Talk Elections

General Politics => International General Discussion => Topic started by: cwelsch on July 17, 2004, 04:50:19 AM



Title: Iceland
Post by: cwelsch on July 17, 2004, 04:50:19 AM
Anybody know Icelandic politics?  I only speak English fluently, some German, and less Spanish.  The google translator doesn't have Icelandic in the list, so I can't read any of their political sites.  I know the easily available stuff on Iceland, but that's usually facts and history, light on current events or analysis.


Independence Party - old party, formed in '29 by a merger of Conservatives and Liberals, center-right, pro-NATO

Social Democratic Alliance - formed 2000 by old SDP, Women's Alliance, section  of People's ALliance

Progressive Party - liberal party, formed 1916 by Farmer's Party and Independent Farmers

Left Green Movement - formed in '98 by some of People's Alliance (which was a '68 collection of Socialist Unity Party and Social Dems), anti-NATO

Liberal Party - founded '98 by former Minister, social liberals


It's awfully hard to find stuff, they're so small and neutral that they're almost completely ignored.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Platypus on July 17, 2004, 05:08:24 AM
Only thing I know is that the women-only party was in govt a while ago :S


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Filuwaúrdjan on July 17, 2004, 05:30:36 AM
IIRC...

FA - Frjálslynda (Liberal Party)
FSF - Framsoknarflokkurinn (Progressive Party)
SF - Samfylkingin (Alliance Party)
SSF - Sjalfstaedhisflokkurinn (Independence Party)
VG - Vinstrihreyfing-Graent Frambodh (Left-Green Alliance)

President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who has been in office since 1996, is a leftist independent and is insanely popular. He has recently been re-elected with 85% of the vote. He was first elected as a member of the old Peoples Alliance.

SSF is a paternalistic-nationalistic-conservative (in Icelandic terms that is) party, FSF are Agrarian Liberals with a populist streak. These two form the current government.
David Oddsson (SSF) is the current P.M, but is resigning in September when Halldor Asgrimsson (FSF) will become P.M.
SSF is strongest in Reykjavík. FSF is strongest in Nordhaustur, Sudhur and Nordhvester.

SF are a Socialist party formed from a merger of the old leftwing parties.
SF is strongest in Reykjavík and Sudhvestur.
FA is a liberal party and is strongest in Nordhvester.
VG are a far-left party and are strongest in Nordhaustur.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: cwelsch on July 17, 2004, 05:58:26 AM
Hmm, interesting.  Guess I'd probably vote Liberal Party, then.

Like 6 out of every 10 Icelanders live in Reykjavik.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자) on July 17, 2004, 09:13:13 AM
More like your tongue never learned to bend that way.  The human vocal tract can produce over 1000 different and distinguishable sounds of which most natural languages use only a small set of less than 100 phonemes, some of which may cover more than one of the distinct sounds.  The closer the phoneme set of a language is to that of a language you already know, the easier it is to learn as your tongue and ear have fewer things to learn.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Fmr. Gov. NickG on July 17, 2004, 10:45:20 AM

The entire population of Iceland is about one-third the size of my county.  I'm amazed that anyone on this board has ever bothered to learn this stuff...very impressive!


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Michael Z on July 17, 2004, 11:24:54 AM
I have been to Iceland (spent some time at the Naval Air Station Keflavik) and the reason nobody can read Icelandic websites is the fact that their native language is fairly close to the original Norse which the Vikings spoke. It is even more difficult to speak since the human tongue was NEVER designed to bend that way! When you spend centuries in isolation that does things to you...

An extract from the official site of the Icelandic government (http://www.stjr.is):

"Dreifibréf landlćknis og Lyfjastofnunar vegna fiunglyndislyfja fyrir börn og unglinga. Sjúkrahústengd heimafijónusta LSH jókst um 21% milli ára. Undirbúningi breyttrar fjármögnunar LSH a› ljúka. Nútímalegar a›fer›ir til a› frć›a ungt fólk um kynsjúkdóma og varnir gegn fieim."

Wow.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 17, 2004, 07:10:42 PM
Iceland has been isolated for a long time...Norwegian vikings orignially. You libertarians might be interested in the fact that Iceland is one of the few historical examples of a functioning society without a state. :)

it's the world's most cultural country in terms of published books, number of theatre visits etc per capita. It's also, last time I checked, 10th richest in terms of GDP per capita.

Political divisions are more rural-urban than right-left and also influenced by the view on NATO-membership.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 17, 2004, 08:18:56 PM
Iceland has been isolated for a long time...Norwegian vikings orignially. You libertarians might be interested in the fact that Iceland is one of the few historical examples of a functioning society without a state. It's also, last time I checked, 10th richest in terms of GDP per capita.


Are you sure about the 10th richest thing? The NATO base at Keflavik accounts for 12 to 15 % of the island's GDP or at least it did a decade ago. I was not under the impression Icelanders were all that well off. When I was there in the early 90's it sure did not seem prosperous to me.

They might not be 10th right now, but they're rich...one of the richest countries in Europe, definitely richest in Scandinavia, after Norway, since they have the oil... ;)


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: ijohn57s on July 17, 2004, 08:30:18 PM
If you go to http://www.iceland.is you should be able to find some links.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 17, 2004, 08:35:02 PM
From the link provided:

"Iceland achieved an impressive economic record for most of the 1990s, with one of the highest consistent growth rates in the world and low inflation and unemployment. Among the factors contributing to economic growth have been successful resource management in the mainstay fisheries sector, price stability, diversification of industry, privatization, liberalization and deregulation, development of the Iceland Stock Exchange, growth in foreign investment and business-friendly tax reforms."


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 17, 2004, 08:38:13 PM
GDP per capita of 36 320 US dollars...pretty good i believe. :)


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: ijohn57s on July 17, 2004, 08:41:59 PM
From the link provided:

"Iceland achieved an impressive economic record for most of the 1990s, with one of the highest consistent growth rates in the world and low inflation and unemployment. Among the factors contributing to economic growth have been successful resource management in the mainstay fisheries sector, price stability, diversification of industry, privatization, liberalization and deregulation, development of the Iceland Stock Exchange, growth in foreign investment and business-friendly tax reforms."


There should be a section of links to outside sites that are in English. At least there used to be.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 17, 2004, 08:46:51 PM
From nationmaster.com:

GDP per capita, from the top:

 Country Description Amount
1. Luxembourg $48309.28 per person  
2. United States $35991.96 per person  
3. Bermuda $34893.45 per person  
4. San Marino $33429.35 per person  
5. Norway $32797.17 per person  
6. Switzerland $31891.17 per person  
7. Cayman Islands $30285.68 per person  
8. Iceland $30071.43 per person

Iceland ranks 8th, and that's counting Cayman Islands and Bermuda! If we count only real countries they're even better.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: opebo on July 19, 2004, 02:48:01 AM
From nationmaster.com:

GDP per capita, from the top:

 Country Description Amount
1. Luxembourg $48309.28 per person  
2. United States $35991.96 per person  
3. Bermuda $34893.45 per person  
4. San Marino $33429.35 per person  
5. Norway $32797.17 per person  
6. Switzerland $31891.17 per person  
7. Cayman Islands $30285.68 per person  
8. Iceland $30071.43 per person

Iceland ranks 8th, and that's counting Cayman Islands and Bermuda! If we count only real countries they're even better.

Luxembourg is somewhat unreal as well.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: Gustaf on July 22, 2004, 01:33:07 PM
From nationmaster.com:

GDP per capita, from the top:

 Country Description Amount
1. Luxembourg $48309.28 per person  
2. United States $35991.96 per person  
3. Bermuda $34893.45 per person  
4. San Marino $33429.35 per person  
5. Norway $32797.17 per person  
6. Switzerland $31891.17 per person  
7. Cayman Islands $30285.68 per person  
8. Iceland $30071.43 per person

Iceland ranks 8th, and that's counting Cayman Islands and Bermuda! If we count only real countries they're even better.

Luxembourg is somewhat unreal as well.

True, very true.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: ijohn57s on July 22, 2004, 08:16:56 PM
http://government.is

This site has information on various government offices, the Althing, and the Icelandic Constitution, etc.


Title: Re:Iceland
Post by: cwelsch on July 23, 2004, 08:37:38 PM
I've learned about Medieval Iceland and the Althing (since 900-something AD, oldest legislature in the world) and how they were really libertarian.  Interesting model, it lasted a few hundred years.

It's awkward translating politics from country to country and time to time.  Even trying to pick old US parties is problematic because the issues were in many cases quite different and often regional (rural vs. coastal in the US, then Southern and populists versus east coast and business).