Economic Disaster Area » elections

Religous Belief In The One True Party

Dadi — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:45:48 +0000

From the Independence Party convention

So why did one Icelander in five think that the Independence Party was the right party to get the country out of the economic mess it is in?

Akin to giving the drunkest person at a party the keys to your car to drive you home, it may sound ridiculous. It just makes no sense.

But the answer might be found in Bill Maher’s movie Religioulous. In his mockumentary on religion, he interviews two men from Utah whose life changed when they left the mormon church. Their social circle and safety net was gone.

Many have pointed to the similarities between religious and political belief. A statement like the one a twenty year old Social Democrat made before the election is striking, “The difference between you and me is that I have a wholly formed opinion”. Having discovered the one and only truth so early in life, he did not have to search anymore.

A pastor would have been proud.

Iceland is a small country and your circle of friends often ends up being of a similar disposition. In the small towns where I grew up a group of friends work together, play golf together, watch football together and barbecue together. And they vote for the Independence Party together.

It is not late-night ponderings on the works of Milton Friedman or thorough examination of Adam Smith and comparison with Karl Marx that unites many of them. It is a safety net, provided by a small community that sticks together no matter what. The political parties know this and they actively recruit and make people feel like they belong.

Peer pressure can work wonders in a small society.

Like the religious, these groups are suspectible to prophets. A former musician, an out of job TV reporter or a smart salesperson can garner a lot of support by befriending them.

Another similarity, their faith is strong, especially when countered with a percieved common enemy. People really go to extraordinary lengths to protect what they believe in.

Even if it might not be true.

Waiting For What?

Dadi — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:06:47 +0000

They should have suspected that the possibility might occur that they would win the required majority of votes in last weekend’s election.

So what are we waiting for?

Five days later and there is still no announcement of an agreement between the Social Democrats and the Left Greens. What is going on?

They keep repeating that they are in no hurry, but then they are not really representing their constituents properly. The collective sigh of relief breathed by the nation when the election was finally over is making way to despair.

Don’t you see the country is broken? You have been allowed to lead the way, but do you know where you are going?

I only buy parts of the explanation that they don’t see eye to eye on the EU. I suspect the bigger hold-up relates to the fact that this is one of the largest financial mess any country has found itself in in recent history. And they aren’t sure which road-map to trust on the way out of here.

We are fed up with waiting. What are you going to do?

Much has been written about the Independence Party, the Progressive Party and the Social Democrats and the parts they played in the ruin. But the Left Greens have to start showing that they are able to handle complex matters and offer solutions.

All their existence so far has revolved around being against. When you’re always against you don’t have to offer solutions. Atli Gislason, MP tread in that quagmire earlier this week when he said he was totally against talks with the EU, other options should be looked into. It is always a dollar, Norway or something but rarely a well thought out plan. The people who have managed to climb the steps in the party seem to have focused their interest on issues that relate to values. Feminism, nature-issues etc. that are very important indeed but hardly what is required to stop the fire. The importance that was given to banning strip-clubs from operating in Iceland during the 80 days previous to the election was peculiarly odd.

So are we waiting for the Left Greens to complete a crash-course on economics? Or could it be something as terrifying as waiting for May 1st to declare a victorious new left-wing government? That would be a major eff-you to the nation for the benefit of ideological spinsters.

Premier Wants Iceland to Join European Union

Dadi — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:55:27 +0000

With opinion polls showing views on European Union membership about equally divided among the 320,000 people in this remote land on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Ms. Sigurdardottir has linked her political future to gaining entry to the 27-nation union. She said Saturday at a news conference that applying for entry was an overriding priority for the Social Democrats, and that she hoped that terms for Iceland’s membership could be agreed to within 12 to 18 months.

“We want Iceland as soon as possible to join the European Union and adopt the euro,” she said. She added brusquely, “I should emphasize that this is a priority issue for the Social Democrats.”

From the NY Times

Iceland puts paid to Viking capitalism

Dadi — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:51:05 +0000

Russian style privatisation and rapid deregulation lead to exponential growth of the financial sector. In less than a decade, Iceland went from a resource-based economy, dependant on fisheries and geo-thermal energy, to a financial giant. We were all taken by surprise: where did the money come from?

The answer came in October. We were living on borrowed time. After the devastating collapse of the country’s financial sector, these election results are perhaps a message of a new beginning – at least a clear break from the Viking capitalism that has left the country in economic ruin.

From The Guardian

An Icelandic Voter Poops In Voting Booth

Dadi — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:22:26 +0000

Some ate their ballots, one woman bit hers and one voter decided to occupy his booth for an hour to prevent others from voting.

But the quirckiest story of the election when more people than ever (3,2%) left their ballots blank in protest over the economic and political situation belongs to the 26 year old woman who brought a camera with her into the voting booth and proceeded to relieve herself on the floor and use the ballot as toilet paper.

You can see the video here. [NSFW]

Downloading this is of course entirely up to yourself.

It was removed off YouTube but has obviously gained a cult following. Democracy at work? At least she seems to give a shit

The famous behind belongs to a member in an activist group which posts on aftaka.org

At the Polls, Icelanders Punish Conservatives

Dadi — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:10:31 +0000

Nobody has been able to put an overall price tag on the meltdown, though some estimates run to $10 billion, $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. The bank collapse alone is expected to cost taxpayers nearly $3 billion, on top of another $3 billion the government has invested in the new nationalized banks built on the wreckage of the old. More than $1 billion has been pledged to pay out foreigners who deposited money in the collapsed banks, mainly in Britain, whose action in using counterterrorism laws to freeze the Icelandic banks’ assets in October is widely regarded here as having started the collapse.

Against this grim backdrop, the election unfolded in a climate of Nordic tranquillity. Although police reinforcements were deployed to protect against any effort to disrupt voting, election officials said they were more concerned with the logistics of counting votes, a process involving a squadron of light aircraft and small boats that ply between the Icelandic mainland and outlying islands, than with any deep concern about political disruption.

From the NY Times

Iceland Takes Two Steps To The Left

Dadi — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:12:23 +0000

The picture is pretty clear although some minor changes might occur when they count the strikeouts in the next couple of days.

X-S: The Social Democrats are the biggest winners of the election. They scored 30% and are now boast of the largest support in the country, up 3,2% from the last election and manage to add two new members of parliament. They didn’t measure this highly in the polls beforehand which indicates that they received many of the undecided votes. The big talking point seems that as the discussion has moved towards the EU, the Social Democrats gained because they were the first to take a stand with entering into talks. This is a massive victory for Johanna Sigurdardottir who once declared that her time would come. It has and she thouroughly deserves it for maintaining her fierce stand for all the right values of a fair society, in a time when it was under attack.

X-V: The government scores a majority with the Left Greens coming in at 21,5%, a 7% gain and adding 5 members to the parliament. At one point it looked like the lead would be even bigger but this is remarkable news. In Icelandic history, voters have never before swung so dramatically to the left. But there is disappointment. The Left Greens have boasted about being the largest party that didn’t have anything to do with running the country in the last couple of decades and scored a lot better in the polls than in the eventual results. Theories abound that many who wanted to vote for them couldn’t make themselves do it when they entered the booth because of some extreme leanings in some quarters of the party. That would have been the gain of the Social Democrats and the Citizen’s Movement. Environmental Minister, Kolbrun Halldorsdottir doesn’t manage to keep her seat. The party might have to concede to the Social Democrats on entering talks with the EU to stay in.

X-D: Was it a crushing defeat or a major victory? When the chips are down, voting for the party that changed Iceland into a hedge-fund should have been as sensible as Germans voting for the National Socialist German Worker’s Party in the late 1940′s. But then again, the Germans didn’t have the choice at the time and many probably would have. The Independence Party lost ten seats in parliament and 12,8% of their following. Battered by infighting and shocking revelations of the interwowen web between its leaders and the largest banks and businesses in the past few years, they were always in for a defection. But why do 23,8% of voters still trust the party to do the best job. Old habits die hard and the party has more than most managed to build a religious fervour within its ranks. It would have been interesting to see a breakaway party formed by the most hardcore following run because then we’d probably be writing the Independence Party’s obituary. Expect cries of Iceland becoming communist and the throwing of large Bonus-pigs from the giant glass house the party currently occupies while they get to work on stopping the rot within.

X-B: The Progressive Party gained 2,9% and 3 members of parliament with 14,6% proving that advertising works. Especially if you promise people free money as the party did with its 20% proposed writeoffs and plaster your ads on bus stops next to high-schools. This former powerhouse might rejoice but are still toxic for most to work with.

X-O: The nation goes to the parliament. A huge win for the nine-week old Citizen’s Movement. Sometimes being new and relatively untainted carries a lot of weight. Populist and therefore easy to like, they have been given a chance with 7,3% and four members of parliament. Now lets see how they use it. Bringing them into the government might sharpen lines and give the government extra leverage.

X-F: The Liberal Party is wiped out with 2,2%, down from 7,3% and losing all four seats in the parliament. The party, formed around the resent towards the fishing quota system has been rife with infigthing and frankly less than reliable characters. Reaped what it sowed.

X-P: The Democratic Movement got the votes of its own candidates and a couple of their family members and therefore 0,6%. A couple of decent ideas were overshadowed by the curious ensamble of candidates. Imagine Boris Johnson and Larry Flynt leading the WWF as a political party.

The most likely result? The government will keep working together, merge some ministries, hire experts as ministers, attempt a national assembly on the constitution and try to figure out how much trouble the country is in. Expect the Left Greens to give in on the EU, as the Social Democrats could theoretically form a majority with the Progressive Party and the Citizen’s Movement. That would probably lead to nothing but trouble, allowing the Independence Party to court the Left Greens. Bringing the Citizen’s Movement into a three-way with the outgoing government might be a fortunate move if they dare.

So now you have the shovels, so start digging.

Update 1hr later: The Independence Party has added one taken from the Progressive Party.

To The Left

Dadi — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:17:43 +0000

Unsurprisingly the first numbers indicate that the government of Social Democrats and Left Greens win a 53% majority and 35 out of 63 seats in Althingi.

The Independence Party looks set to lose around 10 seats and the Progressives make an improvement.

The Liberal Party is wiped out and the Democratic Movement only gets votes from its own family members.

The Citizen’s Movement is on the verge of getting five seats, but might settle for four.

The government holds but a twist in the tale is that there is a 54% majority for EU talks behind the Social Democrats, Progressives and the Citizen’s Movement.

The A-L Of The Icelandic Election

Dadi — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:11:15 +0000

a) The election is held to formally authorize the digging of shit

b) No one still knows how much shit there is to dig because no one has still managed to stick their head out of the pile to look.

c) It appears that old shit-dispensers are out of fashion. The Progressive Party and the Independence Party for example are so rusty at the bottom end that endless shit is leaking from their hubs.

d) People do not agree on which way to dig themselves out.

e) It seems likely that those with the most trustworthy shovels will be given authority to start digging. For example Johanna Sigurdardottir and Steingrimur J. Sigfusson who are unlikely to have so much shit in their own backyard. People don’t necessarily like the Social Democrats or the Left Greens but their leaders have trust which is invaluable at the moment.

f) New shovels might become fashionable. Like other new products they have to go through the early adopters stage, like the Citizen’s Movement. They appear to be rising in popularity and bring novelties to the table like allowing the nation to have a say in how it is governed.

g) Many with shit on their faces could get elected but that is alright. People always think when they see them, “There goes that person with shit on their face”. Most people tend to avoid people with shit on their face.

h) A big issue is whether we actually give a shit about becoming a part of the world around us and should therefore apply for EU membership. The word on the street is that we don’t have a choice in the matter anymore. We are in too deep.

i) Asthor Magnusson and the Democratic Movement? Shit! And still makes more sense than many others running for office.

j) The authority given this weekend for some people to start digging has a lot of conditions tied to it. Whispers abound that when the digging starts a lot of mud will flow and the job will be extremely tough. People might lose their patience and few believe the term will last the whole two years without another election.

k) Unless everyone will have given up on all this shit and moved somewhere else.

l) Except for those who love shit.

PS: I did not forget the Liberals. They are like Waldo, somewhere in the picture but still invincible.

Election Will Move Iceland to the Left

Dadi — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:36:30 +0000

On Saturday, Icelanders are likely to do something they haven’t done in more than two decades: Vote a left-wing government into power.

The new government will face the enormous task of cleaning up the wreckage of the country’s collapsed financial system. It will also need to resolve internal divides over a touchstone issue: whether Iceland — long proud of its go-it-alone spirit — should join the European Union.

The parliamentary elections are the North Atlantic nation’s first since the credit crunch in October felled its entire banking system, turning Iceland from a prosperous and happy Nordic country riding high on the riches of finance to a land of swelling unemployment and economic gloom.

From the WSJ