Right now the nation is waiting on the most useless information ever from the Progressive Party. Who were their largest donors in the last few years? Even though the party will open up its books, the sensitive info will be nowhere to be seen.
 

Last night, new Independence Party chairman Bjarni Benediktsson tried to convince the nation that the party had cleaned up the mess regarding the FL Group/Landsbankinn scandal. That is with the resignation of Andri Ottarsson and the disclosure of a manager from Landsbankinn, Steinthor Gunnarsson and Thorsteinn Jonsson, a large shareholder and board member of FL Group that Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson only asked them to go and raise money for the party. So the party that held its convention two weeks ago under the slogan “Lets go to work with a clean slate”, is now mostly annoyed that this scandal was made public before the election. 

The Social Democrats (what they prefer to be called than the Alliance Party) got 36 million ISK in contributions above 500.000 ISK in 2006. 

Actavis hf – 3.000.000, Baugur Group hf – 3.000.000, Eignarhaldsfélag Samvinnutrygginga – 1.000.000, Eimskipafélag Íslands – 1.000.000, Exista – 3.000.000, Eykt – 1.000.000, FL Group – 3.000.000, Glitnir – 3.500.000, Kaupþing – 5.000.000, Ker hf.  - 3.000.000, Landsbankinn – 4.000.000, Milestone –  1.500.000, SPRON –  1.000.000, Straumur Burðarás – 1.500.000, Teymi – 1.500.000

I don’t know, I have a lot of experience in marketing and relationship management and when businesses or individuals have funded my projects I make sure they are happy. Similarly when I have funded projects I have expected goodwill instead from the recipient. But Icelandic politicians seem to think of themselves as charities. That’s probably why some of them were so apparent on invitation trips abroad on the behalf of businesses like FL Group and the banks, Bjorn Ingi Hrafnsson of the Progressive Party for example. 

At least Bjarni Benediktsson had to answer a straightforward question on the news last night, whether he had been on a trip to an NBA game in the private jet of Hannes Smarason. The answer was a resounding no and it is comforting to hear a politician answer a difficult question, although most people are probably still doubting the honesty of his answer. But then, that just comes with that slogan about cleanliness one week and then all sorts of misleading answers about the donations and who were behind them (Kjartan knows nothing, Gudlaugur knows nothing, then they know, no one is telling, then they are when proof is presented…all very trustworthy). 

Now the media awaits the information that the Progressive Party itself says it is dying to reveal. They firmly believe that in order to win back the trust of people, all books should be open back until 2006. Or that is at least what MP Birkir Jon Jonsson says, the chairman Sigmundur David Gudlaugsson has had the most convenient case of flu in recent history and not been available to the media. It is funny though, most people outside their circles would prefer to see the books of all parties since 1998 since Iceland was turned into a Ponzi scheme.

But even though the Progressive Party will open its books, they are hardly full of damning information. Many serious donors in the past decade  have been surprised to find that when they have tried to transfer their donations to the party, the owners of the receiving accounts have not been the party at all but little known background people in the party.

Lets just hope they have covered their tracks well enough, so that the trust they say they deserve will not diminish.

Related posts:

1. Do You Trust The Progressive Party?
2. Discussion On Household Debt Held Hostage By Progressive Party
3. IcelandTalks: The Indefence group, Kaupthing and the Progressive party
4. Progressive Party To Save The Day…Or Not Really
5. The Independence Party FL Group/Landsbanki Scandal