Policy 2011 - A Policy Upgrade

I am happy to announce that today the party is kicking off its public policy process.  To get involved simply take a look at www.pirateparty.org.uk/policy2011 and then go to piratethispolicy.co.uk to let us know what you think.

As you know, over the last year I have been listening to members, voters and the public as well as going out and speaking to the people who had an opportunity to vote for one of our candidates in Gorton, Oldham and Bury. I watched as our brothers and sisters in Berlin reinvigorated their voters and overturned a legacy of decline and apathy.  I saw that it was not just because they had money, not just because the electoral system in Berlin is fairer, but because they had ideas that people could vote for; ideas that came from the same guiding principles as our own, ideas that were well presented, sensible and relevant.  They were ideas that won 8.9% of an election and they were good ideas.

Here in the UK the response to the party has been an overwhelmingly positive one, but we have faced one consistent criticism - a criticism well articulated in the following quote from a member of the public:

“One glance at their manifesto shows that they don't really have much of a platform worked out, they're just sticking to their namesake. If they were smart, they'd expand the principles behind their party to specific issues in other areas - science-based governance, vote reform, open borders, whatever. As it is they're a waste-of-time single issue group.”

 

This process will deal with that criticism and allow the party to build a strong foundation of principles as well as broad policy objectives for the coming years.  It will make clear what we are fighting for and, whilst we may not agree entirely in all areas, it will show that our principles and ideas are relevant and important to the country.

Discussing policy in the open and taking away a broad set of positions and ideas should also mean that we can become more confident in our message.  Our campaigns will be clearer and we will be able to carve a path out for ourselves that is true to our ideals, yet separate from the path carved out by pressure groups and even other political parties that pay lip service to our core values.

For the next 30 days I hope we can have a frank, open and very much public debate about what the Pirate Party and the broader Pirate movement wants to achieve in the UK.  It will be hard, there will no doubt be a range of positions expressed, but it will be worth it.  At the end of this month I will join our prospective candidates and anyone else interested in involving themselves in our policy process in selecting and refining the policy ideas presented and we will formulate a new manifesto that is both true to our founding ideas as well as being fit for a political party striving to be relevant to a 21st century Britain.

I would ask everyone to get involved, to make a contribution and to keep coming back to the process.  I want to ensure that our members' voices are heard and that we remain true to our core - no matter what positions our ideas inspire us to take, we are still the only party who care about real copyright reform, who can see and work against a corrupt patent system, who understand that civil liberties are important for all, not to be discarded for a little notional security or in the face of a fear of terrorism or criminality.  We are the Pirate Party, we have a duty to be a driving force in the future of British politics and with this process, with our principles applied to national issues, with good ideas and real innovation we will be.