At best, only useful for spreading the main ideas. But as all anarchist know you cannot work within the system to change it, there must be a revolution that abolishes oppression head on.

In fact the only reason to create an anarchist party is a a method to spread ideas but not to actually run in elections - what's the point anyways. even then it would be questionable because anarchist movements dont have to take the form of a party to spread the main concepts of anarchism.

Good for getting our ideas out there, but it is not possible for us to work within the framework of the system, and expect real change. Our only option is to take direct action.

Exactly Quinn.

My intention of running in elections would be to adopt a Sinn Féin like approach, i.e. stop the system from functioning by abstaining if the seat were to be won.

Originally posted by CaptainBarac:

My intention of running in elections would be to adopt a Sinn Féin like approach, i.e. stop the system from functioning by abstaining if the seat were to be won.

There are some parties doing that that without any relation with the anarchism (in SPain Escaños en Blanco for example), if you run a plotical party no matter if you participate into elections, it will be not an anarchist party, just a libertarian (spanish definition and european, not US) party.

The closest to any "anarchist party" I can think of that exists in real life might be the German pirate parties and pirate parties in other countries. But they don't truly follow anarchism, and involvement in government violates anarchism. Abstaining once elected is an interesting idea, but not likely an effective one unless we took up all the seats in congress/parliament.

In Germany there was an anarchist party (Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany) but it rather was a trolling.

> In Germany there was an anarchist party (Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany) but it rather was > a trolling.

Which was not really anarchist but more how many ""punks"" in Germany see anarchism (aka: they don't have a damn clue about the word. Best story was one guy from netherlands I know actually teaching german small city streetpunks about what anarchy really is. he solved some of the city's problems with that and next time he got there, many people thanked him for improving the cities live :D)

> The closest to any "anarchist party" I can think of that exists in real life might be the German > pirate parties and pirate parties in other countries.

Written in 2015 this is just funny. The pirate party of Germany is the one which achieved less than what they wanted to achieve when they started and lost their direction on the road from back then to now, became just another lost cause like "B90/Grüne".
The pirate party of the state I live in in Germany is a good representative, I got the chance to talk to talk to someone who was head of one of the bigger local pirateparties in this state for years until he quit, and it's 60% "but we want credit for that thing we just said, we'll fight you" and post-feminist-society views (which we don't have yet) and 40% of the people just actually want some real results.

I stopped following them because the newer party "Die Partei" is the closest thing to trolling and being sarcastic at the same time.

I didn't know anything about the state of the pirate party in Germany, but I must say that I am not surprised. It's a shame that it was such a failure. The idea that CaptainBarac mentioned about blocking parliaments and congresses through inaction is interesting, but unlikely to work. They would never get elected in large enough numbers, and even if they did, the ruling class would find some way to kick them all out and refill it anew.

but theres always a chance though to try, isn't that why we exist in the way we do?

Depends on the country, comrade :P Maybe in Scotland, cause it wouldn't work where I live. Even "legitmate" third parties haven't a chance.

aye I understand that, the youth is certainly growing warm to socialism and anti-establishmentarianism in the US

There's no point in voting.

There's not even a point in discussing about the effectiveness of votes in politics for the nth time in 300 years.

Though I must admit it took me some time to understand the specifics, but it's okay.
I nullify my "votes" in voting for parties which are like "Die PARTEI", sarcastic approach on politics.
Nothing can be changed here by voting and possibly nothing will ever change in this country the next 50 years, like the decades before (we even have a word for that). If something changes, it was most likely caused by things other than voting.