Help from the german Pirate Party

[Gregory Engels]

Ahoy, 

we all very glad that the pirate movement has took of in Lithuania, and congratulate you on the success you have with the stop ACTA protests. 

Pirate Parties are an international movement, and pirates from all countries are happy to help each other. 

let me introduce myself briefly: My name is Gregory Engels, i was born in Moscow (USSR) and moved with my family to Germany in 1989, its

okay to communicate with me in either English, German or Russian. I joined the Pirate Party of Germany in the summer of 2009 and since

November 2009 I serve as the international coordinator for PP-DE. I helped found the Pirate Parties International (PPI) and was its founding

co-chairman 2010/2011. In March 2011 I was elected into the city parliament of Offenbach, where I head the first pirate fraction ever. 

I would be very glad to get into personal contact with the activists of Pirate Party of Lithuania and help where I can - with personal advise, or 

by connecting to a relevant expert there might be. As an international focused pirate I have close contacts in countries that are neighboring

Lithuania - with Latvia, Russia, Poland, and, as a recent development, Belarus. 

It would be also very cool, if someone from Lithuania could visit the upcoming PPI conference in Prague on the 14th and 15th of April, or 

the meeting on the "Pirates without Borders" on Luxembourg on the 17th of March. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions/requests

Pirates of the world, unite!

sincerely, 

Gregory Engels
International Coordinator
Pirate Party of Germany

mobile: +49 172 853 44 91
skype:gregory.engels
jabber:dic...@jabber.piratenpartei.de
my free time: https://tungle.me/dichter

[Vytautas Butenas]

Hello, Gregory.

It is very nice, that someone from global Pirate Party movement noticed us. Of course, we will appreciate your help in later development. But for now we have to settle things right in our side - there are some issues on how we should act in one or another situation.

Could you give more information on those events in Prague and Luxembourg?

Sincerely,

Vytautas Butėnas

[Gregory Engels]

On 21.02.2012, at 08:47, Vytautas Butenas wrote:

> Hello, Gregory.
>
> It is very nice, that someone from global Pirate Party movement noticed us. Of course, we will appreciate your help in later development. But for now we have to settle things right in our side - there are some issues on how we should act in one or another situation.

Can you tell me more about this issues? Perhaps there is something that we could help with?
You (and everyone else) are very wellcome to call me on skype

>
> Could you give more information on those events in Prague and Luxembourg?

sure:

Here are the links to both events:
17.03.2012 - Pirates witout Borders in Luxembourg: http://blog.pirates-without-borders.org/2012/02/invitation-general-assembly-2012-02-18/
14th-15.04: PPI Conference in Prague: http://int.piratenpartei.de/PPI_Conference_2012

[Kestas]

We have actually a few issues:

1. It is the issue how to execute everything. Soon we will have election and a) some wants just organization and not political party, b) other type of peoples wants organization which will help to build and prepare all documents for party, and c) type of people just want to create and go with party asap

Only c variant have chance to go to election this year and get to promotion from ACTA situation.

2. We have some internal issue with people who wants to join party, because they have own interests (promote own site, be superstar and not a team person and etc..) and some of us wants to create good beginning, transparent pirate party platform, for others to join.

3. We are group of peoples without good leader and we don't have one, or capable people don't want to put themselves on this role, because it will require a lot of time. 

4. If we will create Pirate party, then our program (Swedish Pirate Party principles 3.2 translated into our language ) don't cover a lot of questions about budget of country and etc.., what position to hold on such questions?

It would be really help to us if you have advice

 

--
Pagabiai,
Kestas
Kes...@gmail.com

[Kestas]

Forgot to add Gregory Engels email to reply, so resenting:

We have actually a few issues:

1. It is the issue how to execute everything. Soon we will have election and a) some wants just organization and not political party, b) other type of peoples wants organization which will help to build and prepare all documents for party, and c) type of people just want to create and go with party asap

Only c variant have chance to go to election this year and get to promotion from ACTA situation.

2. We have some internal issue with people who wants to join party, because they have own interests (promote own site, be superstar and not a team person and etc..) and some of us wants to create good beginning, transparent pirate party platform, for others to join.

3. We are group of peoples without good leader and we don't have one, or capable people don't want to put themselves on this role, because it will require a lot of time. 

4. If we will create Pirate party, then our program (Swedish Pirate Party principles 3.2 translated into our language ) don't cover a lot of questions about budget of country and etc.., what position to hold on such questions?

It would be really help to us if you have advice

--
Pagabiai,
Kestas
Kes...@gmail.com

[Gregory Engels]

On 24.02.2012, at 16:10, Kestas wrote:

Forgot to add Gregory Engels email to reply, so resenting:

We have actually a few issues:

1. It is the issue how to execute everything. Soon we will have election and a) some wants just organization and not political party, b) other type of peoples wants organization which will help to build and prepare all documents for party, and c) type of people just want to create and go with party asap

Only c variant have chance to go to election this year and get to promotion from ACTA situation.

Well. I think, that everyone is right. This is not an either/or decision, and if one of the options "win" (a b or c), it does not mean, that the others "loose". I am sure that the ones, that do not want a political party (option a), and prefer an organization that focus on specific issues, do so, because of a deep grounded disappointment and mistrust in the current political system. and they are right - but, a political single issue organization is very limited on what it actually can accomplish, since in order to move the politics it need to work with the current political system - and this system (and this is world wide the truth) has as its most profound interest in sustaining itself, in keeping the power. So it will only move, if its power is in danger. And this is where a new political party, that actually is running in election, can put the most pressure on the current system. And funding a party is not an easy job to do, so it needs to be prepared - the formalities etc, this need to be prepared by someone. But founding a party does not change much - you need to get the training, to be able to have a success, and to survive this success. 

Let me put it that way: the pirate party in Germany was found after the swedish one on the Sep. 10th 2006 by an assembly of 64 people. The first elections that we run for were only in January of 2008 (Regional Elections in Hesse - we got 0.3% in the end) and in Hamburg (0.2%) - and we failed to get the number of signatures to run in regional elections in Bavaria and Lower Saxony. And we tried in getting into most elections we could - but it took us up to the 13th election (national or regional) in Berlin, to actually get the momentum to get into the state parliament of Berlin. So, it took us nearly exactly to the day the whole 6 years.

So from my point of view - you have to start as soon as possible, and keep going from there on, since it will take time. Founding the party and participating in an election is only a first step. 

2. We have some internal issue with people who wants to join party, because they have own interests (promote own site, be superstar and not a team person and etc..) and some of us wants to create good beginning, transparent pirate party platform, for others to join.

Well, a party is about democracy. If someone is not a team player - don't elect him into a position where playing in team is required. If someone is promoting himself - ask the following question - does it bring all others forward, does it promote the pirate movement, or is it the opposite? If it is harmful, then - do not elect that one into a position where he can do harm. 

Pirates are about grass-roots democracy - the most other parties have long forgotten, what "democracy" is looks like. It is time for them to remember. In Germany we see first effects - like the social democrats party now streamline its decision making process and allowing "more" involvement of individual members - they do it, because pirates showed them, that this is possible. (they have yet a long way to go, though.)

3. We are group of peoples without good leader and we don't have one, or capable people don't want to put themselves on this role, because it will require a lot of time. 

Pirates do not need a "classical" leader. Our leaders are moderators, facilitators, coordinators, spoke persons. 

The power of pirates comes from the wisdom of the crowd - from the involvement of many. 

To quote one friend of mine "A super power is dozing in each Pirate. Use it!". In the first days of the swedish pirate party they used to rule, that whenever three of pirates agreed, it was a party position. (they changed it, when they become many, but the tenor is the same - everyone can change, what the party position is, and this have to happen in a democratic way)

4. If we will create Pirate party, then our program (Swedish Pirate Party principles 3.2 translated into our language ) don't cover a lot of questions about budget of country and etc.., what position to hold on such questions?

You will find it out. You can also have a look, at what the German Pirates have - our positions have much more evolved and broadened [1, 2, 3]. But this happened by the magic of democracy and involvement - every single pirate can submit motions to the general assembly and if it is good, we will adopt it (it needs 2/3 of votes). The point it, you do not need a full blown program addressing every single political issue - nobody expects you to get into the government at the first try. (and look at the programs of other parties - how much are they valued? usually the are not worth the paper they are printed on). We try to broaden the political involvement of everyone and to empower people - so the right answer to a complicated question should be: "We will try to involve all the relevant parts of the society in finding the right answer, and it has to be decided by the people, and not by politicians) 

[1] party program http://wiki.piratenpartei.de/Parteiprogramm

[2] party resolutions http://wiki.piratenpartei.de/Positionspapiere

[3] election programes http://wiki.piratenpartei.de/Wahlprogramme

It would be really help to us if you have advice

you are very welcome, 

sincerely

[Kestas]

Well that was great reply. 

I had same thoughts on some of the issues, but your experience filled a lot of gaps and it will help us to more forward. 

Maybe next week our local group will have meeting and I will let you know how it will go. I think it's great that you can inspire and help us move forward.

Thank you

--
Pagabiai,
Kestas
Kes...@gmail.com