[pp.int.general] Partito Pirata Italiana wants to be renamed "Nazione Internet"?

[Andrew Norton]

Alex Foti wrote:
> I looked with initial sympathy at the candidacy for the european
> elections of Alessandro Bottoni, self-styled leader of Partito Pirata
> Italiano, in the lists of the redgreen cartel Sinistra e Libertà for
> the European elections. Couldn't vote for him because he wasn't in my
> district. Fact is I have found out from my friend who's among the
> organizers of the Italian hackmeeting (Hack it 09 -
> http://it.hackmeeting.org/) that he holds positions which i deem
> contrary to the essential spirit and substance of pirate party
> politics: for instance he's against anonymizers, and also regards no
> copyright positions as misguided. This did not prevent him from
> campaigning with press ads portraying him as a hacktivist (he was
> nowhere to be seen at the hackmeeting, though). He wasn't elected,
> since Sinistra e Libertà failed to reach the 4% threshold, but from
> his blog I've been unable to find out how many personal votes he got.

720

> What I did find out is that he is thinking about dropping the name of
> Partito Pirata Italiano altogether and taking the rightwing sounding
> name of Nazione Internet:
> 
> http://alessandrobottoni.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/bilancio-eu2009/
> 
> "Il PPI viene percepito come l’iniziativa politica di qualche
> opportunista senza scrupoli, disposto a cavalcare l’onda del fenomeno
> del file sharing, o come una goliardata portata avanti da un gruppo di
> ragazzini irresponsabili ed incoscienti. Questo anche a causa di un
> nome che avrebbe dovuto essere una simpatica provocazione ma che viene
> letto da molti elettori come un manifesto dell’illegalità.
> Francamente, comincio a pensare che sarebbe opportuno cambiare nome
> all’associazione ed adottare qualcosa come “Nazione Internet”. Ci
> risolverebbe parecchi problemi.
> 
> "The PPI is perceived as the political initiative of an opportunist
> without scruples, read to surf on the wave of filesharing, or as a
> practical joke carried out by irresponsible kids. This also due to a
> name which should have been a funny provocation but which is read by
> many voters as a manifesto for illegality.
> Frankly, I'm starting to think that it would be opportune to change
> name to the association and adopt something like "Nazione Internet".
> This would solve us many problems."
> 
> WOT?
> 
> Thanks if you have an explanation. I read that the Italian party does
> not have full-fledged status. I think you should wait to grant it,
> since it does not have yet have sufficiently libertarian credentials.

I spoke to him about a month ago (as I also spoke to Christian Engstrom,
and Andreas Popp, as lead candidates for the pirate party in the
countries running for the EU elections. I did it at the request of
Torrentfreak, but they only used Andreas' on the main site, the other
two are on the personal site of long-time friend of mine, and TF writer,
Ben.
http://neuron2neuron.blogspot.com/2009/06/italian-pirate-preps-for-eu-election.html

According to Alessandro, they're not aiming to be a political party, but
a lobby group. I'll send him an email or two and see from there.

Andrew

> 
> sorry for the long message.
> 
> ciao, lx
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