We returned from our hiking excursion two evenings ago and I’m only now just getting a chance to sift through the photos I took and upload them to Flickr. In contrast to many other trips the weather was less than stellar so I wasn’t particularly inspired to take photos this time around. Iceland in sunshine […] Read more
July 2009
I’m getting positively giddy at the prospect of getting in the car and heading up north – EPI and I are leaving on our hiking excursion in a few minutes. The only thing detracting from the excitement is the weather forecast – it’s set to be cold and rainy [boo!] after all the wonderful weather […] Read more
Pretty significant piece of news today: a Memorandum of Understanding was made public which reveals that British, Dutch and Icelandic authorities met in 2006 to discuss what would happen if Landsbanki went into default and could not cover the deposits of British and Dutch savers in the Icesave accounts. The MoU makes clear that the […] Read more
These are such lazy days here in Iceland – almost lazy enough to make us forget everything that happened last fall and winter and just believe that Iceland is still Niceland. The weather has been awesome – warm and sunny with a relative absence of wind. The pools are full of people [Iceland has an […] Read more
One piece of news that went largely unnoticed in all the hoopla surrounding the EU accession talks last week was the one about Russia having approved a USD 500 million loan to Iceland. As some of you may recall, talk of a Russian loan first surfaced last year, just as our financial system was beginning […] Read more
Predictably, the EU membership talks vote has been the issue of the day here in Niceland. Generally I have the sense that people are pleased, although of course there are specific interest groups that are vehemently opposed – most notably those in the fisheries industry, and in agriculture. I must say, though, that I am […] Read more
The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, has just passed a resolution to enter into membership talks with the European Union, with 33 votes in favour, 28 opposed, and two abstaining. The debate has been dragging on for days. [Or, depending on how you look at it, years.] There is massive controversy over the issue, even within the […] Read more
My first post for the nice people at the Huffpo: Fury in Iceland as disgraced banking moguls request loan write-off [Er … apologies if it sounds slightly familiar.] IN OTHER NEWS Tense times right now here in Niceland, as parliament is debating whether or not to enter into talks with the EU. It’s been going […] Read more
So, old Davíð Oddsson has resurfaced after his spectacular display of tenacity in hanging on to his Central Bank post last winter – to rant and rave about the proposed Icesave agreement. As usual he was granted what the Nicelanders call a “Queen Interview” [a.k.a. loads of space and no uncomfortable questions – the interviewer […] Read more
Apropos the last post, it now transpires that the mere dividends that the two Björgólfurs received from their ownership of Landsbanki were actually HIGHER than the loan they would now like to have written off. The loan they took to be able to buy the bank. In other words, they milked out of the bank […] Read more
