A Pirate Party?

I have talked previously about forming a political party as part of Jersey Reform Day.

Ideally any party would want to start from a base of ten members for each electoral district. Members need to be real people and not politicians, the strength of a party lies in the volunteers, it must be built from the bottom up and not, as has previously been attempted, from the top down.

The success of the A team in garnering a sizeable chunk of the vote in the recent referendum, shows the power of individuals working together towards a common goal; that the goal provided no personal gain for any of the campaigners can only restore hope for the future of Jersey.

Working together the people of Jersey can get the government they deserve, it would be a shame if the efforts recently made during the referendum could not be repeated in the general election.

It is one of the legal requirements of a registered party to endorse candidates during the election; the candidates do not have to have the name of the party or its logo on the ballot paper but if the party functions well and has a dedicated membership then candidates will want to seek the endorsement of the party knowing that not only will they have more votes than candidates not endorsed but the support and assistance of local people.

Do you have specialist knowledge or a policy idea then working as part of a party can ensure that your idea sees the light of day.

Discussions are now ongoing between the members who will be the signatories to the registration, who knows maybe they will be as revered as the signatories to the US Declaration of Independence in the time to come.

If you are interested in helping us to form the constitution then e-mail me dariuspearce @yahoo .co.uk (take out the spaces)

The first challenge is to select a basis upon which to build a constitution; I have spent some time looking through them and the one which appeals most to me is that of the Swedish Pirate Party. But you may have better ideas.

Sweden is I believe a good jurisdiction to look at. It is one of the most economically sound in Europe. It is socially liberal. It is very egalitarian in outlook.

The Pirate Party is most popular party for the young voters in Sweden and as it is the young in Jersey who are most at risk from the impending financial collapse it is vital to politicise them as young as possible. Like all parties which appeal to younger voters it is Libertarian in outlook.

You may well have a better idea and we would love to hear it!