The German arm of the global Pirate Party earned a spot in Berlin's Parliament last September, seeing for the first time enough voter support to place 15 representatives among the ranks of seasoned politicians. The transition from outsider to insider, however, has hit a bit of a rough patch.
In a speech aimed at Parliament's old guard, Piratenparei member Christopher Lauer said those expecting his party to kowtow to tradition or business-as-usual politics will be sorely disappointed.
"The Pirate parliamentary group has been part of this house since September of last year, and after the euphoria and avowals at the beginning on behalf of the parties that have already been part of the house to change their style of politics, the daily grind seems to have creeped back in," said Piratenpartei official Christopher Lauer. "I can understand your hope that we will adapt to you rather than have you adapt to us, but such black-and-white logic falls short."
Lauer admitted that navigating the Internet is dangerous, but it's no different than anything else in that regard. He described the web as a social tool for those who are marginalized or oppressed - something he believes the Pirate Party can relate to.
"The pirates don't represent the schools' darlings, but instead the nerds, the outsiders, those that weren't invited to the parties during their time in school, those that did not stand in the middle of the community," said Lauer.
Lauer's colleagues did not hesitate to let the junior member know how they felt about his commentary, yelling their disapproval until the president stepped in to silence the catcalling.
"Because of the Internet, we are at the eye of the storm of a process involving all of society, the end of which we cannot see yet," he continued. "The social change caused by the Internet as a technology is noticeable, and we shouldn't let the chance to go by to shape that change."
Lauer added that the Internet has changed how we look at the world, but tackling new problems with old answers won't work.
"The Internet can do more," he said. "It's not just eBay and Google, but also the democratic participation of many. As a Parliament, we can not ignore the technological leaps of the last years." (via Rick Falkvinge)
