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Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

washingtonpost.com

61–70 of 151 posts

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#61

The Pirate Party are not going to win the election. They are radical extremists. Well this is just my opinion, but lets check back next week after the vote.

What is your definition of 'win'? They're currently polling at around 20-25%. The traditional conservative party is polling at similar numbers and other parties have less.

Obviously no party will take the majority of the vote. So what is your criteria for winning or losing? Even if the pirates election results were 5-10% less than the polling numbers they'd still have 'won' by some measurements since they'd have more seats in parliament than they did last time.

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#62
post #59

It has offered Edward Snowden a new place to call home. I love Iceland. I truly do. My wife and I visited twice last year. I think it would be a wonderful place to live. Given a choice between Russia and Iceland I would pick Iceland without hesitation (although I have to admit that I have never been to Russia). However, I do not believe that they would be able to protect Snowden from the CIA. I hope Snowden sees this…

It's extremely naive to think that Snowden would move somewhere out of Russia. It's very obvious why he went there in the first place.

> It's very obvious why he went there in the first place.

Please enlighten us.

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#63
post #44
post #4

It's nice to see that libertarian ideas are winning at least in some counties when in most of the world governments get more and more control over people's lives.

I hope you're not talking about Russia where Snowden lives

The country in question is Iceland. Read the article.

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#65
post #12

It has offered Edward Snowden a new place to call home. I love Iceland. I truly do. My wife and I visited twice last year. I think it would be a wonderful place to live. Given a choice between Russia and Iceland I would pick Iceland without hesitation (although I have to admit that I have never been to Russia). However, I do not believe that they would be able to protect Snowden from the CIA. I hope Snowden sees this…

The PP is a fringe radical party that if they somehow become the majority party in Iceland, they're not going to retain it for very long. I would not recommend that famous dissidents like Snowden move there immediately. I like visiting Iceland too, the few Icelanders I know can't wait to move though. The winter weather and high price of everything is a bit of a drag. I am not an expert on Iceland but I have read that…

There's a lot of negativity among young adults here in Iceland. I can understand them to some extent because housing has become insanely expensive because of inflation, lack of new housing and airbnb companies. What I don't undestand is the "everything is terrible" attitude that's been so poisonous in recent year. Yes, we have bad weather and most of our politicians are hopeless but it's always been like that. The grass isn't greener on the other side.

The grapevine is great but often let themselves down with clickbait and hyperbole.

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#66
post #25

This kind of change could only happen in Europe, due to the multi-party system. In America, as has so often been proven, the system is rigged to prevent alternatives to the established parties. I honestly believe this proves the superiority of this system, over the American one. The great advantage of democracy is that it provides an avenue for peaceful change, or, if you are more cynical, the appearance of such. Thi…

> In America, as has so often been proven, the system is rigged to prevent alternatives to the established parties. But the difference is that the parties in the US and the UK aren't very powerful in their own regard. Trump wasn't even a member of the republican party until very recently, and he won the nomination -- and Sanders forced Clinton very far to the left before dropping out. On the other hand, the leaders o…

Why is party discipline undemocratic?

If you want to get the benefit of the support and branding of a political party it seems reasonable that you should have to follow their rules. The discipline only extends so far as removing that support. That seems fair to me. Does it not to you?

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In America, as has so often been proven, the system is rigged to prevent alternatives to the established parties. But the difference is that the parties in the US and the UK aren't very powerful in their own regard. Trump wasn't even a member of the republican party until very recently, and he won the nomination -- and Sanders forced Clinton very far to the left before dropping out. On the other hand, the leaders o…

> But the difference is that the parties in the US and the UK aren't very powerful in their own regard. Trump wasn't even a member of the republican party until very recently, and he won the nomination -- and Sanders forced Clinton very far to the left before dropping out. True in the US, not true in the UK -- May and Corbyn had been MPs and members of their parties for years before becoming leader. > "party discipli…

Indeed, the whip.

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In America, as has so often been proven, the system is rigged to prevent alternatives to the established parties. But the difference is that the parties in the US and the UK aren't very powerful in their own regard. Trump wasn't even a member of the republican party until very recently, and he won the nomination -- and Sanders forced Clinton very far to the left before dropping out. On the other hand, the leaders o…

Why is party discipline undemocratic? If you want to get the benefit of the support and branding of a political party it seems reasonable that you should have to follow their rules. The discipline only extends so far as removing that support. That seems fair to me. Does it not to you?

I personally have issues with the idea that having to conform/fit into a political party being the only/most effective way to gain political popularity

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dutch here. We need at least 5 parties to make a government in the next election. Nothing ever changes here because everything has to go through many iterations of compromises if it even wants to leave the negotiation table. I wish we had a system like the USA.

> Nothing ever changes here because everything has to go through many iterations of compromises if it even wants to leave the negotiation table. That's a feature, not a bug. > I wish we had a system like the USA. You are missing the wood for the trees. The last thing you want in a country is an effective government that can push through it's majority agenda at the expense of the minority. That's why EU countries are…

Is Europe ahead of the US on LGBT rights? Marriage equality is the law of the land in all 50 states here.

The first amendment of our Constitution separates church and state, for whatever that's worth. You might want to suggest that to Ireland. ;)

Re: Iceland, a land of Vikings, braces for a Pirate Party takeover

#70
post #59

It has offered Edward Snowden a new place to call home. I love Iceland. I truly do. My wife and I visited twice last year. I think it would be a wonderful place to live. Given a choice between Russia and Iceland I would pick Iceland without hesitation (although I have to admit that I have never been to Russia). However, I do not believe that they would be able to protect Snowden from the CIA. I hope Snowden sees this…

It's extremely naive to think that Snowden would move somewhere out of Russia. It's very obvious why he went there in the first place.

He went there because it was the safest route to Equador, once in Moscow, the US state department cancelled his passport.

And just to drive home the dire situation he is in, when rumours were spread of Snowden being aboard the Bolivian president's plane headed for latin america, the US pressured european countries to deny airspace and have it directed to Austria where it was searched.

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