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This is fascinating. Is it a one-off? Or a harbinger of 21st century politics? And what will it do to or for Iceland?
The view of downtown Reykjavik. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover
The group of anarchists, hackers, libertarians and Web geeks sets policy through online polls and offered Edward Snowden a new home. And a Pirate victory in Iceland this week would add to a string of once-impossible election results in the West.
By Griff Witte
1 hour ago
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND — The party that could be on the cusp of winning Iceland’s national elections on Saturday didn’t exist four years ago.
Its members are a collection of anarchists, hackers, libertarians and Web geeks. It sets policy through online polls — and thinks the government should do the same. It wants to make Iceland “a Switzerland of bits,” free of digital snooping. It has offered Edward Snowden a new place to call home.
And then there’s the name: In this land of Vikings, the Pirate Party may soon be king.
The rise of the Pirates — from radical fringe to focal point of Icelandic politics — has astonished even the party’s founder, a poet, Web programmer and former WikiLeaks activist.
“No way,” said 49-year-old Birgitta Jónsdóttir when asked whether she could have envisioned her party governing the country so soon after its launch. . . .
The view of downtown Reykjavik. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover
The group of anarchists, hackers, libertarians and Web geeks sets policy through online polls and offered Edward Snowden a new home. And a Pirate victory in Iceland this week would add to a string of once-impossible election results in the West.
By Griff Witte
1 hour ago
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND — The party that could be on the cusp of winning Iceland’s national elections on Saturday didn’t exist four years ago.
Its members are a collection of anarchists, hackers, libertarians and Web geeks. It sets policy through online polls — and thinks the government should do the same. It wants to make Iceland “a Switzerland of bits,” free of digital snooping. It has offered Edward Snowden a new place to call home.
And then there’s the name: In this land of Vikings, the Pirate Party may soon be king.
The rise of the Pirates — from radical fringe to focal point of Icelandic politics — has astonished even the party’s founder, a poet, Web programmer and former WikiLeaks activist.
“No way,” said 49-year-old Birgitta Jónsdóttir when asked whether she could have envisioned her party governing the country so soon after its launch. . . .
