Norway has oil and gas, real wealth not paper wealth as in Iceland.

Moreover, if the existence of the norvegian stabilization fund they set up with energy revenue is a sign of intelligence and responsibility, money did not went to their head… either collectively or individually.

For what is worth, “droves” of icelanders are expected to leave the island too, especially the young: it’s logic.

Start from extremely simple life in Iceland as it comes to bureacracy.
Accept from visits to change adress or change ownership of the car almost everything could be done online or by the phone.
Small example:
When you buy a car in Poland, you have to fill 8 papers, visit 2 offices 3 times (every time waiting in a queue, 2 times to the cashier’s desk- no money transfers, no online application:)). It could take one or two working days.
Don’t ask me about what is going to be done, and how many papers filled when you start a business
And this is a country member of EU.
In fact, membership in EU only multiplies the “paper duties” for ordinary citizen.
So, back to Iceland – how free we feel here! No stress from the state impact on life and no time wasted, so we can focus on work and… SAVINGS.

This is another thing.
What a man is working for ?
To work for paying debts ?
Or to work for savings and investing?
During this “gold rush” time in Iceland not everybody took loans bigger than was able to pay. It was possible to make quite a money.

For me, starting an adult life with a mortgage is one of the most stupid thing a man can do. We live there where there is work, so it is better to be flexible.
My uncle wich is a computer scientist in Silicon Valley, bought his first house with a cash at the age of 45.
I knew some Icelanders who did the same, buying first house at 50. And they are not catched in debt. They were earning money to save, not just to spend and take more loans.

If you can’t afford sth, don’t buy it.

Now I see the funny rush for used, cheap cars in Iceland, and a huge “utsala” of these shiny, funky, expensive gimmick you used to show off.
I remember my colleague staff laughing at me when I tend to use a 10-15 y.o. cars, when they bought a new car every 6 months.
They earned twice as me, but now I have a car and money, and they have debts and no money to run these cars.

As it comes to corruption and nepotism.
It is everywhere.
I have an impression that a membership in EU makes even more possibilities to that.
And take a look at Greece.
They are in EU, they heve Euro, and they cheated about its economy like Icelandic polititians.
But the latter were not supposed to be supervised by anyone, like it is in case of Greece.

The world economy fundamentals are rotten.
So the outcome of crisis in Iceland is not only due to “inside job” of poor polititians, economists and greedy businessmen, but due to a wider problem.

So, at the end, I am really curious which country is more FAIR to this guy.

And I can assure you that this guy won’t be hugging a TV anywhere…

But I move to Iceland in Deceber 2009 after a 1,5 of wandering between Spain, Ireland and Poland.

Iceland is the most exciting place to live nowadays.

Well clearly the goberment is achiveing the desired results. People getting tired and bored of this ICESAVE thing that pople will start not careing and bodering anymore, and at the end will just be so tired that will just accept anything just to “get this over with” and “move on with our lifes” (Im starting to hear this alot), so at the end people will just vote yes, just to make this go away. This was the plan of the previous gberment from the beginning, leave this to the “new” goverment(which is controlled by the same people) block it block it untill people get bored withit they accept it, “we” were not the goberment that accepted it, and then qe take over again.

In other worsd, be carefull of what you get tired of, because thats exactly what they are aiming for.

So can Icelanders who are not indebted or minimally in debt.

“I do hope you eventually find your fairness, but I doubt it will happen in this lifetime.”

Now that just sounds rude…