What is Fanney Birna Jonsdottir thinking of her beloved Independence Party today?
The only candidate for the leadership position of SUS (Association of Young Independence Party members) on the morning of election Sunday, the moderate conservative who’s been working her way up the party ladder for years might have been forgiven for thinking that this would be her day.
Then 23 year old Olafur Orn Nielsen touched down in a rented 50-seater airplane loaded with “supporters”, announced his candidacy, paid the membership fees for the merry bunch of political youngsters and won the election by a difference of 8 votes.
Sleazy in the best of times, a declaration of war in these times.
Olafur is an employee of Morgunbladid’s IT department and belongs to a group of hard-line conservatives who are loyal to David Oddson’s arm of the Independence Party. Last winter I anticipated an ideological war in Iceland, it has now begun. The bases of influence are being loaded by the hard right and they’ll use any means necessary.
The future of the Independence Party is a curious one. If Fanney Birna and the more moderate conservatives are so true to their cause that they are willing to be used as doormats by the hard-liners then a large part of the country’s voters is moving further to an intolerant and extreme right. Its advancement might be fuelled by the Laurel & Hardy act currently underway within the government.
On the other hand, the moderate right could separate themselves from David Oddson, either by fighting back within their party or break away.
Interesting times ahead.
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September 28th, 2009 → 12:51 pm @ Dadi
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