Rick Falkvinge, pirate

An unusual request

Hi all,

I’ve rarely been very personal on this blog. This will probably be my most private and sensitive topic ever. I’ll explain why in a minute.

The backgrund is, we’re doing very well right now. We’re starting to gain momentum for our thoughts and ideas. The time has come to scale up the intensity and communicate even clearer than before. We’ve fought and debated mostly with the already converted, but at this time, it’s time to widen to talk to everybody — because our questions concern everybody.

But I’m also addressing a personal concern. Therefore, this particular blog post feels very special to me.

When I founded the Pirate Party in 2006, I took out a bank loan and quit my day job to do this full time. For the first time ever, I had an opportunity to cause real change, in an area that was important to me. I left my job and my career as a manager, leader, and coach in the IT business. I simply felt so strongly for this from day one, and I regret nothing.

The journey so far has been very rewarding on a personal level, but with large economic sacrifices — about a million SEK in lost income ($125k / €90k), and 300k SEK in built-up loans and credit ($37k / €27k). The tenacious work for civil digital rights has always been paid out of my own pockets with loans and credit.

But despite a strong momentum, the Pirate Party cannot hire me. To hire somebody and pay a wage in Sweden, you need to pay exorbitant amount in tax, about twice the actual wage. This is more than the Pirate Party can afford on its current income. But it can be done with crowdfunding, meaning many small donations from you reading this and your fellow civil rights activists.

At the same time, I have gotten into a personal situation where I’m simply unable to keep working out of my own pocket. On Christmas Day, I was informed I’m at the end of my credit line. In plaintext: 30 days from today, I will be unable to pay the rent. Therefore, I personally and we all together stand before the decision where I either take a full-time day job that absorbs most of me, or that we together use crowdfunding. Our successes keep mounting, and everything points to our being able to pull this through.

The Pirate Party needs – if we together so choose – a full time party leader. Everything indicates we can pull this project to the finish line. To stop the madness of the oldschool politicians, and together create a new legislation focused on basic civil rights in the digital age.

I’ve made a strong decision to pull this through. Even if it hits me hard as a brick from an economic standpoint — which it already has, by the way — I’m going to pull this through. Many civil rights activists before me have given much more than money. And the alternative to crowdfunding — well, if I can’t find a job in the next 30 days, I have a large backpack and a tent, and free wifi hotspots are everywhere. But of course, this would be a rather impractical solution, even for my function as the face of the Pirate Party.

Our “Gold Pirate” program gathers about 40k SEK a month to the party. To cover the party leader’s food, rent and other expenses, half of that is needed again on top. We don’t want to be dependent on government grants and risk being eaten by the establishments’ structures. By standing on our own legs, we’d be able to show the establishment that it’s possible to live our politics in ways they don’t understand and have never seen.

But this requires that you, yes, you, give a small amount every month. The exact amount isn’t very important, the important part is that it is an amount and that it is every month. To repeat my personal sitaution: I’m at the end of the credit line, my wallet is running on vapor, and to pay my next rent, I need a full-time job, and fast. And this in a situation where we’re moving into two election years straight, 2009 and 2010!

So if you who read this wants a full-time party leader who keeps pushing, pushing, pushing the issues, and you can spare a small amount every month, it takes but a small part of our supporters do donate €10/month to have a party leader able to focus on the party full time, without worrying about where money for the next rent will come from.

If you choose to assist in a small part of the party leader’s costs, it’s because you want the Pirate Party to have a party leader full time to focus on the party and nothing else, now that we move into two straight election years. Food, rent, interests and other costs are currently running just above 20k SEK ($2500 / €1800) a month. If more funds are gathered than I need, they go to the Pirate Party. All donations are anonymous.

Do like this, if you want there to be a full time party leader moving ahead in the election years: Click the “assist in crowdfunding” button at the top right of this page to donate €10 per month through Paypal or credit card. Any other method or amount will do as well, of course. The bank account is Swedish bank SEB, the account number 5020-0021419. IBAN SE0450000000050200021419, BIC ESSESESS.

This is similar to our Gold Pirate program, with a crucial difference being that the funds go directly to having a full time party leader, and in a way that causes it to be a tax exempt gift — meaning, there are no wage taxes or income taxes. Therefore, all donations in this way are voluntary, anonymous, and cannot demand any specific work in return.

As a large and important bonus, this crowdfunding is another big fat finger at the establishment’s way of thinking.

Rick