Liberton/Gilmerton by-election

I’m standing as the Pirate Party’s candidate in the Liberton/Gilmerton by-election for Edinburgh council.

The by-election is happening because at the general election, one of Liberton/Gilmerton ward’s 4 councillors, Ian Murray, was elected to parliament as the MP for Edinburgh South. This means that Liberton/Gilmerton ward is one councillor short, and the by-election to replace Mr Murray will take place on Thursday 9th September.

Britain today is an information society; millions of people now have the internet intervowen into the fabric of their everyday lives. But our leaders are still living in the past. A symptom of this is the Digital Economy Act, where the politicians decided to try to cripple the internet and abolish our civil liberties in order to save the record companies’ obsolete business model.

What I stand for

Digital rights issues:

• repeal the Digital Economy Act 2010
• no-one should be disconnected from the internet unless they’ve been found guilty of a criminal offense after been given a fair trial
• no collective punishment: so no-one to be disconnected from the internet because another member of their household has broken the law
• ensure everyone has access to the full possibilities that the internet has to offer
• ensure computers and the internet aren’t used to build a total surveillance society where the government watches our every move

Better transport around Edinburgh:

• single bus fares should be valid for bus journeys involving a change of bus
• tickets should be valid for all bus/tram/rail operators in Edinburgh
• Edinburgh needs a city bicycle sharing scheme, like London and Paris have
• consider re-opening the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway
• in the longer term, a city-wide taxibus service combining the cost of a bus with the service of a taxi

More affordable housing:

• everyone in Edinburgh should have access to affordable housing to rent or buy as is their preference
• reduce council house waiting lists to zero
• all new housing built in Edinburgh to be built to the latest standards of insulation

Edinburgh is a beautiful city and a fine place to live. I want to make it even better. Together we can build a modern, efficient, 21st century Edinburgh.

If you’re a voter and have any questions you’d like to put to me, you can email me at p.hunt [at] pirateparty.org.uk

Some links

• My candidacy page on the Pirate Party website
• Twitter: @cabalamat
• Facebook: Philip Hunt – Pirate Party candidate for Liberton/Gilmerton
• My policies in full:
  • Introduction
  • The Digital Economy Act
  • Better transport around Edinburgh
  • More affordable housing