Effective immediately, I resign as Deputy Campaigns Officer and Governor for Pirate Party UK.

I’ve been considering this for months and months now, but I feel now is the right time for me to go. The Party, despite the best efforts of the few, has been going downhill to varying degrees from the start. The primary issue is member inactivity, followed by complaints of inactivity and under-communication, and members making drama out of nothing. I believe our biggest strength is also our weakness: in operating almost entirely within an online environment, members underestimate the level of behind the scenes activity, as well as the level of work that needs to be done. Members get complacent, bottlenecks appear, and members appointed to do jobs just vanish without warning, never to be seen again. As Member Communications Officer I have to take at least partial blame for this.

On the other hand, since joining the Campaigns Team last May, I have taken up responsibilities far beyond what was originally expected of me. I have produced multiple pieces of promotional material, including the design of our 2010 manifesto, despite having no proper experience in graphic design. I have been tinkering with the website, adding pages and content, and trying to work around my limited permissions. I have been working with what remains of the press team to try to ensure we get releases out on the biggest news at the very least. I have been most recently been working to ensure we have a web team in place as soon as possible. I did these things because I wanted to see the party succeed, and I was well aware that someone had to do these things, even when no members step forward. That being said, I am well aware that there are a few select members who have been doing far more than me to support this party – and I hope their endeavours pay off.

I will not be renewing my membership. I still believe in the principles behind the Pirate Party. As of earlier this month, I am a member of Young Greens / Green Party of England & Wales. I intend to spend my newly freed-up time focusing on my university studies, the local and national campaigns against fees and cuts, and trying to find paid part-time employment to pay living costs.

In the coming days, I will upload all Pirate materials I have on my computer, so that any replacement can continue on with it all.

Additionally here is a list of things to be done:
1 ) Remove my /admin/ access
2 ) Remove me from all mailing lists
3 ) Delete a.tindall e-mail address
4 ) Remove my details from The Party tab
5 ) Find someone to write fortnightly newsletters
6 ) Find someone to design promotional materials
7 ) Find someone to control twitter account
8 ) Find someone to make sure members are informed on the forum of NEC/Board/web-team activity
9 ) Produce generic templates / campaigns materials for local election candidates and Scottish election candidates.
10 ) other things that I’m probably forgetting.

5 through 9 would probably be a new Member Communication Officer to be appointed by Peter Brett.

Effective immediately, I resign as Deputy Campaigns Officer and Governor for Pirate Party UK. I've been considering this for months and months now, but I feel now is the right time for me to go. The Party, despite the best efforts of the few, has been going downhill to varying degrees from the start. The ...

Today was a good day for supporters of the Communications Act 2003, or more specifically, s127(1a) of the Communications Act, which makes it an offence, punishable by up to 6 months in prison and a hefty fine, to “send by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.” By contrast, today was a bad day for people who believe in freedom of speech.

Firstly, the courts have upheld the verdict against Paul Chambers (@PaulJChambers), who was prosecuted under the act for posting a tweet on twitter saying “Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You’ve got a week… otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!” as a clearly frustrated, non-serious response to travel disruption. The whole farce has come to be known as #twitterjoketrial and has been heavily criticised by lawyers and laymen alike, and rightly so.

Secondly, earlier today Gareth Compton, a Tory Councillor, was arrested and bailed, also under s127(1a) CA2003, for posting a message on twitter calling, most likely non-seriously, for a woman to be stoned to death. Now, whilst that makes him a major douchebag, that should not make him a criminal. The fact that he was not hit with an Incitement charge suggests the CPS are fully aware that a more well-defined and scrutinised charge just wouldn’t stick, hence relying on the until recently rarely used s127. Regardless of his political affilation, or the crass nature of his joke, Compton should have the full support of liberals, lawyers, and anyone who believes in the right to free speech, just as Paul Chambers has had.

Together, these cases also go some way to suggest a wider issue in our courts than just bad law – the distancing of judges from the perceptions and understandings of modern, common persons. Is it right that a case focused on social media should be judged by a person who has no understanding of  the circumstances surrounding the very heart of the case? Is a generational divide between defendants and judiciary undermining justice by preventing a full understanding of the facts? Perhaps, but that is a discussion for another time.

The real issue here is one of restrictions on free speech. Freedom should obviously extend to the freedom to express frustration or make a twat of yourself. That freedom should not be restricted on some concept of a “climate of terror” dreamt up by those in power. Imagine if you tweeted something like “Argh I’m going to kill my MP for breaking his pledge to vote against any increase in tuition fees”, and then the next day the police come knocking at your door. How can the CPS honestly claim prosecuting for something so clearly not serious could even come close to passing the public interest test?

I believe it is time for a full review of the Communications Act, and I will be campaigning for such; as well as looking to see this adopted as policy in the Pirate Party UK manifesto, who already fight against horrendous laws restricting our rights and freedoms.

Now, I don’t know about you, but after all this I could murder a cup of tea… oh shit wait…

Today was a good day for supporters of the Communications Act 2003, or more specifically, s127(1a) of the Communications Act, which makes it an offence, punishable by up to 6 months in prison and a hefty fine, to "send by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that ...

Today, a general election was declared. It was also the day that the human rights infringing, industry-drafted, protectionist Digital Economy Bill had its 2nd Reading in the commons, before being passed through the wholly undemocratic process of wash-up in the coming days.

The controversial bill would see the death of public wi-fi, houses being disconnected on allegation of copyright infringement – with them having to prove innocence by paying for an appeal after the fact, photographers and works creators having work taken and exploited by industry without consent, or as one MP put it (in an endorsement of the bill!) – “putting creativity before freedom” – despite the fact the bill mentions not once the content creator or artist, and instead refers only to the rights holders – most often record labels or publishers, not the artists who created the works.

Understandably there has been outrage over the bill itself, and the government’s insistence on passing it without true scrutiny and debate: Over 20,000 letters and e-mails to MPs, over 35,000 signatures on the Number 10 petition against the bill, 100,000s of tweets, campaigns against the bill from consumer groups, business groups, ISPs, the  public, and the Pirate Party; concerns from the JCHR and the Law Society of Scotland that the bill breaches human rights, one of the  most discussed topics on social media worldwide, even on the day of the declaration of the election.

Guess how many of our great ‘Representatives’ turned up to the debate today?

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Today, a general election was declared. It was also the day that the human rights infringing, industry-drafted, protectionist Digital Economy Bill had its 2nd Reading in the commons, before being passed through the wholly undemocratic process of wash-up in the coming days. The controversial bill would see the death of public wi-fi, houses being disconnected ...

Today (March 3rd), marked Day 2 of the House of Lords Report Stage on the Digital Economy Bill, a government bill which seeks to undermine due process by disconnecting the internet connections of those accused of copyright infringement, without trial; amongst other things. The bill has drawn wide criticism from all sectors of society, including the Pirate Party, Open Rights Group, the ISP Talk Talk, musicians and directors, and the public.

One section of the bill (known as #debill on twitter); the controversial clause 17 – which would have given untold power to the Secretary of State to amend copyright however he, or lobbyists, saw fit. – was today replaced by a Liberal Democrat amendment, Amendment 120a. Whilst it’s good that the original clause is gone, what we now face in its stead is possibly even more terrifying.

This new clause 17, tabled by Lord Clement-Jones, adds a new section to the Copyrights, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, and allows copyright holders to file an injunction requiring ISPs to restrict access to websites and services that allegedly infringe their copyright, or link to said alleged infringements. So now, rather than the usual “this video has been removed due to copyright claims by Mediacompany Inc.”, when you try to view your favourite video on youtube, you’ll find “This website has been blocked in its entirety due to unauthorised hosting of copyrighted material” So then, maybe you try to go to google to find an alternate link to it, right? Wrong. “”This website has been blocked in its entirety due to unauthorised linking to sites hosting copyrighted material.” – This new clause has the potential to ban every single person in the UK from accessing search engines, youtube, or even social networking sites like facebook or twitter, if copyright holders make an allegation of copyright infringement.

The Liberal Democrats compared such a system to the Internet Watch Foundation – a small group who blacklist alleged child porn websites. You may recall the controversy over them restricting access to wikipedia for millions of people a couple of years back. What they don’t seem to grasp is that not only are copyright infringement, and child pornography fundamentally different, but that policing the net based on allegations of copyright infringement is no better than the content restriction we see in countries like Iran and China.

With the addition of this new web censorship clause, the Digital Economy Bill continues to become a larger and larger threat to liberty, rights, the internet, and somewhat ironically the ‘Digital Economy’ itself. If it passes into legislation, we are putting so much at risk, and we can’t afford to let that happen. The Bill will be going to the commons soon, and I urge you all to write to your MP about the bill, to inform them of the issues and hopefully have them oppose the bill in parliament. You can also help by fighting the bill, and fighting for your rights, by joining both the Pirate Party, and the Open Rights Group. Pirate Party UK stands for the reform of copyright, and protecting your privacy and freedom of speech, and costs just £10 a year (£2 if you’re under 21) to join.

The amendment can be seen in full below:

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Today (March 3rd), marked Day 2 of the House of Lords Report Stage on the Digital Economy Bill, a government bill which seeks to undermine due process by disconnecting the internet connections of those accused of copyright infringement, without trial; amongst other things. The bill has drawn wide criticism from all sectors of society, ...

Well, it’s started with a change – Coordinated Universal Time  ticked over to read 2010:01:01:00:00:00, so that’s at least one thing that’s different; but just else will be different in this coming year to the years prior?

Firstly, VAT has just risen to 17.5% again, so expect price rises immediately, or phased in over time depending on the retailer. I would have thought it wise to have extended the VAT break to a later date, as a price rise whilst we’re only just approaching the end of the recession could run the risk of reducing sales, and leading to a double dip; many retailers, in deciding to freeze the increase for a while, seem to be thinking along similar lines.

Related to this, the UK, on May 6th most likely, will have a General Election. Unless a major upset happens, we’re currently looking at a Conservative Government with a small majority, or even forming a minority or coalition government from a hung parliament. But will a shift to a blue government really bring about much change, after all New Labour was an attempt to shift Labour towards the Conservatives, and Cameron’s Conservatives pull themselves towards New Labour? Yes, and no. Both sides promise dangerously low investment, and even cuts, in industry that desperately needs investment, such as eco-technology and energy, sciences, and education. Labour want to balance investment by cutting it in areas they don’t like, the Tories want to destroy the public sector, all the while supporting the renewal of hugely expensive, weapons of mass destruction. The Tories want to slash taxes for the rich, whilst doing little for the middle and lower classes, and Labour aren’t progressive enough to properly support those who need it. Labour risk destroying an entire sector of the economy, and people’s rights, with the ghastly Digital Economy Bill (which the Pirate Party, and non-party organisations such as ORG are fiercely opposing), whilst the Tories are so out of touch as to seem not to even care about the sector at all, with their pledge to scrap the much needed, albeit inadequate, “broadband tax”. So ultimately, we’re screwed either way.

But the winds of change do blow in politics this year. Approximately one-third of the House of Commons will consist of MPs new to the house following the election, with a likely small increase in independents, especially with Jury Team out there supporting them. Many of these new MPs will be replacing those corrupt, out-of-touch bastards who saw fit to abuse a ridiculously poorly regulated allowances system, squandering public money to pay for their first class seats, their mansions, their moats and trouser presses, and all the other crap they apparently can’t afford on their “chumps change” of a salary of £64,766 – some £40,000 more than the ‘average’ wage earner in the UK. Maybe, just maybe, these replacements will be less self-obsessed, more in touch with modern Britain, and able to represent their constituents properly. Maybe, but maybe not… I’m not getting my hopes up for this lot.  Assuming Mr Cameron has a brain, he’ll call an election in 2014 to coincide with the EU Elections, and that year, I feel, will be a big turning point in both British, and European politics. Indeed, 2014 is where I’m focussing my own efforts, not withstanding the results of the 2013 local elections, and where I plan to make my entry into politics under the banner of the Pirate Party of the United Kingdom if I do not do so in 2013.

Another change which will hopefully happen this year is the introduction of, or the preparations to introduce some form of electoral reform; however this will only happen if the Conservatives continue to fail to set themselves apart as anything other than “not-Labour”, and we end up with a Liberal coalition. Such a result is quite frankly the best outcome we could hope for. British politics needs radical change and sweeping reforms, and this would be the place to start, in this year. So let’s hope it happens.

Moving away from politics, 2010 will be bringing about many changes to my personal life. I’ve got exams in a few weeks, exams that will ultimately decide whether I get into Aberystwyth; my university of choice, have to utilise the terrible clearing system in a (post-)recession climate, or just end up not getting into university at all. This of course means I’m also finishing college this summer, and quite frankly I’ll be glad to be leaving, because that college was a pretty exhausting place to be, crushing and suppressing the hobbies, hopes and interests that I had when I first attended there. And running alongside all this, those few friends I do have will all also be heading off to university and whatnot themselves, so this year is really our last year together, and I want to spend as much of it as I can with them. In reality I realise I probably won’t see them much more than I did this past year, and that is upsetting to me; but even so, spending some time with them is better than none at all, right?

So there you go – 2010 will bring change right from the start, but it’s not necessarily good change, and that’s incredibly frustrating, especially for a powerless control freak like me, who just wants to be able to change things, make them better, improve on what we have.

Addendum: Whilst writing this post my  site went down, luckily I learnt long ago to always copy what I’ve written to the clipboard just in case something like this happens. Downside is I lost links and stuff I’d put in. Let this be a lesson to you all, copy to clipboard, and save drafts often. I also realised I never got around to talking about 2010 in technology like I planned, but I can’t be bothered to write more for this.

Well, it's started with a change - Coordinated Universal Time just ticked over to read 2010:01:01:00:00:00 (give or take a few seconds for however out of sync this server may be), so that's at least one thing that's different; but just else will be different in this coming year to the years prior?