[pp.int.general] A PPI Announcement

[David Arcos]

Hi Andrew,

thanks for the good work, and best luck in your future.


On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 12:24 AM, Andrew Norton <
andrew.norton at pirate-party.us> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
>
> Regardless, I hope this email gives you food for thought.
>
> Andrew
>
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