PM Cautions Against Pirate Party Victory

Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson warned the nation that the Pirate Party becoming “influential” would be “cause for concern for society as a whole”.

In an extensive interview in DV – which was yesterday delivered to Icelandic homes, for free – the Prime Minister spoke at length on a number of topics. For example, he claimed that unfair criticism of Progressive Party candidates for Reykjavík City Council last year was what led to them making a number of remarks – in particular, about Muslims – which they later backpedaled on.

However, he also strongly cautioned against anyone putting their support behind the Pirate Party.

“If general discontent led to a revolutionary party – a party with some very unclear ideas about democracy, and a party which wants to upheave the foundations of society – becoming influential, that would be cause for concern for society as a whole,” he said, adding that if their current polling success held on until election day, “It would take society in a whole other direction, where it would be difficult to hang onto those values that we possess and have been building on for decades.”

Riffing on this, he remarked that the June 17 protests – in which thousands booed the Prime Minister as he gave his traditional Independence Day speech – was “regrettable”, on account of the girl’s choir “who had practiced for weeks to take part in this occasion and weren’t allowed to enjoy it”. He added that most voices of protest do not appear in front of parliament but rather “in the media and on the internet, where the harshest and basest voices get the most attention.”

In related news, Kjarninn reports that, according to the latest poll from Market and Media Research, the Pirate Party is still the largest party in the country, currently polling at 32.4%. At the same time, the Progressives are currently polling at 10%, and support for the ruling coalition as a whole is at 31.9%.