Pirate Party candidate bids for seat on the city council

MEMBERS of the city council have been labelled many things but come September they could be joined by their first pirate.

A member of The Pirate Party has thrown his hat into the ring to replace former councillor Ian Murray at in the Liberton/Gilmerton by-election.

Philip Hunt, 46, a freelance computer programmer from Marchmont, was a founder member of the UK wing of the party, which was formed in Sweden in 2006 in response to attempts to outlaw Internet filesharing website The Pirate Bay.

Mr Hunt said: "I would also like to see the creation of a new taxibus service in Edinburgh, a combination of a bus and a taxi which will divert its route every time it receives a new call to take a number of passengers to its destination.

"Ultimately, I foresee thousands of these vehicles criss-crossing Edinburgh in a few years time, and with the right computer programme coordinating it all it could be done fairly inexpensively."

The Liberton/Gilmerton by-election, to be held on 9 September, was called in response to the resignation of Ian Murray to take his seat in Westminster as MP for Edinburgh South.ends