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THE VIKINGS WERE once the scourge of the North Atlantic, and their descendants are in line to vote the Pirate Party into government in Iceland later this year.
Earlier this year, Iceland’s ruling coalition and opposition agreed to hold early elections caused by the Panama Papers scandal, and the Pirate Party is one beneficiary.
Their platform includes direct democracy, 35-hour working weeks, drug decriminalisation, a new national constitution – and asylum for US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The Pirates are expected to field candidates in each constituency and until recently had been leading national opinion polls in the tiny nation of 232,000 people, which lies around 800 miles from the coast of Ireland.
The most recent Gallup poll, from 29 July, puts the Pirate Party in second place on 25.3%, with the more conservative-minded Independence in first with 26.2%.
A poll of polls for the online news outlet Kjarninn in late June had the Pirates comfortably the country’s largest party on 28.3%, four points clear of Independence.
The Pirate Party has also persuaded Pokémon Go to turn Icelandic polling stations into Pokéstops for the election, which is expected to take place on 29 October.
“It’s gradually dawning on us, what’s happening,” Birgitta Jónsdóttir, leader of the Pirates’ parliamentary group, told The Guardian.
It’s strange and very exciting. But we are well prepared now. This is about change driven not by fear but by courage and hope. We are popular, not populist.
“I look at us and I think, we are equipped to do this,” Jónsdóttir added.
Actually, the fact we haven’t done it before and that we won’t have any old-school people telling us how, means we’ll do it more carefully. We will be doing things very differently.
Iceland’s former prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned in April after the Panama papers showed he had stored millions of pounds of family money offshore.
Iceland’s Pirates were founded four years ago by a group of activists and hackers as part of an international anti-copyright movement.
They won 5% of the vote in the 2013 elections, winning three out of 60 seats in the Althingi parliament, but have become less of a protest party.
Now, the Pirates are predicted to return between 18 and 20 MPs to the Althingi after the election, putting them in a strong position to form Iceland’s next government.
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100% private landlord builds? And all co-living?
No home-ownership option, no affordable option, no social-renting option.
@Dean: yes and would not exist without them creating it and providing a service
@Dean: Time to start protesting…
@Sean Fallon: protest against what? no one is asking you to live there
Actually seems like a good idea. The current building is an eyesore. The current housing stock there caters for the people there and there is a new college just opening around the corner. Co living is not for everyone but has it’s place
@Craic_a_tower: it’s really student or single persons accommodation. I don’t think a family would move in while their housemates are partying, sharing kitchen and living room
@Niall Donnelly: yes true but that is fine. Most housing in Dublin is for families
@Craic_a_tower: the overwhelming majority of developments built in the surrounding area over the past years have been build to rent student/co-sharing/studio apartments. Families, couples or anyone wanting to put down roots are being pushed out as the small number of units targeted at owner occupiers are at the high end and totally out of reach of the average earner. After years of neglect Phibsborough was once again developing into a strong community but because of a lack of any real planning developers are being allowed shape how the future of the area will look. Instead of having a vibrant mix of residents, it’ll be a neighbourhood of transients with no commitment or care about the community
We need units to sort supply. SF objecting to every development in Dublin, is it to purposefully constrain supply?
@Eoin Scanlon: there’s nearly 900 build to rent properties being planned and built in Dublin 9 alone. Are you blaming that on SF also?
@Niall Donnelly: er, no. I think he was pointing out that they protest at all developments. The 900 you reference may be the “ones that got away”.
So much for them been banned!
Tenements
@Trish O’Keeffe: first thing that came to my mind also
Mary Lou finds it intolerable. She cannot tolerate housing for students and single immigrant workers. “Intolerable” she says.
@Noel_Random: yawn.
@Noel_Random: yes it’s intolerable that every development in the area is build to rent with approx 90% co-sharing, studio and one beds. There is nothing being built for couples, families or those wanting to set down roots in the area.
@EillieEs: there is nothing but houses for families in the area. its all houses ffs. there is no room to build any more houses which is why these are the best option now
@EillieEs: and not even that, but a “co-living” development doesn’t even work for single people. Bedsits made more sense, but oh wait weren’t they banned a few years back? And why was that again?
@Phil Quinn: Phil, many of the properties in Phibsborough are rented out either as a whole house or in flats. Yes at the moment there is a balanced mix of owner-occupier and long term and short term tenancies. Technically ant those dwellings could revert to being family homes or multiple occupancy at any time.
The problem with this one is the co-living arrangement. The private and shared space tends to be minimal and may very well be for short term lease. Aside from that the proposed building, like its predecessor, does not fit in or complement the architecture of the area and it is one of those generic things which might last forty/fifty years and it is right in the centre of Phibsborough. The locale and the people who will live there deserve better than this.
This is an absolute disgrace! These developments are what will keep buyers out of the market. The legacy of this government will take decades to fix. An appeal against this decision by An Bord Pleanála needs to be made immediately.
“The joint bedsit”
Green light for upmarket modern day doss house. This country is going backwards, nobody should be reduced to shared facility housing, it’s an absolute disgrace.
@Welk wrangler: nobody is being reduced to anything, it is your choice to live there. Not for everyone, but it will suit some people.
Tenements
Well, that’s some students sorted…
Shoe boxes
Mr Covid19 will be delighted.
Bedsits by another name.
@Todd Hebert: but far, far worse.
Anyone remember the Cork Events Centre. Im too funny
Wonder what Pascal thinks about plan he also.a local TD.
The original plans had to be shelved because Tesco would not give an inch on the proposed development. Put roadblocks in the way at every turn. It has created a lot of ill will towards them in the community.
The next stage is the South Korean ‘shared-pod’ idea. You rent a MRI-like space by the hour.
Pack em … rack em .. and stack them high baby
have your say