Mission Statement

I think its really important that the mission statement reflect actual priorities of Iceland Pirates (based on Andrew's initial point that they face the possibility of having to accept or a decline government leadership or participation without plausible economic and other "general" policies).

So I assume that the focus would be on the connection between their popularity based on a much greater focus on participatory democracy and transparency than other parties (both Icelandic parties and international pirate parties) and their (currently underdeveloped) other "general" policies.

This is likely to be significantly different from a mission statement that would be drafted by others in view of international focus still centred around "information" issues in parties that have not made transparancy and participatory democracy as central a focus and do not face any possibility of leading or participating in government.

Anyway, I think it is essential that they take the lead in drafting mission statement as well as other critical aspects, also taking into account their own understanding of Iceland legal situation rather than assumptions by others.

Sufficient for some well known leaders like Samri to endorse a draft and conduct informal discussions with other Icelanders who should be consulted.

But we should give feedback on improvements in a first draft already acceptable to them, rather than initiating first draft.

Maybe the mission statement is different from the research program?

As I see it a mission statement should be short and should focus on the long term ideas of the global pirate movement and its relationship with practical government. Its purpose is to create organizational identity and brand awareness.

A research program on the other hand would be a longer document guiding the effort in a shorter time perspective and would have a strong focus on what the icelandic pirate party needs help with, at least during the time from now to their next election.

True, but "long term ideas of the global pirate movement and its relationship with practical government" does not yet really exist.

Global pirate movement currently does not have long term ideas at all related to practical government.

Iceland's central focus on transparency and participatory democracy and resulting popularity has global implications that have not yet been digested elsewhere. They are in the best position to write a brief mission statement as well as longer research program. Others simply don't have the same political experience to do so.

Outside Iceland, "practical government" is simply not something pirates have had to think about much since there has been no such possibility.

It has only recently become a possibility in Iceland. I hope that will result in a CHANGE for the better in "long term ideas of the global pirate movement" and a think tank with a mission tightly focused on the need for economic and other policies relevant to practical government can contribute to that globally in addition to the more important global contribution made by it helping the only pirate party that is currently politically relevant to remain so.

eg mission statement that mentions economic policy - now essential for Iceland - can also help orient global pirates to actually present serious alternative mechanisms for funding creative works in addition to having pointed out the absurdity of current copyright mechanisms.

"Global pirate movement currently does not have long term ideas at all related to practical government."

Agree, but that's exactly the purpose of a Think Tank, to create it. Both the long term ideas and how those relate to practical government. If it doesn't it becomes a campaign center or some kind of educational institution depending on its focus. My point is that we need to set the goal high enough to make it interesting for people. Because if we don't it wont really be helping anyone, and certainly not the icelanders.

To set the goal high enough is the purpose of the mission statement.

That said, it might be that what Smari is actually after in his document is not really a Think Tank but a training center for pirate governments.

And maybe that is actually more interesting? It could be a place where we organize government training simulation games instead of creating political theory. Or maybe both?

Having a (successful) pirate government or even a majority party that makes world headlines by refusing to govern as a result of its political judgment rather than its incapacity is a really incredibly high goal with enormous implications for the rest of the world even if it first happens in a very small country.

I don't think these implications have sunk in yet. When they do people will certainly find them more interesting than the usual generalities of mission statements.

I think Samri really is after a think tank, not a training center (though there would naturally be overlap and therefore "both"). They already have IMMI with functions as a training center and campaign organization (overlapping think tank related to global pirate focus on information issues).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Modern_Media_Institute

Also Samri is CTO of a research organization based outside Iceland.

What they don't have is a think tank on policies for practical government, needed now that they have suddenly become the largest party.

You learn to swim by swimming and likewise for governing. But relevant theory for governing needs to happen fast and while staff work cannot substitute for transparant mass participation it can make a real difference to getting people involved and making their involvement more productive.

They need concrete policies and they need them now - and they are in the best position to state the mission they need support for.

Birgitta was convincing in describing a role as annoying mosquito buzzing in the room. But as she really does want to "help them collapse" they will need a lot more than buzzing.

Ok, so in the post 2017 election situation there is no need for a mission statement. But for fundraising in the year 2015 we need something that helps with the fundraising. And whatever it is it needs to be very interesting for a large international audience otherwise we will be limited to only Icelandic sponsors. The best would be if its even interesting for non pirate party members, but a broader political spectrum. That would make it a lot easier to raise the funds.

In Smari's doc this section is the Mission Statement part.

"Founding a policy think thank oriented around Pirate politics is a good idea. There is a lack of good analytical research constructed around information politics. Entire topic areas are virtually unexplored, including but not limited to economic policy, industrial policy, healthcare, welfare and agriculture. These topic areas need to be developed with regards to information politics, in addition to furthering research in fields where Pirate parties have shown strength, such as international trade, intellectual monopoly rights, and civil liberties."

This is rather good as it is and I think our focus should be on improving it further.

The first sentence might be better as "Founding a policy think thank oriented around Pirate politics is a much needed next step for the Pirate movement. "

It also needs an end.

Like "The Sunstone Project aims to found that much needed think tank."

The whole mission statement would then be:

"Founding a policy think thank oriented around Pirate politics is a much needed next step for the Pirate movement. There is a lack of good analytical research constructed around information politics. Entire topic areas are virtually unexplored, including but not limited to economic policy, industrial policy, healthcare, welfare and agriculture. These topic areas need to be developed with regards to information politics, in addition to furthering research in fields where Pirate parties have shown strength, such as international trade, intellectual monopoly rights, and civil liberties.

The Sunstone Project aims to found that much needed think tank."

Maybe it should also include a sentence that mention new emergent futures oriented topic areas where there is a general lack of policy even outside the pirate movement?

Such topics might help the Pirate parties worldwide to stay relevant and be regarded as government capable.

Such topics are for exampel:
Participatory democracy and transparency based governing
Democratic defence against hybrid warfare during peacetime
Energy system policy in a world where the dominant energy sources are sun and wind

Th whole statement could be like:

""Founding a policy think thank oriented around Pirate politics is a much needed next step for the Pirate movement. There is a lack of good analytical research constructed around information politics.

Entire topic areas are virtually unexplored, including but not limited to economic policy, industrial policy, healthcare, welfare and agriculture. These topic areas need to be developed with regards to information politics, in addition to furthering research in fields where Pirate parties have shown strength, such as international trade, intellectual monopoly rights, and civil liberties.

Another issue is new emergent futures oriented topic areas where there is a general lack of policy even outside the pirate movement. Such topics might be participatory democracy and transparency based governing, democratic defence against hybrid warfare during peacetime, energy system policy in a world where the dominant energy sources are sun and wind. Or others we cannot currently foresee but will become important. To take a lead in such topic areas might help the Pirate parties worldwide to stay relevant in the long term and be regarded as government capable.

The Sunstone Project aims to found that much needed think tank."

1. Strongly agree that it needs to interest a large international audience, including a much broader spectrum than members of pirate party.

I would say "especially" non members rather than "even" non-members.

But so far the Iceland pirates are the only ones who really DO appeal to a wider spectrum and do not think of non members as "even nonmembers". So they can best state the mission.

BTW I am not a member of any pirate party and am here precisely because they have that appeal to a much wider spectrum. Although I am not in any sense representative of that broader spectrum it does help me see things better as an "outsider" as well as meaning I may not
understand many things about pirate politics that are seen by insiders.

1. The paragraph in Samri's document confirms that he should write first draft. Naturally that will be an improvement on that paragraph and their first first draft can be improved further by input from here. But immediately we start to extend the existing non-draft, it starts to look weaker and less relevant to me.

" Entire topic areas are virtually unexplored, including but not limited to economic policy, industrial policy, healthcare, welfare and agriculture."

That is what global pirate party members need to join the wider spectrum in understanding.

Adding on such things as "energy system policy in a world where the dominant energy sources are sun and wind" immediately turns away from "practical government".

There are already much larger Green parties that emphasize that. In Iceland where geothermal is abundant and the sun does not shine much for months at a time they have been largely wiped out by the pirates who do not spout such stuff.

PS In earlier post I meant to include a link to the research (and training) institution outside Iceland that Samri is CTO of together with the link I did include for IMMI:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_Crime_and_Corruption_Reporting_Project

Worth looking at to note the direct conections with mass based democratic revolution worldwide, also flowing quite naturally from "information politics" as well as the widespread revulsion against corrupt governing parties that was central to Iceland crisis and is rapidly growing in other developed countries.

Actually it's not a green party issue. Green parties are intent on getting the energy system to become based on primarily sun and wind. But what's happening right now is that the market forces have taken over and is driving that change for mostly economic reasons. And when you look at how the world will work when the energy system is converted it looks very different. For one thing almost everything will have a smart rechargeable battery, because electricity will be intermittent and extremely volatile in price. Which also means there will be smart grids everywhere and huge amounts of information transferred about usage, storage levels, prices, where something is connected and where it last was connected, who owns it and so on... All this essentially turns the energy-system into information politics. Which is a typical pirate issue. And since the energy system revolution is just starting for real and will be finished in just 20 years it will have a lot to do with practical government during this period. Also on Iceland, where a transition to battery/electrical propulsion systems for cars and ships will improve the trade balance tremendously, and at the same time create transition problems for society as a whole and especially for government. And to not make the transition is not a choice since it's market forces driving the change. It's basically a perfect storm just about to hit every government on earth.