[pp.int.general] Our ideology

[Philip Hunt]

2009/7/29 Rodrigo Pereira <rodrigo at partidopirata.org>:
> But this page http://www.pp-international.net/node/1 propose to create a
> ideological text. Can we develop the international pirate ideology to
> coordinate international action? "Pirate Party" is only a strategy or we
> have a "system of ideas" too?

I did write a long email in reply to this, but I've decided to split
it down into three sections, each of which will have a separate email:

1. our core ideology on digital rights
1.1. how computer software/hardware can facilitate this
2. our ideology on other matters

This post is section (1).

We do have an ideology, regarding our core issues. At its core, our
ideology boils down to personal autonomy when using digital
electronics.I've recently been thinking about how we can best state
our ideiology, in a simple (but not simplistic) way, so it appeals to
most voters. We could perhaps phrase it like this:

"When you use a computer or other digital electronics, who do you want
to control what you can do? (A) the government, (B) big business, (C)
yourself. If you answered C, you're one of us".

Another way to illustrate the point might be to discuss Alice and Bob,
who want to communicate with each other. They use electronics to do
so, for convenience, but the same issues apply whatever method of
communication is used.

Alice and Bob should have privacy of communication -- the government
mustn't know what they're saying, or be able to stop them
communicating, or (preferably) even know that they're communicating.
The Pirate Party's polices amount to everything that allows Alice and
Bob to do this.

-- 
Philip Hunt, <cabalamat at googlemail.com>
Campaigns Officer / Press Officer, Pirate Party UK