UK: Pirate Party Petitions against Digital Economy Act for Internet Freedom

From the UK Inquirer:

THE UK PIRATE PARTY is pushing voters to support an early day motion in parliament that could repeal some of the worst parts of the Digital Economy Act.  Tabled yesterday, the motion is backed by nine MPs and addresses plans to disconnect internet users suspected of illegally downloading copyrighted material.

The UK Pirate Party has consistently fought against the Act, and has seized on this latest opportunity to take it out.  "From the outset we have been vocal critics of the Digital Economy Act. The Act was forced through in the dying days of a discredited parliament and survived a judicial review. It has seen popular opposition and objection from business, it has been rejected by those who it will have an impact on as well as those who must enforce it," wrote Loz Kaye, the leader of the Pirate Party in a call to arms to voters.

"The Law now is still as bad as now as when it was first proposed. There is still hope though. This law is being challenged again."

UK: Independence Party Reaches Out to Members of Former Libertarian Party

From the UK Independence Party:

Following news of the proposed deregistration of the Libertarian Party of the UK, UKIP Executive Chairman Steve Crowther has said that the party will extend a warm welcome to former LPUK members who wish to join or rejoin UKIP.

"The values and beliefs of UKIP and the Libertarian Party are very closely aligned," he said. "While we may not agree on everything, our shared commitment to freedom, personal responsibility and minimal government interference in our lives is absolutely clear. UKIP is a party making real progress, under a new management team, and is now firmly established as the ‘fourth force’ in British politics.

"Now is the time for all libertarians to put our shoulders to the same wheel. Former LPUK members will be able to make a valuable contribution to our mission to wrest power from the political elites in this country, and hand it back to the people."

UK Elections Boost Green Movement

From VOA News:

Environmentalists in Britain were rejoicing after the country's recent election. The Green Party won its first seat in Parliament, and the new Prime Minister, David Cameron, said his government would be the "greenest" in British history.  But with opinion polls showing a decline in the public's concern about global warming, the question is whether the government will be able to implement real "green" change.

UK: Green Party Elects First MP

From Suite 101:

In what was widely expected to be one of the most unusual United Kingdom General Elections for many years, with no party gaining an overall majority, a piece of electoral history was made. In the early hours of 7 May 2010, the England and Wales Green Party candidate, Caroline Lucas, was elected as MP for Brighton Pavilion, becoming the first member of her party to take a seat at Westminster.

A Modern Whig View on the British General Election

From the Modern Whig blog:

But because the UK's somewhat dysfunctional electoral system, even though Labour is third in most polls, they could come out with the most seats (though still not enough for a majority)...We American can relate to such confusion. The UK has a electoral system similar to our "Winner Takes All" system called "First Past the Post" which limits the ability for third parties to win a great deal of seats. Most in the UK predict if the Liberal Democrats do well, they could form a Alliance government with Labour and in return they will likely demand election reform to move the UK closer to a proportional voting system (which favors smaller parties like the Liberal Dems). So what can the Modern Whig Party learn from this? Plenty.

UK: the BBC Reports on Independent Candidates in the General Election

From the BBC:

Out of the 4,000 candidates battling it out for 650 seats in the election, 315 are standing as independents. Many of them have taken to the campaign trail to speak out against the recent MPs' expenses scandal. Graham Satchell reports from Swansea, where an independent candidate is fighting for votes alongside Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

UK: Third Party Outsider "Smashes Through the Two-Party System" in Televised Debate

From the Ledger Enquirer:

Britain's first-ever TV debate between candidates for prime minister was hyped as a showdown between an embattled incumbent and his main rival, but it was a political outsider who stole the show. Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, the leader of the country's third-largest party, still seems unlikely to become prime minister May 6. But his meteoric rise in opinion polls Friday could further scramble an unpredictable race - and even, in the longer term, shake up Britain's centuries-old two party system. Nearly 10 million people watched the debate Thursday, and polls showed Clegg was judged the clear winner. Some called him "the Barack Obama of British politics." Others said his solid and affable performance won their votes. One newspaper headline read: "Clegg smashes through two-party system."

UK: Minor Party vs. Major Party Political Strategy

From Michael Savage at the Independent:

While teams of strategists for the three main political parties have been scratching their heads and poring over electoral maps to decide how best to maximise their return of parliamentary seats, the three smaller parties have a much more straightforward task in deciding where to deploy their limited resources.

The Green Party, the UK Independence Party (Ukip) and the British National Party (BNP) each has one obvious constituency in which to focus their efforts as they attempt to secure a seat in the Commons for the first time.

UK: Independents Aim to Shake Up the Ruling Duopoly

From the Guardian:

Scott argues that traditional voting loyalties are breaking down, and that people are ready for a change. "They realise that what they've got is, in essence, a den of thieves, rather than people of conviction and principle," he says. But he does not believe independents are yet ready to challenge in more than a few seats. "The MPs are vulnerable. They're just damned lucky there isn't a well-organised, well-oiled machine to take advantage of it. An independent movement would need far more discipline and far more focus, but that defies its main object in the sense that it's loose and there are no whips."

The contradiction is a crucial one: how can independents pool their resources without becoming a party, the very thing independents believe undermines free thinking? That is the conundrum with which the Independent Network is currently wrestling. The network is the brainchild of Brian Ahearne, a thirtysomething PR man with an office in north London so small he prefers to meet in a pub nearby. "Party politics is self-serving," he says. "It's great for careerist politicians, but not for people who actually want to do something for the constituents they represent." He argues that, as disaffection with the established parties has grown, the way in which independents are viewed has changed. "You can see a very marked difference in the way the media has been reporting independents from previous elections, when we were much more aligned to the Monster Raving Loony party. By having an organisation that promotes the value of independents and showing that we are a credible alternative, people are taking independents much more seriously."

UK: Green Party "Bombshell" Ahead of Call for General Election

From the Independent UK:

Mainstream parties were routed in an astonishing council by-election result just days before Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to call a general election. The Greens' Rachel Eburne captured a Tory seat at Mid Suffolk District, also humiliating the Liberal Democrats and Labour. She polled 61 per cent of the vote at Haughley and Wetherden with a 33.2 per cent net swing from the Conservatives. Labour, which had a councillor in the ward until 2003, polled just 32 votes. The Lib Dems, a close second last time, only managed 51. The result comes a week before another by-election challenge for the Green Party in a Lancaster City Council ward where they shared seats with Labour in 2007. Green leader Caroline Lucas is seeking a General Election breakthrough for her party.

UK: Pirate Party Launches Election Manifesto

From the Pirate Party UK:

After a huge amount of work by our policy groups, policy group leaders, our manifesto co-ordinator, by the web team who built voting software, and most of all by the members of the party who put forward the proposals and voted democratically on every point, I am very proud to announce that our 2010 general election manifesto is now ready.

The manifesto calls for copyright and patent reform, demands a strengthening of the right to privacy in all communications, and hence also for greater protections to the freedom of speech.