[pp.int.general] Six months to go

[Andrew Norton]

Rick Falkvinge (Piratpartiet) wrote:
>> So why have you willingly not participated in the Pirate Manifesto's
>> Stage Two? Regards,
> 1) I was quite clear as to what priorities I believe are the correct
> ones in my last post. Now is a time for action, not for crossing Ts and
> dotting Is.

There are jobs which involve processing paperwork, crossing T's and 
dotting I's. There are jobs that involve action, and getting dirt under 
your nails. Politics is at the same time, neither and both.

The end result of politics is getting laws passed, of effective and 
efficient governance, which REQUIRED crossing Ts and Dotting Is. At the 
same time they require people to go out and get active, to rally support.

Some are better at one than the other, but BOTH are important. You were 
quite right earlier rick, in that time is not on our side, neither are, 
generally speaking, resources. We all have to make the best that we can. 
  We have to work to our strengths. We have to work together, so my 
weakness is complimented by someone else's strength, and my strength 
compliments someone else's weakness. This complimentation may be in a 
pairing, it may be in a cycle, but it doesn't work by seperation.

Personally, I know my strengths, it's in the creation of ideas, its in 
trying to get people talking (I hope). My weakness is that I'm often 
lacking in getting things finished, and in largely being stuck at home 
95% of the time (which comes of being a stay at home father on a budget)

> 
> 2) You sound accusatory, when the burden of proof lies on you. If you do
> not rally enough supporters to a cause, in this case a declaration with
> signatures, it is not the people who aren't interested who are at fault;
> it is you who have failed to sell the case. If you want more people to
> participate, explain why it is beneficial to them to do so, rather than
> (like last time) lash out and accuse of trying to prevent and sabotage
> progress.

OK, how about
1) practice in cooperation, participation in international workings, in 
compromise, in dealing with composing something, by committee, within a 
timeline.

2) It gives us a central theme to concentrate a campaign around. In the 
past I've had journalists from all over the world (China, Brazil, and 
New Zealand spring to mind) take your party positions, Rick, and think 
they apply to the US. While the basics are true, the details are not, 
and that can, and does, confuse the media.

3) It will help the establishment of more parties. Right now there are 
several countries lacking that should have parties - Canada of course, 
and New Zealand (which had an election on Saturday). A moderate 
all-encompassing manifesto gives people a better position to start from.

4) This will make me sound cynical, but it's a good PR move, and should 
explain why I pushed so hard for moderation in it during the first 
draft. It gives you a political 'out' in some ways. If the international 
manifesto says "A" and you're pushing "more extreme A" but you're not 
getting the support you thought, or are getting hit heavily with it, you 
can point to the manifesto, and say "look, We'd like A, but we thought 
ahead and think that extreme-A might be better, but if you're not ready 
for it right now, maybe we'll consider it in the future". In short, it's 
a less 'radical' fall-back point for any party

5) In the marathon that is the EU elections, this manifesto is the 
equivilent of getting to the starting line. If we can't even manage 
this, with people we're all ideologically similar to, how the hell can 
we be expected to get anything done if we were to get elected, and we're 
up against people with radically opposing viewpoints, or vested 
interests in us getting nothing done.


All in all, whats finishing the manifesto going to take most of you? 2-3 
hours of work? Circulate proposals, quiz your members on the amendments, 
if needed. Couple of emails, maybe a few phone calls, thats all it's 
going to take, for many of you. We need to start presenting a united 
face if we're to have any hope of succeeding. We also need to swallow 
our pride sometimes (and I know I have had to in the past) and think 
about the end goal, and what's good for that. We had a goal back in 
Vienna, I think it was 19-from-5. What's happened to that, and thinking 
in those terms?

Andrew


> 
> Rick
> 
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