Pirate parties
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Germany: Will the Pirates democratise Europe?
12 April 2012136941 Die Welt Berlin -
Pirate party: Children of Marx and Microsoft
20 September 201111035 Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Internet: The Pirate International is born
20 April 2010PresseuropPúblico -
Illegal downloading: Releasing the pirate within
22 July 200911 Dilema Veche Bucharest -
Sweden : The Pirates have landed
10 June 200919 Fokus Stockholm
Overnight the Pirate Party has become a third political force in Germany, and has become much more than a dragnet trawling protest voters. According to Die Welt, the Pirate Party could be the pioneer of a new democracy in the post-industrial era, and indeed throughout Europe. 
They demand transparency and direct democracy, and almost one in ten voters in Berlin gave them their vote. The Pirate Party is no longer just a party for Net-nerds in hoodies, but represents demands from across society. 
The sale of Pirate Bay, the largest file-sharing site in the world, and the will of certain governments - France's notably - to penalise illegal downloading, has re-opened the debate on copyright. As Romanian weekly Dilema Veche observes, all surfers are potential web delinquents. 
One of the big surprises of the European election came from Scandinavia. On 7.1% of the vote, the Pirate party is setting sail for Brussels, with the aim to legalise file sharing on the Internet, and presenting itself as a defender of citizens rights.