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EU ACTA Chief Resigns
bs0d3 writes "The EU ACTA chief has resigned, saying, 'This agreement might have major consequences on citizens' lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.' 22 EU members signed the controversial ACTA treaty Thursday in Tokyo."
It's not the first time the government of the EU has made decisions that hurt the people, using tricks to get them past the populace. And it won't be the last. We can expect a lot of bad stuff coming up, with the economic crisis.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. - Various attributions.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
What can I say? I'm very pleased that Kader Arif had the guts to make his disgust with the ACTA process known so publicly. His actions deserve to be widely recognised outside the tech community as well as within; we should ensure that "regular" media outlets cover this part of the story.
Will his stand bring down the entire shameful edifice that is ACTA? No. Is it an important part of the battle that is being fought and must continue to be fought? Yes.
He got ACTA signed in Europe.
That's not how I understand it. I think you got misled by the misleading title of TFA/TFS. He's not the 'EU ACTA Chief'. He was the European Parliament's rapporteur on ACTA. His job was to investigate the issue and produce a report on it.
Dropbox drops it like it's hot.
I think my faith in humanity might yet be vindicated.
Not so fast.
He got ACTA signed in Europe. He did the job he was paid for, only now can he say whatever he likes.
He did no such thing. Signing is the responsibility of the respective member countries, specifically their ministers. In "EU-speak" the Council. The next step is to get ACTA ratified in a) the EU parliament and b) the national parliaments, without which ACTA is just a piece of paper with no impact whatsoever except for wasting a lot of time.
What this man did was (at first glance) admirable. Had he done this after the ratification in EUParl had gone through, not so much, but that vote is not until in a few months, and is going to be a highly influenced by this kind of high-profile action.
Still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't call your MEP to make them aware of this action, and the importance of saying no to ACTA
Since ACTA is yet to be passed by the parliaments, then "might" is the right word.
Dropbox drops it like it's hot.
Fortunately, for evil to lose not much more is required than for good men to do something.
It's funny for me to read this not two minutes after I finished Roger Hutchinson's book High Sixites, a sweeping view of 1960s youth culture. The final pages are an interview with the artist Jeff Nuttall held in 1991, at the end of the Thatcher era. Nuttall poignantly recalls that he thought at the time that his generation had triumphed, that conservative forces should just step out of the way since they had already plainly lost. And then came two decades (and more) that did away with all that they had accomplished, and with their hope itself.
For our own generation, the genie may well go back in the bottle...
Depends which side has more money. Evil is profitable.
He's a little fucking late, don't you think?
Nope, handing over the report and quitting at the same time is perfect timing, especially if you want to draw attention to why you are quitting. Finishing what he started shows he's a professional, had he quit half way through they would have simply replaced him with someone more malleable.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Also he is now free to tell all and sundry, as often and as loudly as possible exactly why he quite. He is basically in the best position to deliver a swift kick in the goolies to ACTA in Europe.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
If you've ever been a manager, you'd know that being "in charge" of something doesn't always mean "in charge" the way you think it should. Obviously, there are larger forces at work here and rather than battle them himself and lose, he's letting the world know what's going on. I think that's a smarter plan. There's some very powerful people behind this legislation. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of whatever tactics they might employ.