tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44502371717900542012024-03-13T15:35:18.048-04:00Invite Iceland InIceland is facing financial crisis, the polite thing to do is to invite them to join Canada.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-90048798128795635052013-06-09T02:26:00.000-04:002013-06-09T02:26:37.879-04:00Iceland responsible for the French RevolutionIt is amazing the impact Iceland has had on world affairs.
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<a href="http://http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/2013/06/08/8-june-1783-how-the-laki-eruptions-changed-history">How the Laki eruptions changed history</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-23097889429717740712012-08-22T10:14:00.000-04:002012-08-22T10:14:05.398-04:00Iceland's Tax Revenues SoarThe Icelandic Treasury has released its report on public finances during the first half of 2012, showing continuation of Iceland's dramatic recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.
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Tax revenues have soared by ISK37.8bn (USD330m) while expenditures have only risen by ISK19.4bn (USD170m) as compared with one year ago for the small USD14bn Icelandic economy.
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These figures are better than expected, and the country has cut its budget deficit from around 14% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008 to 2.3% of GDP in 2011 while also reducing its sovereign debt.
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As compared with 2011, Iceland has especially collected significantly higher corporate income tax revenues. Value-added tax, property taxes and excise taxes on motor vehicles are also part of the reason why tax revenues have soared during the period, due to tax rises kicking in.
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Following the 2008 financial crisis which brought Icelandic banks to their knees, the Icelandic government sought help from the IMF at a time when national banks needed to be saved, the country's deficit was at 14% of GDP and recession was threatening.
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Under the bailout deal, Iceland committed to cut spending and it tightened its comparatively low corporate taxation, made the tax system more progressive by hiking taxes while safeguarding low incomes, and increased already high indirect taxes.
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<a href="http://www.tax-news.com/news/Icelands_Tax_Revenues_Soar____56876.html">http://www.tax-news.com/news/Icelands_Tax_Revenues_Soar____56876.html</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-46288242023414288482012-07-05T01:50:00.000-04:002012-07-05T01:51:17.063-04:00US Vendetta against Icelandic Member of ParliamentThe US really seems to have a problem with the notion that their jurisdiction is or should be limited to the prosecuting of those who are either their own citizens, who commit crimes in their or other countries, or the citizens of other countries who commit crimes on their soil.
It is utterly absurd to contend that those who reveal that the US war machine commits crimes, and then lie about them, as happened in the helicopter gunship attack on journalists, are themselves in any way party to a crime in thus causing some embarrassment to the US. Lies deserve embarrassment. Indeed one might instead argue that if those within the US responsible for prosecuting war crimes, which attacking unarmed civilians is (and which the US had clear video footage of) do not live up to their responsibilities to police their own, then it becomes the responsibility of all other nations, including Iceland, to bring such crimes to the light of day.
Thanks, Iceland, and in particular Birgitta Jónsdóttir, for having the courage to do so.
<a href="http://http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/03/evidence-us-judicial-vendetta-wikileaks-activists-mounts">Evidence of a US judicial vendetta against WikiLeaks activists mounts</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-52538963932626603322012-03-06T23:24:00.003-05:002012-03-06T23:29:23.864-05:00Young Conservatives Want to Legalise DrugsIt seems that conservatives in Iceland are more enlightened than those in Canada.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/Young-Conservatives-Want-To-Legalise-Drugs">Young Conservatives Want to Legalise Drugs</a>.Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-47746571565636397622012-03-05T10:53:00.002-05:002012-03-05T11:11:16.767-05:00Iceland's ex-PM Geir Haarde tell court he is innocentAnd so begins the <a href="http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/73944--iceland-s-ex-pm-geir-haarde-tell-court-he-is-innocent-as-historic-financial-crisis-trial-opens">blame game</a>.<br /><p><br />My own perhaps ill informed opinion is that the buck stops with Bill Clinton, who forced US banks to loan to high risk borrowers, the better to give those without hope of ever owning their own home a leg up. This resulted in the banks developing arrangements where the impoverished need to pay little up front, and were offered the assurance that by the time their payments rose dramatically, they could sell for a profit. Beware the law of unintended consequences.<br /><p><br />No one seems to have seriously considered the flaw in this arrangement, which was that (as with every pyramid scheme) eventually it would not be possible to sell houses for a profit, and the US would be left with a nation of debtors who were no longer prepared to make payments on that debt.<br /><p><br />That said it may well be that the Icelandic government really was neither aware or particularly interested in the internal workings of their own banking industry. It is the wise person who checks for defects in a system before they manifest themselves. And given the economic prosperity that the banking sector offered Iceland, it would at the time have been perhaps seen as <i>looking a gift horse in the mouth</i> to question the source of that prosperity.<br /><br />I am very grateful to my own federal government for its regulation of the Canadian banking system. While it almost certainly resulted in our banks being denied the opportunity to play roulette with our nations funds, it as certainly ensured that our banks never bought into the types of high risk debt that came close to derailing the US and British economy, and did derail the Icelandic economy.Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-52081095758750836122012-03-04T23:18:00.003-05:002012-03-04T23:46:12.643-05:00The Arctic LeagueThe proposal for an <a href="http://forums.annexation.ca/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=8147&start=0">Arctic League</a> is interesting because it echoes one of my arguments in favour of Iceland joining Canada.. specifically that it would make it easier for Canada through Iceland to become a member of the Nordic Nations with ties to Scandinavia, while making Iceland both geographically and politically central to such a cross Atlantic cooperative.<br /><br />My concerns with the proposed "<i>Arctic League</i>" is that were I an American I would feel it very unfair to exclude Alaska from this league, while if I was a Russian, I'd feel that this was a western voting block designed to oppose or thwart Russia's claims in the Artic. <br /><br />With Russia, and/or Alaska at the table, smaller nations might well feel intimidated, but they might find themselves potentially equally intimidated if absent Russia and/or Alaska at the table, either took offence at the existance of such an Arctic League.Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-23177833987623466982012-03-04T23:01:00.002-05:002012-03-04T23:04:27.465-05:00Canadian Ecomists discuss the idea..The comments on this blog (which discusses the adoption of the Canadian Dollar by Iceland) seemed pretty interesting.<br /><br /><a href="http://worthwhile.typepad.com/worthwhile_canadian_initi/2012/03/iceland-and-the-loonie.html">Iceland and the Loonie</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-10513190888035632362012-03-02T16:49:00.011-05:002012-03-02T18:05:52.973-05:00Canada ready to discuss letting Iceland share currencyIn an interesting turn of events, it appears that Canada is ready to discuss letting Iceland use the Canadian Dollar as its internal currency.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2012/03/02/canada-ready-to-discuss-letting-iceland-use-its-dollar/">http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2012/03/02/canada-ready-to-discuss-letting-iceland-use-its-dollar/</a><br /><br />On the one hand immediate thoughts turn to the consequence of Europe permitting Greece to adopt the Euro as its national currency, and fears that Iceland might become to Canada what Greece has become to Europe. But Iceland is not Greece. <br /><br />Iceland has a tiny population compared to Canada, and an industrious workforce, that has been self sufficient these last thousand years. While there perhaps might need to be checks and balances on borrowing, I don't see why including Iceland in the block that uses the Canadian dollar, should alarm anyone more than are already alarmed by the ability of each of the provinces of Canada to rack up provincial debt on that same Canadian dollar. <br /><br />So presuming that Icelanders were shopping for a currency, what advantages would they derive from employing the Canadian dollar as their currency. Since the obvious alternative is the Euro, right now the Canadian dollar appears more robust. Buying into the Euro would implicitly mean buying into the bailout of Greece, and potentially other European nations with similar difficulties. Long term, I expect the Canadian dollar to continue to rise against the US Dollar. <br /><br />The US is horribly over-extended, without seemingly the political will to address its deficit. As is said jokingly of the US, <i>"a billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you are talking real money"</i>. In addition the US dollar derived much of its historic economic strength from being the defacto reserve currency which until recently nations tended to horde against some future rainy day. The days of the US dollar being a trusted currency given its recent collapse in value are over.<br /><br /><br />Love to know what Icelanders think about the preferred Icelandic currency.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/12/09/icelandic-economists-urge-their-country-to-adopt-canadas-currency/">Icelandic Economists argue for the Canadian Dollar over the Euro</a><br /><br />cf: <br /><a href="http://www.afponline.org/Article_Detail.aspx?id=10737419422">http://www.afponline.org/Article_Detail.aspx?id=10737419422</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-10573742036009010742011-08-23T16:58:00.003-04:002012-03-02T23:04:12.913-05:00Why Iceland should be in the news but isn'tOn balance Iceland's better off being below peoples radar. So for that matter is Canada.<br /><br /><a href="http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/728.1?frommailing=1">http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/728.1?frommailing=1</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-57121916175011903082010-12-09T19:43:00.003-05:002010-12-09T20:05:08.310-05:00U.S. to host 2011 World Press Freedom DayThe venue of Washington DC for this three day conference from May 1st to 3rd 2011 is Orwellian. The notion that the US supports Press Freedom is entirely discredited by recent events, and UNESCO should not be lending credence to US claims that it does, by allowing the US to host this event.<br /><br />I am championing the suggestion that Iceland would be a much better venue for this conference than the US, and hope that UNESCO which organises this conference and others involved in its production agree.<br /><br />Iceland has recently enacted progressive legislation that provides sweeping protection of freedom of the press, since Iceland following its own domestic problems now sees the merit in having the media better able to report truths, before falsehoods undermine nation states. Iceland is accessible from both Europe and North America, and I imagine that most attenders would be far more comfortable and far safer meeting in Iceland, than incurring all of the risks associated with being a journalist visiting the US these days.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.htm">U.S. Department of State Press Announcement</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.connect.connect.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=180494898630526&topic=477">World Press Freedom Day Facebook Discussion</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/07/wikileaks/index.html">Anti Wikileaks lies and propaganda</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-78415080217583199402010-12-03T18:51:00.001-05:002010-12-03T22:11:37.660-05:00World running out of new places to fishThe world's fishing industry is fast running out of new ocean fishing grounds to exploit as it depletes existing areas through unsustainable harvesting practices, according to a study published Thursday.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=world-running-out-of-new-places-to">Scientific American</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-74539429126085749772010-11-17T02:42:00.001-05:002010-11-17T02:45:14.759-05:00Icesave costs Iceland less than expectedA draft of an agreement between Icelandic, British and Dutch authorities on the dispute regarding Landsbanki’s Icesave deposits payback scheme has been completed and presented to parties of interest.<br /><br />Vilhjálmur Egilsson, managing director of the Confederation of Icelandic Employer (SA), said the draft indicates that the Icelandic state will contribute much less to Icesave than originally expected, possibly ISK 60 billion (USD 532 million, EUR 391 million).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=370239">Iceland Review</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-11377184616560684172010-11-15T02:09:00.004-05:002010-11-15T02:15:41.622-05:00Love you forever confidentiallyFormer Prime Minister of Iceland Davíd Oddsson and Foreign Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson were unaware as to the purpose of the list of the “coalition of the willing”—nations supporting the US-UK invasion of Iraq in 2003. The publication of the list came as a surprise; they thought it would be confidential.<br /><br />Oddsson and Ásgrímsson decided to place Iceland’s name on the list two days before the invasion began. Tómas Heidar, an international law specialist at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs considered the invasion illegal and notified the ministers of his opinion the day the invasion began, Fréttabladid reports.<br /><br />Light is shed on the events leading up to Iceland’s declaration of support in 67 documents, almost 300 pages, made public by the Foreign Ministry yesterday.<br /><br />The documents confirm that the decision was made by two persons, Oddsson and Ásgrímsson. The decision was made without consultancy with the Althingi parliament or the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=370108">Iceland Review</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-45039163918917089792010-11-15T01:59:00.002-05:002010-11-15T02:03:29.590-05:00Alien Landscape Alien PeopleThe Icelandic Alien Society felt compelled to issue a statement after the interview with Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr on RÚV’s news magazine Kastljós on Monday that he is not an alien, contrary to his claims.<br /><br />The statement reads that although some of the mayor’s behavioral patterns and his physical appearance might indicate that he is from outer space, the society’s closer investigation into the matter has concluded that he is, in fact, an earthly creature.<br /><br />The society concluded that Gnarr has both a social security number and human parents and a well-known, albeit dubious, history. Gnarr appears to have “simply the same political sloppiness syndrome as most other third-class politicians who cannot do much else than to go back on their promises.”<br /><br />“These factors do not characterize most of the aliens who have visited the earth, whom we know only by their good deeds,” the society’s statement reads.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=370123">Iceland Review</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-44316451745459592012010-11-01T12:56:00.001-04:002010-11-01T12:58:08.102-04:00Icelands fishermen face net banIceland’s Minister for Fisheries has decided to change the country’s new rules on mackerel fishing, banning fishing nets altogether.<br /> <br />Iceland’s three thousand tonne quota has been given to small and medium sized boats and can only be fished with lines, hand reels and traps, Visir.is reports. The Minister, Jon Bjarnason, came to his decision after the National Union of Fishers pointed out that mackerel nets could also catch salmon as by-catch. Salmon is not allowed to be targeted by ocean fishermen around Iceland.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/19/iceland-mackerel-fishermen-face-net-ban">http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/19/iceland-mackerel-fishermen-face-net-ban</a><br /><br />[Sounds like a responsible decision to me]Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-36582291954403213762010-10-29T11:20:00.002-04:002010-10-29T11:35:23.924-04:00So who owns the Mackerel.The Icelandic delegation in the mackerel coastal state talks—the second series of meetings ended in London yesterday—is discontent with the latest proposal from the European Union and Norway, a 3.1 percent share in the mackerel quota. <br /><br />“The unfair position of Norway and the EU, which is reflected in their ridiculous proposal of a 3.1 percent share for Iceland in the mackerel fishing quota next year, is disappointing. The proposal is completely unrealistic and does not contribute towards resolving the issue,” commented Tómas H. Heidar, the delegation’s chairman, to Fréttabladid.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=369560">http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=369560</a><br /><br />Aside:<br /><br />If the mackeral are to survive, someone is going to have to teach them to stay out of the EU.Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-60904278373468318452010-10-23T00:19:00.002-04:002010-10-23T00:34:03.409-04:00Down the Rabbit Hole of Cabbie Depression[Don't take rides with strangers]<br /><br />Soon darkness will envelope all for months on end and snow will fall mingled with hail, sheeting the windshield in freezing cold white. Such is the time for the depressed to wallow, for the forlorn to simmer in deep funk. The inching lapse of time and creeping stretches of wait pile up infinitely as the mind softens and slowly turns to mush. I vowed once for an end to this but my means are meagre and the coins call for me to claim them, the bills beg to be bound in my billfold. <br /><br />I long ever to be the drunken lout whom I serve, as alcohol keeps the wolves at bay. I know indeed that it is a fine custom for a man to lock tight his heart’s coffer, keep closed the hoard case of his mind, whatever his thoughts may be. Yet I bare these feelings freely without care of being judged. Only by distribution can sadness be cast away, or by infecting others, my state be made to seem less wretched. Bereft of joy, I, by sorrowful utterance, bereave others of theirs. <br /><br />Finally I catch a fare. Why does this please me, I wonder. Once safely shipped to whatever destination only more futility awaits. Safely shipping briefly considers ceasing as carelessly crashing presents a final solution. Might it be I’m listening to too much Neurosis? Should I perhaps switch to FM 957 and for a while become a happy zombie with its gleeful head swimming in sickeningly sweet and frothy pop culture hell bent on ever discovering a lower common denominator on which to breed a bleached hair generation of functional retards? Should I rather be happily monosyllabic than sadly eloquent? I probably will never know. <br /><br />Tonight I spark an incorrigible flame and toke a jay. I get high on hate and loaded with bile, contempt and loathing. I run lights and ignore stop signs. I heed no limits and strive to end this ruined life continuum. I’m playing a game you see. Whoever is the biggest dick fare tonight gets to join me in the great beyond with a high-speed crash gasoline fire as the expedient. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/Winter-Awaits-Down-the-Rabbit-Hole-of-Cabbie-Depression">http://www.grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/Winter-Awaits-Down-the-Rabbit-Hole-of-Cabbie-Depression</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-11889506480811086282010-10-23T00:10:00.002-04:002010-10-23T00:14:32.805-04:00A Nation Of BarebackersIt’s 4:30 in the morning at the 10-11 on Austurstræti, as a night of steady drinking, sweaty dancing and anonymous groping comes to an end. Couples slobber and dryhump through the aisles, clutching sandwiches and Coke to power-up for a night of sloppy fucking and awkward re-introductions in the morning. At the check-out line, the display rack of condoms and lubricants is practically untouched and ignored.<br /><br />For the most part, Icelandic culture is more open and accepting of casual sexual activity than most places in the world. This cultural aspect has been popularised overseas to the point that the country’s leading airline managed to advertise ‘Dirty Weekend’ trips for years and Reykjavík is now a classic stag party destination for hooting British males. What the airline’s marketing campaign did not divulge to horny tourists was that ‘dirty’ should be taken quite literally and they might go home with more than they bargained for. The condom is not very popular in Iceland.<br /><br />...<br /><br />None of the young people I spoke with had any reasonable explanation for why there is such a pervasive aversion to slapping on a jimmy-hat and seemed apathetic to think of one. I turned to Sigurlaug Hauksdóttir for answers. Sigurlaug is a social worker at the Icelandic Directorate of Health and holds a Masters degree in parental sexual education. Her view is that condom use in the country is, indeed, insufficient, attributing it to several factors. “One reason is people here start to have sex very early, especially girls,” she told me. “European research has showed that Icelandic girls are the third youngest to start having sex, behind Greenland and Denmark. When kids start having sex very young, they are very vulnerable. It’s harder to assert themselves, say no and insist on using a condom.” <br /><br /><a href="http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/A-Nation-Of-Barebackers">http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/A-Nation-Of-Barebackers</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-41450484551671281032010-10-22T09:21:00.003-04:002010-10-22T09:41:20.634-04:00See Iceland for less..For as little as $379 roundtrip, fly nonstop to Iceland or 10 European cities, all of which stop over in Iceland’s scenic capital, Reykjavik. Departures from Boston, New York City and Seattle.<br /><br />But be warned.. Iceland being at its northern tip within 1km of the artic circle gets dark early in winter, and light late. That said, you'll see sunrises and sunsets, lighting up an amazing landscape without any loss of sleep. Iceland really is breakfast as the end of the universe.<br /><br />I think Iceland should build a pier, or offer boat trips to Grimsey, just so that tourists visiting Iceland could make a day trip to the Arctic Circle, while in Iceland. Its at 66'33" North. I've crossed the Arctic Circle in another land of the midnight sun, but that was in Alaska north of Fairbanks -- not Iceland.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.travelzoo.com/airfare/europe/907824">http://www.travelzoo.com/airfare/europe/907824</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.travelzoo.com/search/?q=Iceland&tab=1&locationcode=111926&locationcode_type=c&x=19&y=11">Much too short package tours</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-66051692067336331572010-10-21T09:25:00.002-04:002010-10-21T09:27:36.503-04:00EU and Greenland clash over Arctic issuesThe European Union has accused Greenland and other Arctic nations of failing to ensure the environment in the far north is properly safeguarded. Vice president of the EU, Diana Wallis, said she could imagine “people on the streets” protesting if wider international stewardship is not guaranteed.<br /> <br />Greenland’s foreign minister responded to the allegations by accusing European countries which are pushing for a ban on deep-water drilling of suffering “panic reactions” after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Wallis, however, said at the meeting at Cambridge University this week that wider participation in the Arctic Council must become a reality.<br /><br />“It’s got to be widened out. If we don’t do things then people will take to the streets to make sure something is done over climate change,” she said in a report by the Guardian.<br /><br />Interest in the Arctic region has increased in recent years as global warming has triggered a race for natural resources that have long been trapped under the ice. Oil companies have already started to drill in the area, including Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy which announced two new oil and gas “shows” of the coast of Greenland in the past month. The EU has, however, been pressing for a ban on deep water drilling since the BP blow-out earlier this year in the Gulf of Mexico.<br /><br />Greenland’s deputy foreign minister, Inuuteq Holm Oslen, said he is suspicious about the motives behind such “green” concerns.<br /><br />“We welcome focus and attention on environmental issues […] What we don’t welcome is the notion that there should not be any industrial development in the name of environmental protection. What the rest of you have been benefiting from should not be denied to us in the Arctic,” he said.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/10/20/eu-and-greenland-clash-over-arctic-issues">http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/10/20/eu-and-greenland-clash-over-arctic-issues</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-41201910469915058532010-10-20T18:38:00.001-04:002010-10-20T18:38:42.006-04:00Iceland wants to be your friend<a href="http://icelandwantstobeyourfriend.com/">http://icelandwantstobeyourfriend.com/</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-65296853539307235772010-10-20T15:06:00.002-04:002010-10-20T15:11:52.750-04:00MPs Propose Referendum on Iceland-EU TalksSeven MPs of the Left-Green Movement, Independence Party, Progressive Party and The Movement, have submitted a parliamentary resolution to Althingi, the Icelandic parliament, that a national referendum on whether Iceland’s membership talks with the European Union are to continue. They suggest that the referendum take place on November 27, at the same time as the Constitutional Parliament, Morgunbladid reports.<br /><br />The only problem is that according to legislation on national referendum approved by parliament in June this year, at least three months are supposed to pass between Althingi’s approval of a parliamentary resolution on a national referendum and when it takes place.<br /><br />“I had forgotten about that legislation,” admitted Vigdís Hauksdóttir of the Progressive Party, who is the parliamentary resolution’s first presenter, to Fréttabladid. She said she will submit a bill at Althingi today on the amendment to the legislation passed in June so that a national referendum can be expedited.<br /><br />A statement accompanying the parliamentary resolution says that the majority of MPs do not reflect the majority of the nation in its attitude towards EU membership.<br /><br />The EU assumes that the parliament and the nation are unified in their position towards the EU, which is not the case in Iceland, the seven MPs argue.<br /><br />Opinion polls show that the public opposes membership, only a narrow majority supports it in parliament and the government itself is split in its opinion, the statement continues.<br /><br />If the majority of the nation supports continued membership talks with the EU, the government has a clear authority to carry on with talks but not until the nation has had its say, the statement concludes.<br /><br />The seven MPs who submitted the resolution are, in addition to Hauksdóttir: Ásmundur Einar Dadason of the Left-Greens, Birgitta Jónsdóttir of The Movement, Halldóra Lóa Thorvaldsdóttir, substitute MP for the Left-Greens, Pétur H. Blöndal and Árni Johnsen of the Independence Party and Birgir Thórarinsson, substitute MP for the Progressive Party.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=369190">http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=369190</a><br /><br />===<br /><br />If others wish to provide input into this process a web search suggests that Vigdís Hauksdóttir might be reachable at vigdish@althingi.is.Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-92001914750622020652010-10-18T18:01:00.001-04:002010-10-18T18:03:34.027-04:00Russian Minister of Energy Visits IcelandRussian Minister of Energy Sergei Shmatko arrived on an official visit to Iceland yesterday [2010/10/17] and had a meeting with President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.<br /><br />Today, Shmatko will meet Minister of Industry Katrín Júlíusdóttir and representatives of Icelandic energy companies to discuss energy cooperation between Iceland and Russia, Fréttabladid reports.<br /><br />Shmatko is accompanied by Evgeni Dod, CEO of Russian energy company RusHydro and Alexei Kusmitski, district commissioner of Kamchatka.<br /><br />In Kamchatka the possibility of harnessing geothermal energy for heating, fish farming and electricity has been tested with the participation of Icelandic parties.<br /><br />President Grímsson recently attended a conference about Arctic Regions in Russia and met President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=369068">Iceland Review</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-15944386815640607442010-10-18T10:48:00.003-04:002010-10-18T10:58:57.984-04:00The validity of the Icesave-agreementInternational law specialist at Norway’s Tromso University, Professor Peter Orebech, says that Iceland would actually be breaking EU rules by forcing its tax payers to reimburse the Netherlands and the UK for Icesave debt, which rightfully belongs with the country’s privately funded depositors’ insurance fund.<br /><br />Comments invited at <a href="http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/08/26/icelandic-state-not-responsible-for-icesave/#more-17503">http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/08/26/icelandic-state-not-responsible-for-icesave/#more-17503</a><br /><br />Professor Orebech's conclusion:<br /><br />The EU/EEA sector of finance is in principle self-financing. Funding to the depositor guarantee schemes is subtracted from the 0,15 % taxation of the bank's total assets. In case of insufficiency the scheme may borrow money, whether private or public. Another option is to insure against unexpected and uncovered losses. There are no other ways. Going for a national state guarantee prompted by the insufficiency as such, as is the case for Tryggingasjóður in the Icesave case, is breaking the [European Union] Directive 94/19/EC.<br /><br />However, an agreement on the Icesave reimbursement – financed by loans taken by Tryggingasjóður – stripped by any guarantees from the Iceland government, is clearly legal. I.e. the growing scheme alone should service the loan.<br /><br />Since the depositor guarantee scheme may not operate as means of competition, it is equally prohibited to implement legal systems the effect of which is distortion of competition. State funding cannot bring in to national depositors guarantee schemes, as stated in the Directive 94/19/EC. In case of lacking coverage all depositors suffers from a pro rata scaling-down. National state "topping up" is clearly unwarranted. A possible new system requires amendments to this directive. Such amendments should transform into EEA-law, to become binding in Iceland. No initiative is yet taken to fill that gap, I am afraid.<br /><br />Thus the following is the result of this survey: Neither the government nor the people of Iceland should pay for the failing Icesave bank. The Landsbanki – Icesave CEO's responsibility is redoubtable. Depositors should critically assess bank leadership before trusting private funding to the bank. The bank deposit rules are published and notified. Persons seeking high profits are also seeking high risks.<br /><br />This solution is placing responsibility where it belongs, to the leadership in the banks, to the CEO that failed to run the company and keep it afloat. Such a solution does not spoil the expectations of depositors.<br /><br />His full report on this issue is available at <a href="http://www.mbl.is/mm/mogginn/blad_dagsins/netgrein.html?art_id=106182">http://www.mbl.is/mm/mogginn/blad_dagsins/netgrein.html?art_id=106182</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4450237171790054201.post-27389926097936531802010-10-15T23:56:00.001-04:002010-10-15T23:59:37.846-04:00Stay Independent Iceland is toldDear Iceland Review! Island! Stay independent! Do not on any terms join the European Union. <a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/search/news/Default.asp?ew_0_a_id=356791">As I have mentioned previously </a>and which I correctly forecasted during the Icesave crisis, the EU is only interested in gaining control over your sovereignty. Your fish are of extreme importance for the EU including your aluminium production and the thermal energy sector. Joining the EU would be political suicide. DON’T DO IT ICELAND!<br /><br />I would instead suggest getting support from Canada. Sincerely! Torben Arendal, Asmindrup, Denmark<br /><br /><br />Dear Icelanders All,<br /><br />I have said in my previous letters that Iceland has something precious which marks it out as different to the rest of the world and you should not sacrifice this by joining the EU. The EU is a pretty well corrupt money pit and if you join will just suck the life out of your special island, take anything of value and leave you to fend for yourselves plus all the millions of foreigners you will have to support some how. All this with your hands tied behind your backs and freedoms removed. So fight on independently, maybe with the help of a partner like Canada. <a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/letters/?ew_news_onlyarea=content1&ew_news_onlyposition=10&cat_id=59014&ew_10_a_id=366974">Torben </a>is sooooo right. Keep on trucking Mike Pusey, Devon, England<br /><br /><a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/letters/?ew_news_onlyarea=&ew_news_onlyposition=10&cat_id=59014&ew_10_a_id=367242">http://www.icelandreview.com/letters/?ew_news_onlyarea=&ew_news_onlyposition=10&cat_id=59014&ew_10_a_id=367242</a>Ian Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18055570242856228483noreply@blogger.com0