Icelanders were this morning surprised and somewhat amused to see that their Prime Minister, Geir H. Haarde was included on The Guardian’s list of the top 25 people responsible for the global economic crisis.
Haarde is widely held responsible for Iceland’s crisis, as recent stories on this very website confirm – but that he is responsible for bringing the whole planet to its knees comes as a slight eyebrow-raiser.
The Guardian does not present its list in any sort of order, instead preferring to allow readers to vote for their economic number one most wanted global demon. The vote is not yet over, but Haarde currently sits in third place.
So, in summary: Guardian.co.uk readers believe Alan Greenspan, Gordon Brown and Geir Haarde are the three people most to blame for the current global recession.
Haarde is, therefore, more culpable than George W. Bush, the American public and the heads of all the worst performing banks, including RBS, Bear Stearns, AIG and Northern Rock.
A proud day indeed.
>In addition, there are a number of people who go beyond mere criticism, people who are utterly insulting and appalling in the things they say. But they are – how can i put this politely – the ‘lunatic fringe’.
>Apart from anything else, ordinary, sane British people are too busy living their lives to wage flame wars: working or looking for a job, saving and struggling to pay off bills and debts, looking after their families, worrying about the future. You know, the same sort of stuff as people everywhere right now. We’re not demons.
Yes, Isa Icelandic people the same. And wish goodwill to British people, old people — that is why Iceland wool jumpers sent.
Too many peopel posting to this site think there left wingenss and fantasy of Iceland as Russia 1917 is actually what majority of Icelanders are thinking. That is of course fantasy.
Majority sick of politics politicians and busy getting on with lives, etc. as you majority of Brits.
Goodwill and wishes to you and family.
>Your mis-advised investment in KSFIoM has distorted you judgement
What makes tonyc mad I am sure is the stealing by Brown of Kauthping monies from bank account in London.
Brown Darling did it without think of collateral damange to innocent savers. You dead wrong about this Peter man.
>Imagine, if GW Bush would cause a collapse of US financial system on the scale similar to icelandic crisis. US has 1000x larger population and the size of Iceland’s failed banks was 50bn. So, if GW Bush would succeed in the similar feat that Haarde has done, it would amount to bank failures weighting 50 trillion of US dollars in three days.
Sadly Bush did signup huge telephone figures of trillions during his term. Not just the war spending but Medicare prescriptions and this bail outs. Now we are talking about trillions of dollars in new debt — and this Medicare is not all included in US debt clock.
“The OutstandingUS Public Debt as of 28 Jan 2009 at 01:04:48 AM GMT is:
$10.6 trillion
The estimated population of the United States is 305,539,979
so each citizen’s share of this debt is $34,773.20.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.32 billion per day since September 28, 2007!”
Different in Iceland case is that of course whole situation kicked over edge of waterfall by Brown Darlin actions against Kaupthing. Bush has not assets against his borrowing. At least there are assets of the Icelandic banks. Borrowed money and bought assets.
Bush administration adds debt just spending money, future tax only.
So Bush situation sadly worst.
@GUS….I like reading your post, it makes me laugh out loud, but don’t be too harsh up in here.
> Did they even have the fifth engine by the planes tail as that class of planes I believe have?
This is the whole problem you have. To easily swayed by soundbites, you’re not even certain of the facts that feed into the theories that you subscribed to.
Btw, thats not theory. Thats on video tape.
@ Bromley86
Jon just does like me, he gets his little pink and purple pils mixed up like I do. He should of taken the purple and pink one instead of the pink and purple one and now we’re all confused. hahaha. Oh wait, NOW I KNOW WHATS WRONG! I forgot to take mine today. hahaha Really, I have to ask, did you ever notice the big blue “UN” flag logo on the starboard bow of the plane? did you notice there is no passenger windows on the planes? Did you notice the absence of a public plane logo on the tails of the planes? Like AA was nowhere on the planes. Did you notice the flight number missing from the planes as well. Did they even have the fifth engine by the planes tail as that class of planes I believe have? Thinking back now, I don’t remember even seeing that eather on them like a passenger plane has. IF I remember right, all I saw was wing mounted engines. But in any case, I know there is no such passenger aircraft company that is called “United Nations” airlines. Theres something to think about. If you find one, please let me know, ok?
ISA, WHAT DID ICELAND GET IN THE EUROVISION WHEN SILVIA NÓTT WENT THERE WITH HER ICELANDIC ARROGANCE? WASN´T IT A BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FROM ALL THE EUROPEAN NATIONS ??
IT IS NOT THAT PEOPLE HATE ICELAND, IT IS THAT ICELAND HAVE SHOWN TOO MUCH ARROGANCE AND TURNED THE WORLDS OPINION AGAINST ITSELF… WITH ALL THAT CRAP “WE ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD, BLA BLA BLA,, AND STILL YOU PUT THAT SONG ON THE RADIO “ICELAND THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD”. I THINK THE WHOLE COUNTRY SHOULD GET MENTAL HELP. SERIOUSLY.
WHAT A LACK OF HUMAN SENSE… FIRST YOU TREAT POLISH LIKE SECOND CLASS HUMAN BEINGS, YOU TALK A LOT OF SHIT ABOUT FOREIGN WORKERS IN ICELAND TREATING THEM LIKE “THE POORS”. AND NOW YOU HAD TO GO TO POLAND AND MANY OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD CAP IN HAND BEGGING FOR MONEY.
MANY COUNTRIES ARE HAVING ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, BUT YOUR FALL HAS BEEN BY NOW MEANS “THE FALL”, FROM THE HIGHEST YOU THOUGHT TO BE TO THE VERY BOTTOM THAT YOU HAVEN´T EVEN REACHED YET.
TOTALLY SHAMELESS…
>JON, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU SAY TO US,CITIZEN???
Because he can read?
i.e. “after launching a black flag assult operation on our own people on 9-11-01 in New York City”
YOU ARE RIGHT ISA WHEN YOU SAY: “And another thing: the insinuation that underlies this article is that the British hate the people of Iceland and hold them responsible for the global economic crisis.”
THE RIGHT THING TO SAY WOULD BE: THE WHOLE WORLD HATED THE PEOPLE OF ICELAND BECAUSE OF THEIR ARROGANCE, AND NOW THEY ARE LAUGHING AT THEM FOR THEIR STUPIDITY AND LACK OF SHAME.
JON, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU SAY TO US,CITIZEN??? IS IT BECAUSE IT HAPPENS TO YOU SO OFTEN OR WHAT???
SINCE WHEN DO THEY LET PEOPLE ACCESS TO INTERNET IN MENTAL INSTITUTIONS?? OR IS IT THAT YOU HAVE A 3G PHONE?
CLOWN!!
Tonyc said:
“I’m a Briton and I believe that the UK government has behaved disgracefully towards a NATO ally. Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling preferring kick Iceland while it’s down in rather extending the hand of friendship.”
Your mis-advised investment in KSFIoM has distorted you judgement. Most Icesavers are extremely happy at the UK ‘s deposit protection.
Honestly why would anybody give a damn about a countries ‘NATO membership’ when they are robbing the EU,UK and aren’t even EU members. NATO is primary an organisation for the USA’s benefit and totally pointless in the days of the EU.
Far more important is that they exploit their access to the EU market place and tried to renege out of the deposit protection scheme that that access required. Friends don’t defraud your citizens and companies – they get treated as organised criminals.
“the lever of withdrawing from NATO”
Talk about a blindman’s bluff :)
@ Knowless
Some 10% blame the American public :)
I suspect the percentage is a little higher. The funny thing is, I bet most of them are Americans living here in the U.S.
>I’m also surprised the Icelanders didn’t use the lever of withdrawing from NATO, as they did in the Cod Wars, to apply a bit of leverage.
They tried it – you might remember the “it’s every country for itself”, the Russian loan and the Keflavik airbase.
Anyway, the leverage wasn’t there – there’s no Cold War at the moment. I imagine the RAF has actually saved money by not having to deploy to Iceland.
The Guardian list doesn’t amount to much.
Shows that the Brown government deflection from their own mess was successfull in diverting blame to Iceland, even after all these months when one British bank after another is tumbling from their own doings, they still seek foreign scapegoats.
Some 10% blame the American public :)
There is evidently a high % of Guardian business section readers who don´t even read the business pages in that section.
I’m a Briton and I believe that the UK government has behaved disgracefully towards a NATO ally. Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling preferring kick Iceland while it’s down in rather extending the hand of friendship.
Icelanders should also be protesting outside the British Embassy as well.
I’m also surprised the Icelanders didn’t use the lever of withdrawing from NATO, as they did in the Cod Wars, to apply a bit of leverage.
I should add that I had my life savings in Kaupthing Isle of Man so perhaps I have a jaundiced view. Looks the chances of recovering funds from Iceland range from slim to zero.
“US Citizen” you can’t just come off your meds all at once. It’s not safe. Speak with your Doctor first.
– another US Citizen
Haarde is high on that list, since,
a) he is well known in comparison of all the bank’s bosses
b) in relative terms (in lost money per capita), the iceland government was by far the worst performer in the world regarding the financial crisis.
Imagine, if GW Bush would cause a collapse of US financial system on the scale similar to icelandic crisis. US has 1000x larger population and the size of Iceland’s failed banks was 50bn. So, if GW Bush would succeed in the similar feat that Haarde has done, it would amount to bank failures weighting 50 trillion of US dollars in three days.
My hatred to Bush set aside – he was not even close to something like this.
c) the third reason: while many of people across the world feel the impact of the crisis, it is icesave’s customers in england and other countries, who were trembling for their savings after mr. Haarde, in amazement to the civilized world, declared “f**** you” to the foreign savers and needed “persuasion” from IMF and the UK government to honour previously promised guarantees.
And another thing: the insinuation that underlies this article is that the British hate the people of Iceland and hold them responsible for the global economic crisis.
This is not true.
Many people were (understandably) very upset at the collapse of IceSave and the fear that they’d lost their life savings. People panicked. But I am yet to hear anyone blame the people of Iceland for the overall crisis.
I know you do get people doing that on this site. They are a minority. In addition, there are a number of people who go beyond mere criticism, people who are utterly insulting and appalling in the things they say. But they are – how can i put this politely – the ‘lunatic fringe’.
Apart from anything else, ordinary, sane British people are too busy living their lives to wage flame wars: working or looking for a job, saving and struggling to pay off bills and debts, looking after their families, worrying about the future. You know, the same sort of stuff as people everywhere right now. We’re not demons.
The reason people voted for Geir Haarde is that – thanks to the events of last autumn – they know who he is.
By contrast, even now most of the banking top executives responsible for the current crisis remain shadowy figures to the public.
US Citizen when you’re recovering in the padded cell, maybe you could learn to spell…numpty!
@U.S. Citizen said
“after launching a black flag assult operation on our own people on 9-11-01 in New York City, as an exquse to launch an all out war on terriorism,”
I am sorry your post blew it for me. after you said that .
Iceland, You people should not blame your own for the hole worlds screw ups. My country had/has the biggest screw up on the planet. If it were not for Bush leading the other nations into an illegal invasion into Iroq, without congressional approval, after launching a black flag assult operation on our own people on 9-11-01 in New York City, as an exquse to launch an all out war on terriorism, somthing that does not exsist beyond the people in government. It is just a new BUZZ word, like cancer is, To invoke fear into the public to rally support behind the governments of the world to help justify illeagal actions by the governments and their militaries. Unfortunatly, this has also costed the worlds governments a hefty price tag in the current debt aministrated banking systems around the world. I just find it intresting How the IMF and the worlds Central banks owners & share holders are never blamed for any of the problems in the world today. Their financial leverage over the worlds governments to coherce them into wars and out standing debts is never seen. So they can give loans for nations to operate their governments on with the frational loan system without it ever being mentioned or put into the spot light of the media for the public to see and hear about. It’s the money that is causing Icelands problems. Just like it was the cause of the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The United States is even beginning to see a possable brake up of it’s own union. The state of Texas is persueing this. It can be googled on line with the look up of Texas sucession. To believe that one/group of people is undermineing the worlds’ governments alone is silly. To believe that one or a few people is the cause of Icelands fall alone, is silly. These Problems were engineered a long time ago people. Research a little farther into this and look at the bigger picture, and you will all understand and see whats really going on in the world. It invovles more then just Iceland.
I say Virgile, steady on! Please understand the very real distinction between the British government and the British people, especially when it comes to Iraq. Remember, over two million people demonstrated against the war in London; most of them British.
Point taken about Tony Blair though, he should have been on the list, if he was I’m sure he’d poll higher than good old Geir; but I guess it’s taken as a given that when in power, Blair was way too busy destroying other peoples’ countries to be bothered about the economic destruction of his own. As for Jean Claude Trichet and, I presume you mean the Chinese premier, Hu Jintao; I don’t see the former’s currency under threat of annihilation, unlike the Icelandic
Krona, or, for that matter, the Pound. In the case of China, if they were to even consider liquidating a fraction the US government bonds and currency reserves they hold, then God help all of us!
Besides, when it comes to the Guardian poll, anyone can vote, I’m sure that more than one or two of your kinfolk may have been ever so slightly tempted to vote for their local hero themselves.
Best of luck Geir – you’re in a world class field! (fourth, last time I looked.)
>Iceland at finally stopping the rot!!Belated thanks to the stagnant and static Government for finally doing the right thing,after much coercion.
People thinking that political fighting to come now before elections is good for country need heads examined.
I think Geir is on the list as a joke.
> Without a doubt Haarde is more culpable than the American public, who are one of the primary victims in the West.
But who are also responsibal for electing in their leaders also who then appointed Greenspan and Bernanke, and Paulson.
Certainly Alan Greenspan and colleeges laid seeds for the situation by leading the bailout Long Term Capital Managment in 1998.
Paulson and colleagues in banking in the US is well aware of that one.
If Greenspan had let it fail then there would be no way or how that US banks would have got into the depth of this toxic mortgage securites which is at the basis of this crisis.
Second I would put bank CEO as they are ones who actually did their worst to hide liabilities off their balance sheet for so long and take big bonuses end 2007 knowing still what come next year.
Why is Robert Rubin and Larry Summers not on the list though?
But Geir? Obviously concept is ridiculous.
Shows how much leftist journalists in UK hate Geir and Davið that Geir is found in list.
Also how clueless readers of Guardian actually are that they voted for him unless it is joke votes.
Vote for your choice
Bill Clinton: former US president
Gordon Brown: British prime minister
George W Bush: former US president
Senator Phil Gramm: former US senator and free market advocate
Alan Greenspan: chairman of the US Federal Reserve 1987-2006
Mervyn King: governor of the Bank of England
John Tiner: former FSA chief executive
Abby Cohen: Goldman Sachs chief US strategist
“Hank” Greenberg: former head of AIG insurance group
James Crosby: former HBOS boss
Sir Fred Goodwin: former RBS chief executive
Adam Applegarth: former Northern Rock boss
Steve Crawshaw: former Bradford & Bingley boss
Lewis Ranieri: the “godfather” of mortgage finance
Joseph Cassano: ran the credit default swaps team at AIG
Former Bear Stearns bankers Ralph Cioffi, Matthew Tannin
Kathleen Corbet: former CEO of Standard & Poor’s
Angelo Mozilo: Countrywide Financial
Stan O’Neal: former boss of Merrill Lynch
Chuck Prince: former Citigroup boss
Dick Fuld: former Lehman Brothers boss
Jimmy Cayne: former Bear Stearns boss
Christopher Dodd: chairman of the Senate banking committee
Geir Haarde: Iceland’s former prime minister
The American public
Virgile:
Who said they are British? English language newspapers get many different nationalities reading them. And please don’t confuse the British people with Tony Blairs personal decision to invade Iraq against the wishes of his even his own party.
Alan Greenspan/US government obviously deserves the most votes because it was their deliberate policies that resulted in the crash. The same can be said of other politicians to lessor and greater extent.
Haarde obliviously deserves a lot of blame because banks under his supervision extracted $60billion from the banking system. Iceland was a case of the very worse example of terrible banking regulation. Haarde was incredibly stupid, but he simple followed the lead of others.
The Guardian obviously isn’t a newspaper for economics students.
this is very funny. Haarde is certainly now a bad politician but to point to him as a responsible for a major world economic crisis is ridiculous. Yet once again the greatness of Britain in all its splendeur !
What about.. Tony Blair ? or Jean Claude Trichet ? Or Chinese leader…
i guess once again Bristish people see the evil where they want to see it like that was the case for the Irak War
Nicely handled Alex :) .
Don’t forget Dick Fuld of Lehman Brothers in your short list of the worst-performing banks. That collapse was THE pivotal event…
I say chaps,British English it is!!
Jolly good show,Iceland at finally stopping the rot!!Belated thanks to the stagnant and static Government for finally doing the right thing,after much coercion.
Now,go quietly and save your squabbles for Kastljosid—-you had your chance,and you blew it!!
Let there be new people in Government,and not the same tired old faces.Let them understand Honesty,Integrity,Morality and Ethics…..and may an almighty woe betide them,too,if they choose willingly to forget those four pillars and the people they serve!!
Begone all of you,we are tired of your twittering!!
Good to see there is at least one poll in which Haarde is doing well…
ICELAND IS NOT A COUNTRY, IT IS A CIRCUS!!! WHAT A REALITY SHOW!!!
To Jon:
Thanks for your opinion and thanks for reading IceNews.
Most of the articles on this website are written by paid employees and all are carefully written and checked. The spelling should always be correct British English; although mistakes inevitably creep through occasionally.
Sometimes when a particularly important event occurs, a non-native English speaker will write and post news which is then proof read after being live on the website for several minutes, or even hours; but we try to keep this to a minimum.
With regard to the content of this particular article: we decided this was interesting and important enough to warrant inclusion. It has not interfered with the other big news of the day.
We agree that this news is trivial – but we would also argue that it is interesting. There will always be room on IceNews for interesting pieces of news!
Thanks again for reading IceNews
Alex, editor
Without a doubt Haarde is more culpable than the American public, who are one of the primary victims in the West. Also, he is one of the few leaders, outside of Africa, to so proudly and defiantly cripple his own nation for the gain of the corporate elite.
I am starting to wonder who writes these articles. I always find myself more bemused than amused by the nature of some of the “journalism”, and of course the spelling. It, so often, is not news by any definition i am familiar with. I just hope the writing here is voluntary, and people are not getting paid with those all too scarce Icelandic kronur to masquerade opinions and trivia as news. Of all the things that could have been written about today, was this stupid Guardian article really the most pressing?
I appreciate the service, I just think we should all begin to demand more of ourselves. These are important times.
Article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/26/road-ruin-recession-individuals-economy
Poll:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/poll/2009/jan/26/road-to-ruin-recession
(Geir’s 4th now :) ).
To ino:
Actually, the article ranks the 25 people in no particular order, but when you click on the voting link and place a vote you see that some 14% of the voting readers have opted for Haarde. He is therefore third.
Thanks for reading IceNews
“So, in summary: Guardian.co.uk readers believe Alan Greenspan, Gordon Brown and Geir Haarde are the three people most to blame for the current global recession.
Haarde is, therefore, more culpable than George W. Bush, the American public and the heads of all the worst performing banks, including RBS, Bear Stearns, AIG and Northern Rock.”
it no where says in the article that haarde is in the top 3, in fact he ranks pretty low on the list under the heading “others”.
rather bad reporting i have to say.
also, in defence of this article, it has to be said that the effects of the icelandic crash has had a major impact in the uk as well. many compannies now turn out to have been financed by the icelandic banks and are now struggling to keep their heads above water and some have already gone down. xl airways, the uk’s third tour operator for instance is a victim of the viking raiders and that has made a big impression on the public here. (not to mention the fact that a few thousand people lost their job in one day)
Maybe now we can establish that-
people who read “the Sun” enjoy the warmth from the winter woolies generously donatedby Icelandic citizens.
People who read “the Guardian”think Geir has bankrupted the planet.
Obviously more “Iceloosers” , Sorry i mean “Icesavers” read the Guardian.
While the British savers have every right to be angry with our banks and government.
I found it bad to find the negative comments on this article-http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/01/24/british-pensioners-receive-warmth-from-iceland/
Because the donation of the clothes comes from the”people of Iceland”
I know many claim we are all the same mafia who enjoyed cheep credit etc.
But , i can ensure you the majority of us in Iceland have been cheeted as bad or worse than the “icesavers” by our banks and government.
That’s my boy! ;)