Icesave

How to cook whale and other pressing concerns

March 9, 2010

My friend Eamonn Fitzgerald, a fellow blogger on the THINK initiative, has a wee interview with me today on his blog, taken the day after the Icesave referendum. What’s the “morning-after-feeling” like? Apprehension? Elation? Gloom? Party time? “No change, really. The referendum was kind of pointless because the deal that was being voted on was [...]

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The 1,000 words

March 8, 2010

For anyone who missed it, I cannot resist posting this fabulous photo taken by Jo of Jóhanna, Birgitta and Sigmundur Davíð on referendum night. That smug look on SD’s face just kills me – and the look on Jóhanna’s just says it all. IN OTHER NEWS I have a post up on The Grauniad’s website [...]

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The morning after

March 8, 2010

As the dust settles on the Icesave referendum, why do I feel like I have a hangover when I don’t? For a referendum that was ostensibly about nothing, it sure took a lot out of everyone. And now supposedly 60% of the nation say they don’t want to pay at all. I want to crawl [...]

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What’s next for the Icelandic government?

March 7, 2010

So the big question around here now is: What will happen to the government now that the Icesave referendum is over. The opposition of course keeps banging about how this represents a vote of no confidence for the government and that they should resign, while Jóhanna and Steingrímur insist that they have no intention of [...]

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93.2%

March 7, 2010

… Was the percentage of the Icelandic electorate that said NO to the Icesave bill yesterday. The NO result was a foregone conclusion – the only thing of interest, really, was how large a margin would be by which the bill would be voted down. Mind you, at noon today, not all the votes were [...]

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Good news!

March 6, 2010

Sigrún Davíðsdóttir, RÚV’s London correspondent, who is definitely one of the best reporters on the Icelandic collapse in any language, has started a blog — in ENGLISH! Here is Sigrún commenting on the Icesave referendum on Al-Jazeera yesterday: [Her bit starts at around 8.30 minutes] Sigrún’s blog is here.

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Referendum rundown

March 6, 2010

It’s been a rather gray and gloomy day, this day of the first national referendum since the founding of the Republic of Iceland. I got up [relatively] early and headed for the gym. It was packed and I was slightly surprised that I did not hear the word “Icesave” mentioned once. Not in the fitness [...]

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A missive from the land of confusion

March 5, 2010

Excerpt from a broadcast by Eiríkur Guðmundsson on RÚV yesterday: Apparently there’s a referendum this weekend. No one knows what the referendum is about or what exactly it is for. But there is definitely a referendum. Nobody knows how they’re going to vote, or why they should vote; most people I’ve talked to have said [...]

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Landsbanki for Eurovision!

March 5, 2010

This video has featured prominently on Icelandic blogs this week. It’s a motivational video for Landsbanki staff in which the singer belts out a tune about gildin okkar — “our values” — RESPECT, HONESTY, ENTHUSIASM and PROFESSIONALISM. Motivational? Ehhh … you decide. Personally I think we should send Landsbanki to represent Iceland in the Eurovision [...]

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Jóhanna sends a clear message

March 5, 2010

As if the government wasn’t in enough trouble with public opinion here at home, Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir has publicly announced that she plans to shun the referendum tomorrow. “To me it is pointless and I find it is very sad that the first referendum since the founding of the republic revolves around legislation that [...]

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