Swan Song

I did my best to sit through the Kastljós interveiw with Davið Oddsson but I really didn't see the point.  I had heard all of  the arguments before.  He says he warned of the impending crisis. That the banks had zero chance of surviving.  After watching Geir Haarde in the Hardtalk interview - you know, the "I quess I should have", interview, I have no doubt that Davið told something to this effect to Geir.  When asked by the interviewer if Davið had said something like this to Geir, instead of flat out saying "No", Geir replies that he won't discuss the private conversations he had with Davið. Translation......YES HE DID. And so what.  If the head of the central bank couldn't see the problems Iceland was heading to all he had to do was read some international papers written on the subject long before it happened.  So all this proves is that the man can read, not that he was Noah warning of a flood.

Ok, so the banks are the ones that caused the crisis. I got it. You warned the government (controlled by your own former political party, nice way to let them take the fall) that the banks would fail.  Got it.  Again, so what. Davið is missing the point.  The point is about trust in the Central Bank and I have already listed several objective reasons why he should be removed. (See the blog entry)  http://www.gregg.blog.is/blog/gregg/entry/799167/  not because of the crisis but because of former political affiliations, education, and work performance.  If he thinks his work performance was so great he must have stopped reading the international news after the crisis hit.  Many well respected economists are completely shocked he still has his job.  Davið states that as a sign of trust the foreign banks allowed money for Icelandic businesses to go through the Central Bank.  When it is the last bank standing did they really have any choice?

This interview was just Davið's swan song.  He was composed and calm and I think he even got sentimental when he called the Central Bank "bankinn minn"(my bank).  How nice.  Hopefully this is his last week in the job and hopefully his last interview on the subject.  It should have been put to rest with Davið doing he honorable thing and stepping down.  Instead he has chosen fall down.

GTB 

 

 

Davíð í Kastljósviðtali

Athugasemdir

[Anna Benkovic Mikaelsdóttir, 24.2.2009 kl. 23:59]

i agree

[Jón Gunnar (IP-tala skráð) 25.2.2009 kl. 01:52]

I see that you are not dead, still whining and complaining. No, we don't know each other.

And yes, I have also heard all your arguments before by people that used to hang around the Kárahnjúkar Dam all summer long and "protest" (to be read drink beer and have sex with strangers in tents) and hang around at Sirkus Pub and play chess when they were in town and curse Davíð Oddson like the plague.  I hate to break it to you but your blog entry about this interview is not inventing the wheel all over again, it has been heard before and it still sounds as pointless as you claim the interview with Davíð was.  My bet is though that around 70% of the nations population was watching and listening to what he was saying and to see the dramatic change in peoples commennts on news of the interview in Davíð's favour is quite refreshing and hopefully a sign that the brainwashing of the Baugur Group with all it's media companies could be washing off.
Hopefully you will take a bath too.

Regards,

Jón Gunnar

[Sigurður Þór Magnússon, 28.2.2009 kl. 23:30]

What brainwashing are you talking about? I'd like to know. And of course it's baugur's fault...  HOW??  Brainwashing, it's always pretty easy to point fingers. Say all you want, blog all you want, stereotype who you want(obviously) what I hate is people that say s**t and can't back it up!