[pp.int.general] Some good news from Sweden

[Rick Falkvinge (Piratpartiet)]

Though this is not settled and final yet, the grant applications from 
the political youth sections have now been made public. The political 
paper "Riksdag & Departement" (Riksdag is the name of the Swedish 
Parliament) makes headlines with the story "Young pirates open the 
government's treasure chest".

http://www.rod.se/politikomraden/demokrati/Unga-pirater-oppnar-statlig-skattkista/

It turns out that our youth section is now the third largest political 
youth section in Sweden. According to the paper:

"Ung Pirat fördubblade sitt medlemsantal förra året. Vid årsskiftet 
kunde de räkna 2 300 medlemmar, något som då bara överträffas av MUF och 
KDU – och en siffra som brukar rendera bidrag i miljonklassen."

"Young Pirate doubled its membership count last year. At year's end, 
they were counting 2,300 members, a number only surpassed by MUF and KDU 
- and a number usually rendering a grant in the millions."

The local IFPI chief is also quoted as being furious:

- The government must not stimulate an organization that encourages 
breaking the law.

The Youth Board refutes this statement, saying that the contents of the 
political platform does not factor in:

- The only requirement is that the organization must embrace democratic 
values.

The final decision from the Youth Board - whether, and if so, how grants 
are allocated - is yet to come. But judging from the article, things are 
looking positive.

The chairman of our youth section, Stefan Flod, is quoted extensively.

Cheers,
Rick