Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the IMF has told a group of Icelanders who requested a meeting with him that the IMF had not made any demands regarding a solution to IceSave, but the Nordic countries had made it a condition before committing loans to Iceland.
There is a a grave misunderstanding in Iceland regarding the IMF, that it is some sort of independent entity which does as it pleases to promote laissez faire capitalism. The truth is somewhat more sober, it is controlled by the member nations and their message is that Iceland cannot expect help without acknowledging its responsibilities in the international community.
Some Icelanders see this as a betrayal from their “cousin” nations, but it is hard to say they didn’t try to sound the warning sirens regarding the banks’ shaky foundations. Besides, while Icelanders still cling onto a dated image of Nordic cooperation, the other Nordic countries except for Norway are now members of the EU.
Strauss-Kahn also told the group that the roots of Iceland’s problems could be found in the privatization of the banks. So no one is deluding themselves about David Oddson being a great leader in the big world outside our tiny little window.
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Blubber
2 years ago
True, our neighbors where sounding the alarms and the island folk decided to ignore them. And now some 30% want to vote for the IP and keep ignoring what the world is telling us.
What is it going to take for Icelanders to understand what happened?
( What is WRONG with people? I’m beginning to think that the people who settled Iceland were kicked out by their fellow Norsemen on grounds of stupidity. A Darwinist move to keep Scandinavia smart.)
hmmmm
2 years ago
hold your horses. first of all, Icelanders are not unique. Neither in
their wisdom nor stupidity. All that happened really had to happen to extra-small country like Iceland.
And those 30% of IP people are ok. A man with integrity does not change his views at midage. Afterall, about 30% should have profited and are profiting in a cheaper Iceland right now. And only if those 30% invested their boom year profits into kronur, only then their wit has to be questioned. So basically a redistribution of wealth has happened, it ended into a higher taxes but that’s it. A classical nationalization of debt. Nothing new or special actually.
Blubber
2 years ago
“Facts change, but my opinion never does.” -
Stephen Colbert
hmmmm
2 years ago
Blubber: “Facts change, but my opinion never doe”
swinging between left and right does not help. What is needed is a competition INSIDE left and right.
Blubber
2 years ago
I would argue that there is not much of a left and right to swing between.
hmmmm
2 years ago
“I would argue that there is not much of a left and right to swing between.”
mmm, may be between Christianity and Budda then ?
the fact is that both left and right are concerned about money more than about electorate. Money elects them. That’s the problem.