IsumaTV

inuitattackatigiit:

dolgematki:

punkmermaid:

olodumare:

ICELAND. Why no news from Iceland? How come we hear everything about the need for “Austerity” in Greece, Spain, Portugal but no news about what’s happening in Iceland?

In Iceland, the people has made the government resign, the primary banks have been nationalized, it was decided to not pay the debt that these created with Great Britain and Holland due to their bad financial politics and a public assembly has been created to rewrite the constitution.

And all of this in a peaceful way. A whole revolution against the powers that have created the current global crisis. This is why there hasn’t been any publicity during the last two years: What would happen if the rest of the EU citizens took this as an example? What would happen if the US citizens took this as an example.

This is a summary of the facts:

2008. The main bank of the country is nationalized.
The Krona, the currency of Iceland devaluates and the stock market stops. The country is in bankruptcy

2008. The citizens protest in front of parliament and manage to get new elections that make the resignation of the prime minister and his whole government.
The country is in bad economic situation.
A law proposes paying back the debt to Great Britain and Holland through the payment of 3,500 million euros, which will be paid by the people of Iceland monthly during the next 15 years, with a 5.5% interest.

2010. The people go out in the streets and demand a referendum. In January 2010 the president denies the approval and announces a popular meeting.
In March the referendum and the denial of payment is voted in by 93%. Meanwhile the government has initiated an investigation to bring to justice those responsible for the crisis, and many high level executives and bankers are arrested. The Interpol dictates an order that make all the implicated parties leave the country.

In this crisis an assembly is elected to rewrite a new Constitution which can include the lessons learned from this, and which will substitute the current one (a copy of the Danish Constitution).
25 citizens are chosen, with no political affiliation, out of the 522 candidates. For candidacy all that was needed was to be an adult and have the support of 30 people. The constitutional assembly starts in February of 2011 to present the ‘carta magna’ from the recommendations given by the different assemblies happening throughout the country. It must be approved by the current Parliament and by the one constituted through the next legislative elections.

So in summary of the Icelandic revolution:
-resignation of the whole government
-nationalization of the bank.
-referendum so that the people can decide over the economic decisions.
-incarcerating the responsible parties
-rewriting of the constitution by its people

Have we been informed of this through the media?
Has any political program in radio or TV commented on this?

No! The Icelandic people have been able to show that there is a way to beat the system and has given a democracy lesson to the world

Okay, this is like the millionth time I’ve seen this piece passed on during the last year or so and it’s never presented with problematization, discussion or, in this case, even a source. Which is dubious in an of itself. I don’t expect those involved to bring the discussion to the English-speaking tumblr for our benefit but a closer look would def be in order.

Yeah…the referendums and rewriting of the constitution have all been overturned (see how the date the draft would be turned in by is even said as Feb 2011 in the extremely uninformed person’s post) and most of the old people have been voted back into parliament. And land and energy rights have been/are still being sold off to Canadian, Chinese and now possibly British companies…Iceland was a very wealthy country to begin with and a pretty simple economy so yeah they are coming back faster than elsewhere. And regardless of all of these factors showing what the idealists claim is not true…the rest of the world does not hear about Iceland because there are not all that many Icelanders living abroad, and very few in majority English speaking countries. News of their country is relevant to them, not everyone else.

Excellent points. Iceland is not perfect. It’s just quiet.