Certainly I agree with the Pirate Party goals. But is it necessary? The Greens have been doing good work on internet rights and government transparency, why not just support and promote the cause through them?

Is the Green party necessary? Labour have been doing less than awful on environmental issues, why not just support them?

More serious reply; The greens don't have much of a policy on privacy. And I don't always agree with the greens in a lot of other areas (which the pirate party currently don't have policy on, therefore no policy I disagree with)

We could help them develop privacy policy. As for other areas, if the Pirate Party doesn't have policies on them either, you lose nothing.

While the pirate party and greens do have a fair amount in common, I think there are still enough difference to justify having another party.

Perhaps I should re-word. My question is not whether it is reasonable to have a Pirate Party (it is), but whether it is most effective in order to achieve the policies we want.

This should probably be our next front page poll. we're about due for a new one!

4srs? the current question was only put up this month. We've never had one shorter than 3 months before.

Yes, it's a good question to have as a poll (if it had a few more answers offered than yes/no), and yes there's merit in moving to a new one every month, but you can still hardly call it 'about due'.

Well yes, their policy on our issues may be closer to being good than anyone else, but besides when a new law is already a fait accompli, how many terms in their MOU are about our issues? how many private members bills in the ballot? how many of their parliamentary questions? how many of them actually bothered showing up in the house when Skynet was being passed? just one!

There's a million things more important to them than our issues, so yes, a Pirate Party is needed. Events in Europe also demonstrate than a Pirate Party, done seriously, is effective.

The only question remaining is whether there are enough people in NZ willing to take the Pirate Party - and the work necessary in running a party - seriously. The answer remains to be seen, but we are working on it! and it's been looking better every week.

If the Pirate Party become popular enough, or if they saw that Pirate Party policies had enough support, why wouldn't the Greens take the opportunity to take some of those votes by putting more emphasis on the internet, since our values are compatible? Or are they incompatible?

Since the Pirate Party is so focused, why not form a block of support for digital rights within the Green party? Seems to me that could be easier and more effective than creating a whole new party.

Yeah, like the Greens did in Germany. Oh wait...

Is Labour necessary? National has been doing less than awful on environmental issues compared to Labour, why not just support them?


(PLEASE don't take me seriously here however! lol)