A Curious Nation’s Meeting

October 15th, 2009 → 6:51 pm @ Dadi

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A Curious Nation’s Meeting

Much is being made of an intended Nation’s Meeting which is due to be held at Laugardalsholl on November 14.
The stated intent of the meeting is “to raise up the national discussion, above the daily arguments and arguments on single issues and cast our eyes to the future, built upon the common values of the nation. The goal of the national meeting is to energize the wisdom of the population and make it accessible for everyone who is interested in providing to the rebuilding of Icelandic society and economy.”
Invitational letters have been sent to 1.200 Icelanders, who have been picked randomly from the National Registry. Additionally the representatives of 300 institutions and organizations have been invited.
The whole day will be spent in groups of nine and a special method will be used to ensure everyone’s participation in the discussion. Results and ideas will be collected by a powerful processing group.
The group behind the meeting calls itself the Anthill, but the name refers to the loads that individuals find hard to move themselves and need to be moved in unison.  The group contains people with diverse  opinions and backgrounds but first and foremost are burning with desire to point the way forward to a brighter future for Iceland. The group is volunteering its work, and the  meeting and its results will be “owned” by the nation.
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In the press releases little mention is made of who is behind the Anthill, or who is paying for the whole shebangs. Those who arrive by plane will be reimbursed. Coffee, lunch and dinner is served and then there is the small matter of renting the venue, printing and delivering of the invitations etc.
I hate to be the one who’s pooping at the party but this whole thing seems queer. Is this just a glorified Herbalife-meeting, a Dale Carnegie session on steroids, a hug-fest or what? A relative who got an invitational card mentioned that it had the feel of a religious gathering.
At the time of writing, more than 2.300 people have signed up for the Nation’s Meeting on Facebook and most of the media have published its press releases. It is amazing how eager people are to sign up for something like this without apparantly knowing the following:
a) Who is behind the Anthill?
b) How is the whole thing being paid for? Who is paying? Why?
c) What will be done with the information gathered? How is the material gathered supposed to be “owned” by the nation?
d) What is the follow through going to be like afterwards?
e) Who is going to speak on the behalf of this gathering afterwards? How?
f) How is the Nation’s meeting going to implement and spread the wisdom gathered?
g) Who elects them to do so?
h) If an idea is voiced at the gathering, could someone else use it to his/hers gain?
i) Does the Anthill have employees? What happens with the donations it is gathering? Who is able to distribute its funds?
j) What is Mobilitius? Why is the Nation’s Meeting presented by Mobilitus? Who is behind it?
The people behind the Anthill are Gudjon Mar Gudmundsson, Maria Ellingssen, Halla Tomasdottir, Larus Ymir Oskarsson, Bjarni Snaebjorn Jonsson, Gunnar Jonatansson and curiously enough Svandis Svavarsdottir, minister of environmental affairs.
At first sight it seems like a gathering of people who like to talk but not listen. And that this gathering will mostly benefit the Anthill’s founders CV’s. Maybe get them onto a TED stage or two?
But hey, maybe I’m just too cynical? Personally I think the public discussion in Iceland is healthier than it has been since I can remember.

Much is being made of an intended Nation’s Meeting which is due to be held at Laugardalsholl on November 14.

The stated intent of the meeting is “to raise up the national discussion, above the daily arguments and arguments on single issues and cast our eyes to the future, built upon the common values of the nation. The goal of the national meeting is to energize the wisdom of the population and make it accessible for everyone who is interested in providing to the rebuilding of Icelandic society and economy.”

Invitational letters have been sent to 1.200 Icelanders, who have been picked randomly from the National Registry. Additionally the representatives of 300 institutions and organizations have been invited.

The whole day will be spent in groups of nine and a special method will be used to ensure everyone’s participation in the discussion. Results and ideas will be collected by a powerful processing group.

The group behind the meeting calls itself the Anthill, but the name refers to the loads that individuals find hard to move themselves and need to be moved in unison.  The group contains people with diverse  opinions and backgrounds but first and foremost are burning with desire to point the way forward to a brighter future for Iceland. The group is volunteering its work, and the  meeting and its results will be “owned” by the nation.

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In the press releases little mention is made of who is behind the Anthill, or who is paying for the whole shebangs. Those who arrive by plane will be reimbursed. Coffee, lunch and dinner is served and then there is the small matter of renting the venue, printing and delivering of the invitations etc.

I hate to be the one who’s pooping at the party but this whole thing seems queer. Is this just a glorified Herbalife-meeting, a Dale Carnegie session on steroids, a hug-fest or what? A relative who got an invitational card mentioned that it had the feel of a religious gathering.

At the time of writing, more than 2.300 people have signed up for the Nation’s Meeting on Facebook and most of the media have published its press releases. It is amazing how eager people are to sign up for something like this without apparantly knowing the following:

a) Who is behind the Anthill?

b) How is the whole thing being paid for? Who is paying? Why?

c) What will be done with the information gathered? How is the material gathered supposed to be “owned” by the nation?

d) What is the follow through going to be like afterwards?

e) Who is going to speak on the behalf of this gathering afterwards? How?

f) How is the Nation’s meeting going to implement and spread the wisdom gathered?

g) Who elects them to do so?

h) If an idea is voiced at the gathering, could someone else use it to his/hers gain?

i) Does the Anthill have employees? What happens with the donations it is gathering? Who is able to distribute its funds?

j) What is Mobilitius? Why is the Nation’s Meeting presented by Mobilitus? Who is behind it?

The people behind the Anthill are Gudjon Mar Gudmundsson, Maria Ellingssen, Halla Tomasdottir, Larus Ymir Oskarsson, Bjarni Snaebjorn Jonsson, Gunnar Jonatansson and curiously enough Svandis Svavarsdottir, minister of environmental affairs.

At first sight it seems like a gathering of people who like to talk but do they like to listen? And that this gathering will mostly benefit the Anthill’s founders CV’s. Maybe get them onto a TED stage or two?

But hey, maybe I’m just too cynical?

Related posts:

  1. InDefence: Request For A Meeting With The Dutch Finance Committee
  2. The Wisdom Of Crowds
  3. Iceland’s Sheep On The Bandwagon
  4. Inept Althingi – Inept Nation
  5. Merciless Transparency To Build A Better Nation And Avoid Magma Suspicion
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