Davíd Oddsson

Who lied?

February 8, 2010

There is much talk in the Icelandic media these days over remarks made last week by two high ranking Dutch officials during a hearing by an investigative committee. One is the head of the Dutch National Bank [their central bank], and the other an official with the Dutch Financial Supervisory Authority. During the hearing, both [...]

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I sneak a peek onto the Mbl website

January 29, 2010

You know the worst thing about not reading Morgunblaðið any more? I miss the ingenious satire of my favourite cartoonist. Halldór was not one of the ones fired from Morgunblaðið when Doddsson took over, despite the fact that he has been known to throw a punch or two. Which may be because he’s not an [...]

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Doddsson hauls out the ammunition

January 29, 2010

So, old Davíð Oddsson – key player in Iceland’s economic collapse, Prime Minister for 13 years, Central Bank director preceding the meltdown, currently editor-in-chief of Morgunblaðið – appears to be preparing the groundwork for his defense in anticipation of the Black Report. As I’ve stated repeatedly, I no longer read Morgunblaðið [well, except when it's [...]

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Lest we forget

January 21, 2010

Quote of the day – no points for guessing who it’s about: The main instigator [for abolishing the National Economic Institute* and Competition and Trade Authority] was the Prime Minister from 1991 to 2004, who later appointed himself Central Bank Director. He was discharged after the collapse. A short while later he became the editor [...]

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The Icelandic Press Photography Prize

January 17, 2010

A reader sent me a link to an interesting article written by a [non-Icelandic] panel member for the 2009 Icelandic press photography prize [thanks Bill!]. Make sure they pay upfront… no-one could resist a wisecrack when I was invited to lead the jury for Icelandic Press Photography Prize 2009. Arguably, there’s never been a more [...]

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Doddsson sweeps the corners

January 14, 2010

So, it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything of our friend Davíð Oddsson: he who has the ability to turn Icelandic society on its head with one pithy remark; he who was instrumental in launching the Icelandic rise-and-fall with the privatization of the banks; he who installed himself in a cushy job at the [...]

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To swallow or not to swallow, redux

January 5, 2010

Interesting video from Channel 4 in the UK on the Icesave debate [albeit prior to the president's veto]. Particularly interesting to see Davíð Oddsson claiming the Icelandic state could “swallow” those debts if worse came to worst. Need it be said that Doddsson is now one of the most vehement opponents of the Icesave bill? [...]

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My personal stand on Icesave

January 3, 2010

In the comments to the last post, someone who calls himself Gagnráðr asked me point-blank where I stand on the sticky topic of Icesave. A fair question. Like most Icelanders, I have, throughout the process of endless discussions and negotiations, been a] so sick of Icesave that I never want to hear the word mentioned [...]

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Doddsson’s quotation marks

December 9, 2009

In the last post I wrote about the statement issued by the press unions in Scandinavia, in which they express their grave concern about the state of the media here in Iceland. They make particular mention of the fact that Davíð Oddsson was recently hired as editor-in-chief of Iceland’s oldest and most established newspaper, Morgunblaðið. [...]

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The Scandinavian press unions voice their concern

December 7, 2009

Last week, the journalists’ unions in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland issued a formal statement expressing deep concern about the state of the media here in Iceland. The statement outlines their view that freedom of the press and freedom of speech have recently been under attack in Iceland. This based on the fact that a [...]

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