It's Pony Time! [German Politics]
Berlin Parliament's Pirate party calls Pony Time
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Berlin, 15 November: Berlin State Parliament group meeting. The Pirates can't agree on whom they want to delegate to the committees of the House of Representatives. Then the parliamentary secretary Martin Delius speaks up:
"Is it possible to place a request for Pony Time?"
"Yes."
"Then I make a procedural motion for Pony Time."
Session leader and parliamentary leader Andreas Baum is not impressed:
"Pony Time? I am against it."
"You're against it? Ok, then we must vote on it. Who supports the motion I have just made for Pony Time?"
"We’re adjourning at 18:30, understand? Four against ... and five in favor? Right, okay then; we’re having Pony Time."
“Which episode?”
“Twenty.”
“We don’t have that.”
“One. Can somebody find it?”
A projector projects the YouTube video on the wall. Fifteen members of the Berlin State Parliament interrupt their group meeting to watch a children's television program -- 20 minutes long.
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"Because they became friends and could reason together, they can solve their problems. That’s what the Net brings about as well. Very different characters think together and find resolutions. This is really the same thing -- but depicted using ponies," says party worker and pony expert Stephan Urbach, who introduced his ponies into the Rules of Procedure of the Berlin Pirate Party: "At a party congress, Lotte and I thought: Hmm, kind of an aggressive mood here, maybe we should watch a bit of 'My Little Pony.'"
It was in June, when the Berlin Meeting of the Pirates was in full swing. The pirates "Alx42," Mr. Urbach, Lotte, and “Cookies” decided to tap into the good karma of colorful ponies for their party -- and "hacked the Rules of Procedure," as she put it. Alexander Morlang, now a Berlin MP, moved that the Rules should allow any Pirate to submit a request for Pony Time during a party meeting. If a majority approved the motion, then:
"An episode, perceived as appropriate by the meeting’s leaders, of the series 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' will be played."
This pony provision, however, was only presented in writing, and never read out loud. So really, hardly anyone knew what they were voting on, recalled State Parliament Member Heiko Herberg on his podcast:
"It was really hilarious. Half of the people weren’t there yet, not yet ready, and suddenly such a motion was made and - bang - the thing was done."
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Berlin, 15 November: Berlin State Parliament group meeting. The Pirates can't agree on whom they want to delegate to the committees of the House of Representatives. Then the parliamentary secretary Martin Delius speaks up:
"Is it possible to place a request for Pony Time?"
"Yes."
"Then I make a procedural motion for Pony Time."
Session leader and parliamentary leader Andreas Baum is not impressed:
"Pony Time? I am against it."
"You're against it? Ok, then we must vote on it. Who supports the motion I have just made for Pony Time?"
"We’re adjourning at 18:30, understand? Four against ... and five in favor? Right, okay then; we’re having Pony Time."
“Which episode?”
“Twenty.”
“We don’t have that.”
“One. Can somebody find it?”
A projector projects the YouTube video on the wall. Fifteen members of the Berlin State Parliament interrupt their group meeting to watch a children's television program -- 20 minutes long.
--
"Because they became friends and could reason together, they can solve their problems. That’s what the Net brings about as well. Very different characters think together and find resolutions. This is really the same thing -- but depicted using ponies," says party worker and pony expert Stephan Urbach, who introduced his ponies into the Rules of Procedure of the Berlin Pirate Party: "At a party congress, Lotte and I thought: Hmm, kind of an aggressive mood here, maybe we should watch a bit of 'My Little Pony.'"
It was in June, when the Berlin Meeting of the Pirates was in full swing. The pirates "Alx42," Mr. Urbach, Lotte, and “Cookies” decided to tap into the good karma of colorful ponies for their party -- and "hacked the Rules of Procedure," as she put it. Alexander Morlang, now a Berlin MP, moved that the Rules should allow any Pirate to submit a request for Pony Time during a party meeting. If a majority approved the motion, then:
"An episode, perceived as appropriate by the meeting’s leaders, of the series 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' will be played."
This pony provision, however, was only presented in writing, and never read out loud. So really, hardly anyone knew what they were voting on, recalled State Parliament Member Heiko Herberg on his podcast:
"It was really hilarious. Half of the people weren’t there yet, not yet ready, and suddenly such a motion was made and - bang - the thing was done."
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