[pp.int.general] A PPI Announcement

[Samir Allioui]

Dear pirates,

Today, is a turning point. A day wich has been foreseen by a few of us.
It is up to us all to decide wich plank we choose to walk.

Instead of saying thank you towards Norton, something i will do in  
person.
I ask all of you to see this message as a sincere wakeup call.
And set sail for the future. For if we do not, those seats in Brussels  
will last no longer than just one term.

I will elaborate along Norton his lines.

On Jul 10, 2009, at 12:24 AM, Andrew Norton wrote:

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> Ok, time for more of a personal announcement. I'm stepping down from
> PPI, and indeed all pirate party positions, as of the end of the  
> month.
>
>
> Part of the reason is that after 3 years of work, I feel a bit 'burnt
> out'. It's been 3 years of work, learning laws, and languages, and
> getting to know many of you. The problem is though, that despite my  
> best
> efforts, one of the main goals of PPI - to improve communication  
> between
> parties - has not been met. Over the past year especially, I've lost
> count of the number of times I've had a request for comment, or a
> journalist phone me, and ask my positions on something, and not know
> what they're talking about, even after checking my email. When I  
> have to
> go hunting through news sites to find out information, thats not good
> communication. As a movement that has garnered global interest, we  
> must
> be able to effectively use the media to our advantage.

All of the above can be appointed to one error. One that has been made  
in Viena.
There is _no_ PPI. A project was started, without setting up a  
organization first.

The organization needs to be setup. ASAP. Details are not important.
We are a collective of like minded people.
Let me quote " We stand strong where we all agree, [...] "
We can't use _ANY_ obstruction, before the organization is founded.
This includes academically debates about details, and who got the best  
credentials.
A place for ego's is something we should not provide.

In this context Norton his efforts are nearly a miracle.
And we should all, including myself be ashamed of our selves.
Since we all share responsibility.

>
>
> To many of you, this won't be a big shock, as I have talked to most of
> you that needed to know (mainly party heads/boards, and if you're  
> one of
> those and didn't know, re-read the previous paragraph again and  
> wonder why))
>
> The big problem though is the lack of tools. Part of what I see as the
> function of PPI is to help get new parties started, such as in Canada
> and the UK. however, I'm limited by the amount of help I can provide.
> There is only one of me, and I'm limited to what I can do, to the  
> tools
> I can create myself. That's not so bad when it's a culture or  
> country I
> can understand, but when I'm having to learn a language as well (as  
> with
> Brazil) I have a lot less time tos pend actually helping. Heck, it  
> took
> more than 2 months to get my access level on the PPI site so I could
> create any content, and I usually just don't have any time to do that.

PPNL is about to foster the setup of PP Belgium. Atleast the flemish  
part.
We need the french to help out the french part of belgium.
More initiatives like this are needed. But it should be coordinated  
from PPI.

What Norton did not tell, is that he still does not know who is the  
owner of the PPI domain name.
After 3 frigg'n years ! C'mon ! How on earth are tools to be setup ?
The next PPI coordinator will need such things. All tools are among us.
We only need to provide it. This can't and may not be a problem.

One example: Frank/Aim has setup a Asterisk/VOIP server. ( With future  
kickback ability's! )
Another example : Ole talked about his "backup" servers.
And so did the french, while struggling with local/national trouble.


> In the end, a lot comes down to this list, and even then it's  
> misused. I
> just checked, and there's over 200 subscribers to this list. Who are  
> all
> these people, and why do so very few participate? Worse, some that do
> participate are often more concerned with correcting terms to be
> 'ideologically pure' rather than addressing the content of them and
> involving in a productive discourse - acting as a zampolit in  
> essence -
> we all know just how well those people actually inspired and assisted
> the people they claimed to be helping.
>
> So, one of the things I'm doing now, is asking if there are any
> volunteers for the job. More importantly, I'm asking all current  
> parties
> to pledge to support whoever succeeds me and give PPI the support it
> needs, so it can give the support the parties need right back. No more
> leaving a consultation response until the day of the deadline for 3-4
> people to write; no more press statements on behalf of us all, that  
> most
> didn't even know about; and most importantly, no more assuming that
> because you've got a piece of paper saying you've got a degree, or  
> some
> relevant job experience, that you know everything about that subject
> than anyone else - the people in power now have more experience
> singularly than all of us combined, and by that logic we shouldn't  
> even
> bother.

PPNL will give full support. Once a new NL chairman is chosen, i will  
be able to to help on PPI.
And give it focus.


>
>
> By the same token, at the end of the month, this email address will no
> longer be valid. That's why I gave my personal one -  
> ktetch at gmail.com in
> my democracy research email the other day. I know one person asked me
> why, and the answer was simple - this is a job. If it's a job I no
> longer have, I don't get to keep it. You don't get to keep your email,
> or cellphone(mobile/handy) number that were provided by a job, this is
> no different. Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments that I've had
> over the past year, is seeing how many party officers around the world
> have not considered it a job, albeit an unpaid one. That is what it is
> though, and it's one I no longer have the personal strength to  
> continue
> with at present.
>
> I will still be around though. I'll be continuing on my work as a P2P
> researcher, and working with some of the news sites. I'll still be
> writing my studies (indeed my inspiration for the democracy one came
> after I'd decided this) so I will doubtless still communicate with  
> many
> of you.
>
> However, when I listen back to the recordings made 2 years ago, in
> Vienna, I realise just how little of what was decided was done. The
> quick, easy short-term stuff was done, certainly. The more complex,  
> more
> involved, or just plain old more effective things though, did not. A
> month ago, we had a victory in the European elections, but just think
> how much greater it might have been, had we communicated better, and
> worked more effectively.

Viena was doomed to fail. The organisational structure was presented  
by Rick.
Not that i have a problem with Rick. But i do have a problem with  
founders.
Since founders are almost "Holy" and thus, are not likely to receive  
criticism.

If you listened towards the Viena tape, you could have heard me  
criticize.
But i stoped, because it is not smart from a PR point of view to  
criticize a founder.
Since that is political suicide.

There has been one brave man who try'd to do the same later, and  
complete it.
A man that I can personally not really get along with in fact.
It was Carlos Ayala. He has taken a stand in Helsinki from what I am  
told.
And was pushed down with laughter.

Rick asked him one question, " Will it get me votes".
For some reason people tend to think that a strong PPI does not get  
you votes.
After the Helsinki conference, where Carlos went on his own expenses  
he stepped down from PPI.

Logic dictates, that if PPI does not become strong, and evolve. The  
Pirate movement will die.


>
>
>
> Regardless, I hope this email gives you food for thought.
>
> Andrew
>
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