14 Useless Political Cowards

Say what you want about the members of the Althing who voted for or against the Icesave agreement.  A “yes” vote burdens the country with a yet unknown amount of debt while a  “no” vote would have made the country a financial outcast, deepening an already serious crisis.  

 What needs to be pointed out is the 14 members who, after months and months of meetings and debate, still found themselves incapable of making a decision on the most significant vote in Icelandic history. 

The job of a member of the Althing  in its most basic, but otherwise most important function is to discuss and then make a decision with the information available.  These 14 fools think that they can escape public scrutiny of the vote by not voting at all.   

By not voting at all, these 14 members have shown they have no political spine to do the job and do not deserve to be leading Iceland in such a serious time.  This is exactly the weak  “leadership” that got Iceland into the mess it is in today.  These 14 members of the Althing have brought shame to their position and should all resign immediately. 

GTB

Icesave-frumvarp samþykkt

Wine - the Preferred Excuse of Politicians

"A glass of wine with dinner." Wasn't that line already used by Eyþór Arnalds when he tried to explain driving through (not into, mind you) a light pole and then switching seats with his wife?   I guess we are supposed to imagine  Sigmundur sipping a nice bourgundy out of fine stemware.  I does sound more sophisticated than " a mug of beer with supper".  It is important to note that wine does have a higher alcohol content than beer,  but beer does have that blue collar, frat party image to contend with. Yes, it much better to say you had a glass of wine.  I feel much better hearing it was wine and I am sure everyone else is just as relieved.

 

GTB

 

Fékk sér léttvín með mat

Rescue Funds Wasted on a Photo Op

I have said it before and I will say it again until people realize this simple fact. The government has plenty of money. At least when it comes to doing the things they deem important.  A bid for the UN Security Council, 22 members of the Althing on minister pay, or two trips to China by the Minister of Education. But somehow the public has to face a reduction in service to  "save" money. I would like Ragna Árnadóttir to explain how the rescue helicopters can't be used to put out fires or retrieve a human body because of the cost, but no expense has been spared for a fucking photo op.

GTB

 

Neituðu að senda Gæsluþyrluna

First a Financial Hurricane, and Now a Real One

Hurricane Bill is going to miss the US but could hit Iceland as early as Tuesday.  Perhaps someone should ask Geir Haarde if Iceland can withstand the wind.

GTB

Bill Clinton þurfti að flýja nafna sinn

Political Blunder

Framsóknarmenn have no reason to continue to complain about the Icesave agreement.  Their party missed the chance back in July to put themselves in a better position to control the events that are now unfolding. 

In July, the Althing voted on whether or not to formally apply for membership in the European Union.   The vote was close, 33 in favor to 28 against.  Had the vote gone the other way, the government of Samfylking and VG would have collapsed since 6 of the members of VG voted against the bill.

All Framsóknarmenn had to do was stay together on that issue, politically, and have everyone vote against EU membership.  But three members, Guðmundur, Siv, and Birkir Jón voted in favor. Had these three voted the other way, the count would have been 31 to 30 against, the bill would have failed and so would have the government.

Had the government collapsed, Framsóknarflokkurinn, along with Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn could have had the possibility to form a new coalition with VG since all three parties are very close, idealogically, on the two biggest matters today, EU membership and the ICESAVE  agreement.  (Regardless of what Steingrímur says publicly.)

Samfylking would have had very little chance of holding power as there is bad blood between them and Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn from the previous government. Samfylking would have to give in too much on the ICESAVE agreement to win over both Framsóknarflokkurinn and Borgararhreyfing, needing both to maintain a majority.

So all that Framsóknarmenn needed to do was to give in on the short term goal and vote unanimously against EU membership to achieve the longer term goal of having some say in the ICESAVE agreement.  As politicians, this is what they they are supposed to be good at; playing politics. Because of their inability to see the bigger picture, this political blunder left their party  looking inept and without any power.

 

GTB 

Vilja vísa Icesave-máli frá

18.08.2009

Commissars and pin-striped bosses role the dice
Any way they fall guess who gets to pay the price-

 

Lyrics by the Grateful Dead in the song,"Throwing Stones" that all too well relate to the Björgólfurs, Landsbanki and the ICESAVE debt the Icelandic taxpayers now must pay.

 

"RESULTS OF THE SURVEY ARE STARK"

That is a direct quote from the summary of the survey of international banks and other financial institutions with stakes in Iceland taken by the British business law service, Norton Rose.  Here is a more sobering quote from the summary-

Investors see Iceland’s problems as largely of its own making rather than as a direct result of the international financial crisis. Some 86 per cent point to lack of domestic controls, and more than a quarter blame a home-grown financial crisis or simple greed. As one investor says, “The global crisis only revealed what was wrong with Iceland.”

Most respondants to the survey have no faith the the Icelandic government or its institutions, would not invest in Iceland in the near future and, most telling, see no recovery in the country’s financial sector for at least two years.

Well, as my grandpa used to say- "Looks like we are up Shit's creek without a paddle."

 

GTB

Vörumerkið Ísland stórskaddað

Don't Do It

Whatever Borghildur Guðmundsdóttir does, she should not return with the children to the United States.  If her former husband has joint custody of the children than the US law requires that the children stay in the US and cannot be taken out of the country without the approval of both parents.  Also, if her former husband did not give written permission to Borghildur to leave the US with the children than she could also be facing criminal charges for child abduction.  Even if she is never formally charged with a crime, the fact that she left the country with the children could be grounds for the removal of her custodial rights. 

There is nothing to gain in following the High Court's orders, and possibly she could lose both children.  I agree with Axel  http://axelthor.blog.is/blog/axelthor/entry/928601/ that she should retain legal council with respect to Article 66 of the Icelandic Constitution. I would even go as far as to seek intervention in the matter by the Icelandic President using Articles 29 and 30. The latter is a long shot but every legal avenue should be exhausted.  I wonder if Iceland even has the instruments in place to force such and order from the Court.

I highly recommend that Borghildur do everything she can to stay here with her children in Iceland. To return to the US with them is far too risky for her now.

GTB

 

Íslenskri fjölskyldu vísað úr landi

Something Not Right Here

Recommended freezer life of beef is about 6 months.  Even if it were vacuum packed, the most it could be kept is around 2 years.  It is doubtful, therefore, that whale meat coud be kept for 17 years without loss of quality.   That issue aside, what is the point of announcing that any meat used in a restaurant is 17 years old?  This is not good advertising either to get people to order whale meat or even go to this restaurant.  As stated in the title, something is not right here.

GTB

Hvalkjötið dugði Úlfari í sautján ár

Bill Has Still Got It

Bill Clinton, the former US President, today secured the release of two American journalists who were being held by North Korean authorities.  North Korean dictator Kim Jong II finally agreed to pardon the the two after Clinton promised to share a "special" cigar to celebrate the journalsts' release.  This is the benefit of having a former president that also has negotiating skills.  He can be sent on goodwill missions and, in this case, missions to free Americans wrongly detained.  However, America also has another tool in its diplomatic bag now.  Had the two journalists actually been spying  and the US wanted them to "disappear" to avoid an embarrasing situation, the US could have sent George W. Bush to North Korea. Surely the journalists' sentences would have been changed from 12 years inprisonment to death with Bush's unique style of negotiation. 

GTB   

Clinton semur við N-Kóreu