The thirty year old male raged about Johanna Sigurdardottir and called her the “worst Prime Minister Iceland has ever had”.
And this is someone who is to the left politically.
Her shortcomings according to this disgruntled voter was that she is never seen or heard. In a time of great peril to the nation she doesn’t “lead” the nation like a “leader should”. For example, she should just have hammered the IceSave bill through Althingi.
And that is the legacy of the perceived “strong leader” which David Oddson’s career as PM has left us with. A misguided reliance on “strong managers”, in other words attention seeking bullies.
From a realistic standpoint it seems as if Johanna really didn’t want to be still in politics. But she is there because she was the only one who could lead the Social Democrats. They like the Independence Party have suffered from an over-reliance on a “strong manager” for the last decade or so. What they tend to leave behind is a scorched earth, where only “yes people” and mediocrity survive in the shadow of their overbearing personality. Sensible people, future leaders opt out. That is why the Independence Party ended up with Geir Haarde and Bjarni Benediktsson first amongst people like Petur Blondal, Birgir Armannsson, Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson and Illugi Gunnarsson (women are not required to lead the Independence Party). If Johanna hadn’t ran, then the Social Democrats would have had Ossur Skarphedinsson, Arni Pall Arnason and Katrin Juliusdottir spearheading their campaign. No, Johanna was vital to a successful campaign from the left and she has remained the glue that keeps the inadequate pieces together.
The consequences are both good and bad. The good news is that in Johanna’s government, the ministers are in a much stronger position individually than David Oddson’s lapdogs ever were. Ogmundur Jonasson’s hissy fits would not have been made public in the secret chambers of David’s governments. Opinions of others than the leader are aired in the open, with consequences for those who hold them of course. The flip side is that Steingrimur J. comes off as the one holding the reins, and while he is taking the fight on issues like IceSave and budget cuts, the Social Democratic ministers have dropped some important balls, like Arni Pall Arnason regarding household debts, Katrin Juliusdottir on the Verne Holding issue and Kristjan Moller on building bridges and tunnels to nowhere.
I for one don’t miss the “strong management” style of Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir and David Oddson in Icelandic politics. Good leaders allow others to blossom around them, and all they seemed to grow was weed. It would be good to hear less cries for stronger leaders and more demands for a strong nation with a fit government.
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rifek
2 years ago
Mr. Disgruntled doesn’t seem to understand the perils of “The Man (or Woman) on Horseback” even though they’re splattered across human history. And what was it George Santayana said about forgetting history?
Dadi
2 years ago
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Man_On_Horseback
Brilliant reference rifek