Loz Kaye
{{Short description|British politician and composer (born 1970)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Loz Kaye
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Loz.jpg
|image_size =
|office = Leader of Pirate Party UK
|term_start = 26 September 2010
|term_end = 9 May 2015
|predecessor = Andrew Robinson
|successor = George Walkden {{small|(Interim Leader)}}
Cris Chesha {{small|(Elected Leader)}}
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Pirate Party UK (since 2010)
|otherparty = Labour Party (until 1993)
}}
{{Pirate Party sidebar|expanded=all}}
Laurence "Loz" Kaye is a British musician, composer, activist and politician. Kaye was Leader of Pirate Party UK from 26 September 2010 to 9 May 2015.
Kaye has spoken and campaigned on digital rights, copyright law and civil liberties in the past.{{cite news|title=UK copyright law: a change for the better?|url=http://www.worldipreview.com/article/uk-copyright-law-a-change-for-the-better|accessdate=30 May 2015|work=World Intellectual Property Review|date=26 March 2013}}
Professional career
Kaye has worked as a lecturer at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts{{cite news|last1=Geere|first1=Duncan|title=Loz Kaye elected leader of UK Pirate Party|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/28/pirate-party-leader|accessdate=29 May 2015|work=Wired.co.uk|date=28 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128232415/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/28/pirate-party-leader|archive-date=28 January 2016|url-status=dead}} and has also taught extensively in Denmark in the past, including at the Danish department of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Aarhus.{{cite web|title=Teaching|url=http://www.lozkaye.com/teaching.html|website=Laurence 'Loz' Kaye|accessdate=31 May 2015}} He is a Visiting Lecturer at Salford University on the Physical and Dance Theatre Degree,{{cite web|title=Loz Kaye|url=http://www.conwaycentres.co.uk/anglesey/staff-profiles/teaching-team/loz-kaye/|website=Conway Centres Arts and Outdoor Education|accessdate=31 May 2015}} and is currently the Musical Director at Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus.{{cite web|title=MLGC|url=http://mlgc.org.uk/|website=Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus|accessdate=31 May 2015}} and the artistic director of the community music and education charity [http://www.moremusic.org.uk More Music] {{cite web|title=More Music welcomes Loz Kaye!|url=http://www.moremusic.org.uk/blog/post/04/2018/More-Music-welcomes-Loz-Kaye-|accessdate=31 July 2018|work=More Music|date=1 April 2018}}
As a composer his work is particularly associated with visual theatre company Horse and Bamboo Theatre, Huddersfield-based Darkhorse Theater and mask theatre company Thalias Tjenere.{{cite web|title=Meet our Musical Director|url=http://mlgc.org.uk/about-us/meet-our-musical-director|website=Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus|accessdate=5 Dec 2015}}
Political career
Kaye was a Labour Party activist until 1993, when he left the party.{{cite news|last1=Silvera|first1=Ian|title=General election 2015: Three things we learnt about the UK Pirate Party|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/general-election-2015-three-things-we-learnt-about-uk-pirate-party-1484498|accessdate=29 May 2015|work=International Business Times|date=21 January 2015}}
Kaye was first elected as a Governor on the Board of Governors of the Pirate Party UK in July 2010.{{cite web|title=The Board|url=https://pirateparty.org.uk/party/how-we-work/board|website=Pirate Party UK|accessdate=30 May 2015}} was the Election Agent for Tim Dobson in the 2010 general election, Dobson being the Pirate Party UK candidate to receive the most votes in that election. Following the resignation of Andrew Robinson as Leader of the party on 23 August 2010,{{cite web|last1=Robinson|first1=Andrew|title=The Pirate Party UK, One Year On|url=https://www.pirateparty.org.uk/blog/editor/pirate-party-uk-one-year|website=Pirate Party UK|accessdate=30 May 2015}} Kaye was one of four people to put their names forward as candidates in the ensuing leadership election. Two candidates withdrew before nominations closed, leaving only Kaye and Peter Brett as candidates. Kaye won the election with nearly 74% of the vote, with Brett getting 17% and 8% voting to re-open nominations.{{cite news|last1=Geere|first1=Duncan|title=Loz Kaye elected leader of UK Pirate Party|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/28/pirate-party-leader|accessdate=30 May 2015|work=Wired.co.uk|date=28 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128232415/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-09/28/pirate-party-leader|archive-date=28 January 2016|url-status=dead}} On 13 March 2011, Kaye left his role as a Governor on the Board of Governors.
As Leader of Pirate Party UK, Kaye has been a regular contributor to The Guardian.{{cite web|title=Loz Kaye Profile|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/loz-kaye|website=The Guardian|accessdate=30 May 2015}} Kaye is also Chairman of the Greater Manchester branch of Pirate Party UK. He opposed the creation of the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.{{cite news|last1=Kaye|first1=Loz|title=Greater Manchester: a right Mayoral stitch up|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/loz-kaye/greater-manchester-right-mayoral-stitch-up|accessdate=30 May 2015|work=Open Democracy|date=12 November 2014}} In March 2014, Kaye was a signatory to a letter calling for the resignation Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd.{{cite web|title=Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd, must go|url=http://www.manchestergreenparty.org.uk/news/2014/03/27/2014-03-27-gmpcc-tony-lloyd-must-go/|website=Manchester Green Party|accessdate=30 May 2015}}
In January 2012, the British Phonographic Industry threatened to sue Kaye and other National Executive Committee Officers for creating a proxy server that bypassed a court-ordered block of Pirate Bay.{{cite news|last1=Geere|first1=Duncan|title=British record industry threatens to sue politicians|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-12/16/bpi-sues-politicians|accessdate=29 May 2015|work=Wired.co.uk|date=16 December 2012}}{{cite news|last1=Kaye|first1=Loz|title=Why we are breaking the Pirate Bay ban|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/11/pirate-bay-ban|accessdate=29 May 2015|work=The Guardian|date=11 July 2012}} Following legal advice, Kaye decided to close the proxy server as a court battle would have incurred huge financial costs.{{cite web|title=Pirate Bay proxy gets shut down after music industry legal threat|url=https://www.pirateparty.org.uk/pirate-bay-proxy-gets-shut-down-after-music-industry-legal-threat|website=Pirate Party UK|accessdate=29 May 2015}}
Kaye was chosen as the Pirate Party's candidate in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election on 11 January 2011. One of the main issues that he campaigned on was better rural broadband.{{cite news|last1=Littleford|first1=Stuart|title=Candidate Interview: Loz Kaye (Pirate Party UK)|url=http://www.saddleworthnews.com/?p=5066|accessdate=30 May 2015|work=Saddleworth News|date=2011}} He won 96 votes, or 0.3% of the votes, beating only the candidate from the Church of the Militant Elvis Party. Kaye stood in the 2012 local elections in the ward of Bradford on Manchester City Council. He received 127 votes, or 5.2% of the vote, the highest percentage of votes the Pirate Party UK have received in an election to this date. Kaye proceeded to stand as the Pirate Party candidate in the Manchester Central by-election on 15 November 2012.{{cite news|last1=Kaye|first1=Loz|title=Why I'm standing in Manchester Central|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/01/manchester-localgovernment|accessdate=30 May 2015|work=The Guardian|date=1 August 2012}} Kaye received 308 votes or 1.9% of the vote, beating candidates from Respect and the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition.
In the 2015 general election, Kaye stood as the Pirate Party UK candidate in Manchester Central. He won 346 votes, or 0.8% of the votes cast. On 9 May 2015, the day after the final results of the 2015 general election were known, Kaye resigned as Leader of Pirate Party UK.{{cite web|last1=Kaye|first1=Loz|title=Moving On|url=https://pirateparty.org.uk/blogs/loz-kaye/moving|website=Pirate Party UK|accessdate=30 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128232415/https://pirateparty.org.uk/blogs/loz-kaye/moving|archive-date=28 January 2016|url-status=dead}}
Electoral performance
Parliamentary elections
| class="wikitable" |
| Date of election
! Constituency ! ! Party ! Votes ! % of votes ! Result |
|---|
| 2011 by-election
| style="background-color:#660066" | |96 |0.3 |Not elected |
| 2012 by-election
| style="background-color:#660066" | |308 |1.9 |Not elected |
| 2015 general election
| style="background-color:#660066" | |346 |0.8 |Not elected |
Local elections
| class="wikitable" |
| Date of election
! Ward ! Council ! ! Party ! Votes ! % of votes ! Result |
|---|
| 2012 local elections
| style="background-color:#660066" | |127 |5.2 |Not elected |
| 2014 local elections
| style="background-color:#660066" | |129 |3.2 |Not elected |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Laurence Kaye}}
- [http://www.lozkaye.com/ Personal site]
{{Pirate Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Loz}}
Category:Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom
Category:Pirate Party UK politicians
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Academics of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts