Labour may have lost serious face but it’s been a night to remember for the Pirate Party in the EU elections. The Swedish based political group will have won two seats with a 7.1% share of their national vote when the Lisbon Treaty passes increasing the Scandinavian county’s number of MEPs from 18 to 20.

Leader of the party, Rick Falkvinge said:

“This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it’s time to make a difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples’ lifestyle, bit by bit. We do not accept that the authorities’ mass-surveillance.”

The Pirate Party polled a total of 200,000 votes, a huge increase on the 2006 national elections when they amassed 34,918 of the Swedish electorate, and a lot of this can be linked to the high profile Pirate Bay court case during which membership of the party tripled.

There was some success of the German branch of the party who managed 1% of the national vote; a good start but not enough for a seat just yet. Looking forward to seeing their name on my ballot paper next time around.

Hard to know exactly what policies the Pirates have beyond the obvious stance against copyright infringement but, regardless, I think it’s an excellent step in EU politics to have a member voicing the kinds of opinions that would otherwise never be heard. Even if the Pirate MEPs are unable to swing any major decisions, they’ll be able to change a few perceptions on the protection of the antiquated business models of the cinema and recording industries.

(via Torrent Freak)