Chance to make a Comeback : Why the pirates are again important could be

This is just a really dangerous time, says Simon Kowalewski and shows the screen of his mobile phones.

With a cold, it makes his eyes water, he stands in a narrow storage space in the office of the pirate party in Berlin-Mitte, to him, are stacked in floor-to-ceiling heavy-duty shelves, old campaign materials of the party: flyers, flags, fleece blankets in Orange.

On the phone screen, a Tweet is seen, by the German Account of the European Parliament in the morning has dropped off. In a short Video, Axel Voss, the Parliament sits for the CDU in Europe, why no one is afraid of the EU copyright reform needs to have explained.

"Which apply to it as if it were already a done deal," upset Kowalewski. In addition, the Tweet is clearly advertising for CDU, since votes against completely would be missing.

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Kovalevsky, Berlin pirates-Chairman, order the excited sounds enthusiastic like an old Boxer before the first fight after a long injury break. An opponent, at last.

The last big battle of the pirates is so far that it seems almost as if it had taken place in a different reality. In the years 2011 and 2012, she moved as a young Wild in four German state parliaments. In the election for the Berlin house of representatives, they picked up 8.9 percent and 15 mandates, their best result. In the spring of 2012, nationwide polls saw the pirates at 13 percent.

The policy has not understood the Internet

The now-deceased Frank Schirrmacher, publisher of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" has described the emergence of the party in 2009, as the "Crossing of a different kind of intelligence form in the area of politics." The General Tenor of ears was deafening and clear: This is the new way to make policy. The party had come to carry the digital Revolution in politics. Your success was based on the formula: The policy has not understood the Internet.

Today, the pirates no longer appear in the surveys. They are flown from all state parliaments. Only members of the European Parliament is left to them. The present has ceased to be interested in you.

the understand the Internet, the policy is not understood?

Who today – on this Saturday 916 days have passed since the departure from the house of deputies in accordance with the Berlin pirate, not a policy body. On the contrary, In a Blog on your website, you regularly report on topics that are important to you. "How fair are the fair city of Berlin'?", questions and criticize by the Berlin government's planned housing buy-back as a "sham". Or invite you to a crypto party, interested citizens "assistance to the digital self-defense".

Far away from the Public to make pirates like Simon Kowalewski consistent policy. The attention you get for it.

Maybe wrong.

Since they are excreted from the house of representatives, is a room on the ground floor of a residential building of the last Central meeting place.Photo: Mike Wolff

A Chance to reach

Since the heyday of the pirates, a lot has happened. Your theme is quite arrived at the top of the policy. Since last year Germany has in the CSU politician Dorothee Bär, a "Minister of state at the Federal Chancellor and Federal Commissioner for digitization", which called on her Instagram profile digital-savvy as "installed over and video Gamer".

However, the CDU education Minister Anja Karliczek moved with the statement, you need a 5 G communication network to each milk jug, a lot of Trouble. The SPD is a top candidate Katarina Barley in the European elections, the support as the Federal Minister of justice and consumer protection, a member of the Federal government, the EU copyright reform, although the party is actually against it. Under the Hashtag #Axel surfs finally, the Internet community makes gaps in knowledge that Axel Voss funny, claiming Videos for copyright reform. In an Interview, he referred recently to a Google section, there is not.

The "Index for digital economy and society of the European Commission", DESI, sees Germany as the economy of the strongest country in the EU in the digitization of just on the 14th place. In the case of the use of digital government services, even only to place 24. A "mobile App" of the Federal network Agency recorded in the year 2019, about 600,000 radio holes.

Looks like a country where you have the Internet?

And now the planned copyright reform brings with it the freedom of the Internet is in danger. In an effort to protect the rights of artists and creators for the better can be made great online platforms for copyright infringement should be liable. Critics of a lump-censorship, fear of such content, their legal position is sound.

"is The number you have dialed is not assigned"

The freedom of the Internet is at once a subject that is part of the founding myth of the pirate party. One of the more tangible relevance. A Chance, to grasp, to lift, perhaps, after years of insignificance.

The resistance to article 13, which would result in its application to the so-called upload, filter, swells, especially among younger people.

call in number for press contacts in the Berlin pirates-national Association. "The number you have dialled is not assigned", means at the other end of the line.

Simon Kowalewski, they tell you in the country office of the pirates, have to update his number, actually, for a long time. "The best way is write an E-Mail." Days pass without you get Simon Kowalewski on the phone. It seems a little so, than the former surprise stars be surprised that someone is interested in you.

So a spontaneous visit to the land office in the plough road 9 a in the middle, and call it a party internally, P9a, one of the dates found in the calendar on the website of the national Association.

On a Monday in February, the party has been invited to the Europe conversation. The public lecture series is held regularly in the premises of the pirate offices, this time it should go to the topic of Immigration. Five people came that night, to discuss at the large conference table in fundamentals, such as safe third countries, the Geneva Convention on refugees and freedom of travel. They are all pirates.

The P9a since the end of the pirate faction in the house of representatives, apart from a district office of Reinickendorf, the left, the last remaining venue of the pirates in Berlin. Almost all of the Events take place in the vestibule of the ground floor premises, which the Association shared with the Federal party.

The Berlin pirates share their Headquarters with the Federal party.Photo: Mike Wolff

The majority of the members has no voting rights

In her best time had been members of the party in the capital, almost 3.800. Today, there are in Berlin 408 pirates, of which only 114 are entitled to vote – because the other numbers, for example, no member contributions.

You have "shrunk healthy", is a statement you hear again and again. It seems that the party feels in the sinking, only uncomfortable.

One who has witnessed the party defections of prominent pirates, such as, for example, Christopher Lauer, and Martin Delius close, Alexander Spies, running in fifth place on the list for the European Parliament. In the fall of 2011, the now 63-year-old software developer who likes to wear flat cap and braces, was elected to the house of representatives. After the party its group of outlets asked colleagues, he grins. "If I call one or the other name that has to leave the party, and the question whether they would like to have the Person because, again, comes immediately a resounding no," he says. In the case of some of the names you get to hear also, that the persons concerned had been never proper pirates.

But what a real pirate? Frank Schirrmacher predicted in 2009, that would reduce over time and with increasing success of the Nerd's share in the party. If you look around at the meetings in the Berlin office, has the feeling that the opposite is the case.

More about

dispute via upload filter and power protection We have a completely new copyright

Sina Kamala Kaufmann

The need, you can call fidelity to Principles. Or Change In Resistance.

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