night, I just don't like it being dark at 3.30 in the afternoon.

Raggamuffin wrote:

eddie wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I don't  - six months would seem like a lifetime! I don't like the dark hours in winter as it is.

I like the dark. There's something about nighttime and darkness that makes me feel peaceful.

It's OK in the night, I just don't like it being dark at 3.30 in the afternoon.

I really don't mind. I actually like it.

you dont have an urge to sleep upside down, hanging from the rafters do you eddie????

eddie wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

It's OK in the night, I just don't like it being dark at 3.30 in the afternoon.

I really don't mind. I actually like it.

It's the weather which goes with the dark which I don't like either.