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From the Independence Party convention
So why did one Icelander in five think that the Independence Party was the right party to get the country out of the economic mess it is in?
Akin to giving the drunkest person at a party the keys to your car to drive you home, it may sound ridiculous. It just makes no sense.
But the answer might be found in Bill Maher’s movie Religioulous. In his mockumentary on religion, he interviews two men from Utah whose life changed when they left the mormon church. Their social circle and safety net was gone.
Many have pointed to the similarities between religious and political belief. A statement like the one a twenty year old Social Democrat made before the election is striking, “The difference between you and me is that I have a wholly formed opinion”. Having discovered the one and only truth so early in life, he did not have to search anymore.
A pastor would have been proud.
Iceland is a small country and your circle of friends often ends up being of a similar disposition. In the small towns where I grew up a group of friends work together, play golf together, watch football together and barbecue together. And they vote for the Independence Party together.
It is not late-night ponderings on the works of Milton Friedman or thorough examination of Adam Smith and comparison with Karl Marx that unites many of them. It is a safety net, provided by a small community that sticks together no matter what. The political parties know this and they actively recruit and make people feel like they belong.
Peer pressure can work wonders in a small society.
Like the religious, these groups are suspectible to prophets. A former musician, an out of job TV reporter or a smart salesperson can garner a lot of support by befriending them.
Another similarity, their faith is strong, especially when countered with a percieved common enemy. People really go to extraordinary lengths to protect what they believe in.
Even if it might not be true.
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Petur
2 years ago
Very good point you make in this post. I have myself been amazed by some of my friends, otherwise very intelligent and free-thinking young people, supporting the Independence party in this election. Worse still, I heard from some of them that David Oddsson is a great man who has suffered grave injustice. It is indeed, a blind trust that borders on religious lunacy.
Roy
2 years ago
“I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue.
“I was able to get a sense of his soul. ”
Delusion is abundant…
Dadi
2 years ago
Yeah, Dubya’s got it all figured out