The Icelandic artist Snorri Asmundsson has taken the decision to put himself forward for the leadership of the Independence Party at the national conference beginning 29th January.
The current Independence Party leader is Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde, who has not expressed a wish to resign his position and has not invited candidates for a leadership vote.
Asmundsson says he is no politico, but that he feels qualified to get the situation in hand better than the current party leader. He says he is receiving enormous support within the party for his leadership challenge.
Asmundsson is a fully paid-up Independence Party member, and has been for a long time. “I feel great support for my move and am totally drowning in encouragement,” he told Visir.is. “There are many who want Geir (Haarde) out, which could happen at this time. I’m not any sort of politico, but I think I could maybe do something now,” he continued.
Snorri Asmundsson is a well-known protest nominee; having previously put himself forward in the presidential election race and for Reykjavik city elections.
An artist ! Just what the country needs right now to manage and revitalise its economic leadership and standing amongst nations.
Does Iceland need painting into a corner any more ?
Well Geir Haarde is an economist, and look where that got Iceland!
@Physchim
Because one economist has made a poor leader, that doesn’t make all economists fools. And in the last few months, events have shown us that the most sophisticated and eminent bankers, economists, investors and business people have all been made to look foolish.
Iceland’s weakness was not Haarde alone. It was national hubris and systematic failure to listen to the international community which warned it on countless occasions about the impending crisis. While the world looked on in horror, Iceland ran off the cliff, screaming all the way down to its hard landing “It will be alright”.
Running a country needs education, hands-on experience, maturity, relationship skills, and the insight to use experts and judge their advice wisely. Being a good politician is not enough, however popular you can make yourself.
I hope that Iceland’s electorate too has the wisdom to choose a good leader, not simply a popular leader, and leap from the frying pan into the fire.
I hope Iceland can find *its* Barack Obama. Someone who is not the obvious choice but can emerge with the right creditials to do a good job. Because running a country is a job and in the next few years in Iceland, it’s going to be a damn hard one. Being a good speech writer doesn’t make you a good or qualified leader.
A mentally challenge 5 year old would be better than what we have now.
“I feel great support for my move and am totally DROWNING in encouragement,” he told Visir.is
Think different folks,
a bit more encouragement thrown in his direction might just finish the job.
“revitalise its economic leadership and standing amongst nations.”
LOOK JULIA, I CAN SEE THAT THE CURRENT SITUATION WE HAVE GOT IN THIS COUNTRY THANKS TO OUR IGNORANCE AND LACK OF MODESTY, HAVE NOT YET MADE ANY EFFECT IN YOU.
AIRS OF SUPERIORITY ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE US ANYWHERE. WE DON’T NEED TO BE LEADERS AMONGST THE NATIONS. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN THAT, OR DO YOU THINK WE WERE BECAUSE WE HAD SOME BANK BRANCHES ROBBING MONEY OUT IN EUROPE AND TWO OR THREE CLOTHES SHOPS IN LONDON?
WAKE UP JULIA REALLY. WE CAN HAVE A VERY WEALTHY NATION HERE IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC IF WE DON´T WANT TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AGAIN. I THINK THAT MODESTY AND REALISM CAN HELP US BETTER THAN JUST OUR AIRS OF SUPERIORITY AND TRYING TO BE THE BEST.
NOW OUR COUNTRY IS COMPLETELY RUINED, WE ARE POOR, EVEN POORER THAN POLAND, WICH IS ALSO SENDING MONEY TO HELP ICELAND.
LOOK HOW LOW WE HAVE GOT THAT WE ARE EVEN ACCEPTING HELP FROM THE POLES!!
THIS COUNTRY IS RUINED AND IN HIGH DEBT. WE WILL NEED AT LEAST 10 YEARS TO PAY OUT COMPLETELY ALL THE LOANS BACK. WE CANNOT BUILD A COMPETITIVE ECONOMY WITH SUCH DEBTS.
SO YOU CAN EXPECT YOUR CHILDREN AND MY CHILDREN TO WORK FOR PAYING OUR MESS. SO PLEASE, DON´T COME OUT ANYMORE WITH THAT STUFF OF BEING LEADERS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT. WELL, MAYBE WE ARE LEADERS IN IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE
@Julia
“Iceland ran off the cliff, screaming all the way down to its hard landing”
haha, you think Island has got all the way down, it has only gone the first 50mts. of 1000, like the good GUS would say, wke up HONEY!!!
I say GUS for PM. he has all the solutions.
@Gus
“Modesty and realism” are good qualities indeed, not always found in artists.
I am frankly shocked to read “LOOK HOW LOW WE HAVE GOT THAT WE ARE EVEN ACCEPTING HELP FROM THE POLES!!”.
Where is the modesty and realism in that ?
Poland is a country of 38 million people. Its GBP is $620 billion, slightly less than China, twice that of Norway and about 50x that of Iceland.
The fact that Poles came to Iceland for construction jobs simply reflected the incredibly high value of the Krona and inflated wages Icelanders paid each other, even though of course, they still didn’t pay the Poles quite as much.
While Icelanders, were running around in their brand new cars, with huge loans, feeling “rich” and looking down on the “poor” hard working Polish construction workers, the Poles were busy earning cash (real money) to send home.
JULIA I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, BUT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT OUR ANCESTRAL NEED OF BEING THE “BEST AMONG”.. LETS SEE IF WE CAN NOW AT LEAST “BE AMONG”…
THIS COUNTRY NEED PEOPLE LIKE ME, I TOLD YOU, LIKE OBAMA, MAYBE ONE DAY THE SON OF INMIGRANTS, FROM A DISCRIMINATED GROUP OF THIS SOCIETY WILL COME TO BE THE ONLY HOPE FOR THIS NATION…
I LOVE ICELAND WITH ALL MY HEART.
Julia Set said:
“I hope Iceland can find *its* Barack Obama. Someone who is not the obvious choice but can emerge with the right creditials to do a good job”
That sounds a little ridiculous as Obama has not actually done anything yet.
Apart from a very succesfull and well financed ‘hope a dope’ campaign to get elected, There is no evidence of his effectives in dealing with the substantial issues facing his country.
“Because running a country is a job and in the next few years in Iceland, it’s going to be a damn hard one. Being a good speech writer doesn’t make you a good or qualified leader.”
Exactly
“THIS COUNTRY NEED PEOPLE LIKE ME, I TOLD YOU, LIKE OBAMA, MAYBE ONE DAY THE SON OF INMIGRANTS, FROM A DISCRIMINATED GROUP OF THIS SOCIETY WILL COME TO BE THE ONLY HOPE FOR THIS NATION…
I LOVE ICELAND WITH ALL MY HEART”
Is this the opening salvo in GUS’S campaign pitch for Prime Minister?
@Julia Set
1st im not picking a fight i DO see the point you was making!
You said-
While Icelanders, were running around in their brand new cars, with huge loans, feeling “rich” and looking down on the “poor” hard working Polish construction workers, the Poles were busy earning cash(real money) to send home.
Mostly the only people in Iceland with over inflated wages were people in investments and some skilled workers who charged heavily because their skills were in huge demand in the boom times.
I think this was comparable to most of western Europe.
The Eastern workers flooded into most of western Europe when the employment restrictions changed 3 years ago.
The point i am trying to make is that i dont believe that as a whole the wages in Iceland was any greater than most of western Europe.Even when the ISK was strong.
As a example
In 2006 the average GROSS salary was around 300000 isk a month
Lets say the Euro cost around 75 ISK then
So thats 4000 Euro a month.
BUT
Taxes here are high so your NET salary would be around a little over 200000 ISK even with personal allowances.
So lets say that it left you with 2800 Euro a month.
Do you think that was a HUGE salary ?
Now lets say today this salary at Euro = 170 ISK
the same salary is worth around 1200 Euro a month
Also even when the ISK was strong our prices for groceries and consumer goods were always very high.
ONLY the profits were high for the mafias tat imprted the goods such as Baugur Group etc
So you can imagine how far 1200 Euro a month goes in Iceland today.
“Being a good speech writer doesn’t make you a good or qualified leader”
Speech writing i a job that too, even Obama needed help to do it. A leaders job should not be writing speecehes.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84756
TERRY, WHO KNOWS?
MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID HERE THAT SOMEONE LIKE ME COULD BE THE NEXT ICELANDIC PRIME MINISTER. IT WASN´T MY IDEA AT ALL. BUT I AM SURE THAT I COULD COME WITH A LIST OF IDEAS THAT ALMOST EVERY ICELANDIC WOULD LIKE.
Knowless said.
Obama has not actually done anything yet.
Apart from a very succesfull and well financed ‘hope a dope’ campaign to get elected, There is no evidence of his effectives in dealing with the substantial issues facing his country.
I agree with you.
First of all he has to dodge the bullets from the Rednecks and the fear of terrorist assassination.
Now he as to clean up the HUGE mess left for him by Bush & co and the current financial collapse.
He is under immense pressure to keep his people happy.
If he fails, next his own brothers will see him as a enemy or Uncle Tom.
I know he gets a big White house and a mercedes, BUT i would not want his job!
@Fishy
Thx for giving this info about the average wage in Iceland. 2800 euro a month in the good times is considerably higher than the average wage here which is about half that. But with the high cost of living purchasing power was not so much higher than overhere.
Hi Fishy.
Hmm, well I think construction workers salaries were too high in Iceland, both for locals and for foreign workers. First because the credit-fuelled asset bubble boom in construction created way too much demand for labour, which remained in short supply. Second, the artificial strength of the ISK created by the carry trade, made Iceland a more attractive place to work for foreigners. If the ISK hadn’t been so strong, salaries would not have been so high in their Euro equivalent.
My point about Obama is not that he is some kind saviour, simply that in terms of qualifications, experience and background he is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented individual. Suggest you read Obama’s Wikipedia biography and then make a comparison to Iceland’s candidates.