The ruling Independence Party blames the Social Democrats for today’s breaking up of their coalition government. They complain that the party has effectively split into three parties and did not have the strength to see out the parliamentary term. They also complain that the Social Democrats’ demand to install their own Johanna Sigurdardottir as Prime Minister was unacceptable.
The Social Democrats blame the Independence Party. Big changes need to be made in government, the heads of the central bank need to be changed and the cabinet needs to be reshuffled – actions the Independence Party have repeatedly hesitated to make, they argue.
In conclusion Geir Haarde lamented that he had feared the possibility of a political crisis on top of the financial crisis the country is already suffering.
The Left Green Party leader Steingrimur J. Sigfusson emphatically stated that he believes Haarde’s attitude to be unhelpful. He believes that the changes set in motion today were needed and that the world should be concentrating on the positives that will come with significant changes to the political landscape in Iceland.
The Prime Minister is currently meeting with President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson to formally request the dissolution of his government. Who will make up the next government is still not known.
A press conference from the President’s official Bessastadir residence is expected shortly.
Be sure and leave the silverware and bed sheets,from your free government housing, on your way out of the country.
While your financiers and politicians reap turmoil back here in South Wales (UK) Barbara Wilding our Chief Constable retains her Queens Police Medal and Alan Fry the Chief Executive of our Polce Authority has just been honoured in the New Years Honours list! With his Treasury experience gained at Swansea and Barbara’s expertise on terrorism gained while with the Metroplitan Police you would have thought they would both have known better than to gamble &7 million of public money in a “terrorist” state. As they say there’s a welcome in the valleys!
@bletchly…..” and Barbara’s expertise on terrorism gained while with the Metroplitan Police you would have thought they would both have known better than to gamble &7 million of public money in a “terrorist” state. As they say there’s a welcome in the valleys!”
> where is the so called ” Terrorist state”???\
>With his Treasury experience gained at Swansea and Barbara’s expertise on terrorism gained while with the Metroplitan Police you would have thought they would both have known better than to gamble &7 million of public money in a “terrorist” state
It nice to see some Brit wit here. Icelanders seem to forget that humour although we have it too. For example –
>The Left Green Party leader Steingrimur J. Sigfusson emphatically stated that he believes Haarde’s attitude to be unhelpful. He believes that the changes set in motion today were needed and that the world should be concentrating on the positives that will come with significant changes to the political landscape in Iceland.
Yes, Steingrímur finally gets to be listen to in interviews. And get to talk his wonderful ideas for in government.
And then Steingrímur find out that people in Iceland once know what his politices are he may not find such love at ballot box in elections.
Best he can dois keep mouth shut and fists in trouser pocket. But not think he can manage it for 1 month less 5 until election. His big chance to be heard! And thump people he want to.
*forget that humour recent times
@Starlington. The “>” sign is commonly used to quote text from a previous post, as in Fisy’s post, rather than as a bullet point.
Regarding arthur’s post, even if we accept that Iceland is a terrorist state (which it isn’t!), it hadn’t been declared as such at the time when the money was deposited.
@Bromley86:….That’s so funny,but that’s my style, Focus on the message being expressed, and leave the style. When ” GUS ” types in capital letters, you shouted for help that he is screaming, and you pouted for a long time, but that is just his own style.
Besides that, if ( Bletchy) and all the Idiots in the U.K can call Iceland a ” terrorist” state, what would you call places like Afghanistan and Iraq e.t.c????
Point taken regardless of what has been said.
Starlington, post by arthur bletchly was Brit wit.
As not too bright in reading I tell you reference to risk control of Welsh local council based on Brown guidelines investing local people tax money there.
108 councils in England, Scotland and Wales deposited £798.95m in Icelandic banks in Brown local government investment guidelines and then of course he made sure they would not get back monies by kicking Iceland banks over waterfall.
Council Amount outstanding
Aylesbury district council £3m
Barnet council £27m
Bassetlaw district council £8m
Braintree district £5m
Breckland council £12m
Brent £15m
Bridgend council £1m
Bristol city council £8m
Bromley council £5m
Buckinghamshire £5m
Caerphilly county council £15m
Cambridge city council £9m
Canterbury city council £6m
Ceredigion £5.5m
Cheltenham borough council £11m
Cherwell district council £6.5m
Cheshire county council £8.5m
Colchester borough council £4m
Cornwall county council £5m
Cotswold district council £2m
Daventry district council £8m
Derwentside district council £7m
Doncaster council £3m
Dorset county council £28.1m
Dover district council £1m
East Ayrshire council £3m
East Lindsey district council £4m
East Staffordshire borough council £4m
Exeter city council £5m
Flintshire council £3.7m
Gateshead council £4.5m
Gloucester city council £2m
Gloucestershire county council £12m
Great Yarmouth £2m
Havering council £12.5m
Hertfordshire £28m
Hertsmere borough council £1m
Hillingdon council £20m
Ipswich borough council £5m
Kent county council £50m
Kirklees council £1m
Lancashire county council £10m
Lancaster city council £6m
Lewes district council £1m
Monmouthshire council £1.2m
Moray council £2m
Neath Port Talbot £20m
Newark & Sherwood district council £2m
Norfolk county council £32.5m
North Ayrshire £15m
North-east Lincolnshire council £7m
North Lincolnshire council £ 5.5m
North Somerset £3m
North Wiltshire district council £4m
Northumberland council £23m
Nottingham city council £42m
Oxford city council £4.5m
Oxfordshire county council £5m
Perth and Kinross council £1m
Plymouth city council £13m
Powys council £4m
Redcar & Cleveland £6m
Rhondda Cynon Taff council £3m
Rotherham council £3.8m
Sevenoaks district council £1m
Slough council £2.5m
Solihull council £3m
Somerset county council £25m
South Ayrshire £5m
South Ham district council £1.25m
South Lanarkshire council £7.5m
South Oxfordshire district council £2.5m
Stoke on Trent council £5m
Stroud £3m
Surrey county council £20m
Sutton council £5.5m
Tewkesbury council £1m
Tonbridge & Malling borough council £1m
Vale of White Horse district council £1m
Wakefield £9m
West Lindsey district council £7m
West Oxfordshire district council £9m
West Sussex £12.9m
Westminster council £17m
Wiltshire county council £8m
Winchester £1m
Wokingham borough council £5m
Wycombe district council £2.5m
Wyre Forest district council £9m
Bracknell Forest TBA
Burnley council TBA
Chorley council TBA
North Ayshire TBA
Wychavon district council TBA
Other affected bodies
Transport for London £40m
Dorset police authority £7m
Sussex police authority £6.8m
Hertfordshire police authority £3m
Gwent police authority £1m
Metropolitan police £30m
West Yorkshire £6m
Northumbria £3.5m
Funny thing is course that bulk of money was in Kauthpings British subidiary. Which Brown took. But now refuses to give back to them.
@ Fisy…Oh my God!!…I hope you’re correct!…But why did they deposit these monies in Kaupthing British Subsidiary and not a British Bank???.It sounds ”shady”, and it looks as if they’re evading taxes by depositing the monies in the Kaupthing Bank; And when the going was good, nobody called any state ”Terrorists”, but when the going went from bad to worse, mudslinging and name calling was the order of the day, they even threatened to use ” anti-terrorist laws” on tiny country as Iceland even when it’s in a deep mess.
Talking about ” terrorist state or Terrorism” , the Ex PM of the U.K followed the Ex President of the U.S.A to invade Iraq because of greed, and hate!.
Is this is a case of what goes around and comes around?….lol
Excuse my typographical errors,hope my view point is understood. and it’s not as if what the Icelandic bank ( kaupthing British Subsidiary) is good anyways, but calling Icelanders terrorists and threatening to ‘anti-terrorism” laws is just CRAZY!
STARLINGTON, YOU ARE RIGHT, IT IS WRONG TO CALL THE ICELANDIC GOVERN AND BANKS TERRORIST. THE CORRECT NAME TO USE IN THIS CASE WOULD BE CORRUPTED GOVERN OR POLITIC MAFIA.
THOSE PEOPLE SHOULD BE JUDGED IN LA HAYA FOR THEIR INTERNATIONAL CRIMES, AND ALSO FOR THE CRIMES DONE TO THE ICELANDIC NATION AS IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NO JUSTICE IN ICELAND TO BE ABLE TO JUDGE THE POLITIC MAFIA AND BANK GANGSTERS RULING THE COUNTRY. NO DOUBT OF THAT
>But why did they deposit these monies in Kaupthing British Subsidiary and not a British Bank???.
But they did deposit in British Bank. Thats the point. It just was owned by Icelandic Bank.
The bank was called Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander.
There was also another British Bank they used called Heritible Bank that was owned by Landsbanki. Brown took that too.
Brown took their money — the UK councils listed above — when he forced the subsidiaries down but will not give it back, as of course that kicked Kaupthing over the waterfall.
It not just individual depostors that trusted Icelandic banks but also these informed investors as Brown Darling calls and that is reason he will not use tax payer money to cover their money only will covers the deposit of individuals in full.
Icelandic public must pay up front from tax and loans £4.5 billion, the EU regulation 94/19/EC deposit insureance because the assets of the folded banks cant be sold now but in about 3 years time so a fair price can be got for them so it it is not like the sale of that Norwegian bank of Glitnir at fire sale price.
Funny thing is councils did this according to Brown regulations for loca l government they were encouraged to invest it in bonds to get best returns as long as credit rating of banks was good. And Iceland banks credit ratings were good because banks were careful and bought only good assets.
>When ” GUS ” types in capital letters, you shouted for help that he is screaming, and you pouted for a long time, but that is just his own style.
Not true. I accept why GUS posts in caps. I don’t think that, given that most people find caps harder to read, he helps himself with the sheer size and quantity of his posts and that’s what I said. Oh, and he went off the rails :) .
>Besides that, if ( Bletchy) and all the Idiots in the U.K can call Iceland a ” terrorist” state, what would you call places like Afghanistan and Iraq e.t.c????
As I have said, Iceland is not a terrorist state. Unless you’re a whale :) . AFAIK, Afghanistan and Iraq are not terrorist states, assuming that the definition is the state sponsored use irregulars to strike civilians outside their borders.
>Oh my God!!…I hope you’re correct!…But why did they deposit these monies in Kaupthing British Subsidiary and not a British Bank???.It sounds ‘’shady”
Not the way it works. All banks within the EU (or EEA in this case) would have to be treated the same or there would be a court case.
There was no tax implication of depositing (not investing) in KE or Icesave.
Now, there might have been some “shady” tax avoidance by some UK residents who saved offshore (Iom, Guernsey), but that was not a risk free strategy.
>they even threatened to use ” anti-terrorist laws” on tiny country as Iceland even when it’s in a deep mess.
Nope, didn’t happen. There was no threat as the law was actually used. It was not used against Iceland per se, although it was I believe used against the Icelandic government in its capacity as the effective owners of the banks (although it didn’t nationalise them, it effectively did).
>but calling Icelanders terrorists and threatening to ‘anti-terrorism” laws is just CRAZY!
No-one did. Well, other than a few pissed off Brits and all the Icelanders who believed the smokescreen their government put up to divert blame.
@ Gus….Cheers to you too!…The PM of U.K threatened to use anti-terrorism laws on the whole Icelanders because of what some corrupt, malicious, immoral, bankers did and now some of them are denying it because they found out that it’s a wrong move….lol
Bromley86 why do you think Brown did what he did to councils?
>Now, there might have been some “shady” tax avoidance by some UK residents who saved offshore (Iom, Guernsey), but that was not a risk free strategy.
Looking at sites about that, maybe 10 of the 8000-15000 peple effected by Brown Darling actions were shady. Did not read them yet wonder? Does storyies the write tell you that?
Was councils shady too?
@Broomley86…..go ahead and call me a whale or whatever you like, I don’t give a f@@k!!…and if you like deny the fact that The British PM didn’t threaten to use anti-terrorism laws on all Icelanders because of what some corrupt, malicious, immoral, bankers did in the British subsidiary branch of kaupthing bank , that would only be making you less updated, and out of touch on what has been going on, and also more ignorant.
The British PM shouldn’t have confiscated the assets, they should have arrested the bankers and tried them in court so the law will take it’s effect, but instead of that he sent out threats and confiscated what he could hang on to. Iceland is not a 3rd world country that you’ll use such”bully tactics” on; Now those corrupt, malicious, immoral, bankers took to their heels, and the monies deposited has not been retrieved, and the people at the loosing end are all pouting in sorrow.
Those crooks should have been arrested and tried, maybe then it will branch out to arresting and jailing the ones behind the scene
(also in Iceland) which have not been mentioned yet. There is an old saying, I’m not sure if it’s Chinese or African” if you want to catch a monkey, you have to behave like a monkey”
Don’t even say places like Afghanistan / Iraq is not a terrorist State, or terrorist prone states, then you’ll be just justifying your illiteracy!!
By the way I think all you do is copy people’s comments and criticize them, when will you add a positive comment from your own thoughts????…. let me know when.
@fisy…If the British subsidiary of Kauphing bank didn’t have this problem and the monies generated loads of interests , will there be all these pouting??, because it happened the they fell into massive problems… the British government went berserk calling names and pointing fingers, trying to bully ”Icelanders” another NATO member.
They should find a way to arrest those corrupt, malicious, immoral, bankers that took to their heels, try them.
and Fisy stop copying posts from others and criticizing it, make your own point besides copy & paste and criticizing.Broomely86 does the same thing as well. My 3rd finger is raised @ both of you!
>Bromley86 why do you think Brown did what he did to councils?
That’s like asking why the Icelandic government did what it did to the councils. The UK government didn’t do anything, it was just fallout from other necessary decisions.
I doubt we’ll agree whether the UK government did the right thing or not. However, I can tell you that as a Brit I’m happy with what Brown “did to the councils” in the course of safeguarding UK retail depositors.
>Looking at sites about that, maybe 10 of the 8000-15000 peple effected by Brown Darling actions were shady. Did not read them yet wonder? Does storyies the write tell you that?
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. Starlington seemed to have the idea that any UK depositor in an Icelandic bank was somehow shady and I was just pointing out that this was not so.
He also mentioned tax evasion, which is why I brought up the offshore accounts. The reason why many people used those offshore accounts was that they were not resident in the UK and were therefore not able to open a UK (i.e mainland) account (well, apparently they were, but it’s a very murky area with even many/most banks believing that they couldn’t).
Where the offshore accounts *might* be considered shady is if they were being used by UK residents to avoid tax. I believe that those people were a tiny minority, but it has been a few months since I looked at it.
Of course the councils were not shady as they followed guidance and deposited with the mainland banks. However, there was no deposit guarantee. If I, as a hopeless optimist, could see that there was trouble in Iceland, it does rather question the competence of their treasurers.
I suppose it depends on how much freedom they had to persue their own deposit/investment strategies. Still, everyone in the world has just underestimated risk, so we probably shouldn’t be too hard on them.
>@Broomley86…..go ahead and call me a whale or whatever you like, I don’t give a f@@k!!…
Umm, no one called you a whale Starlington. Perhaps you missed the recent increase in whale quotas in Iceland?
>if you like deny the fact that The British PM didn’t threaten to use anti-terrorism laws
I’ve explained that. If you can’t/won’t understand . . .
>The British PM shouldn’t have confiscated the assets, they should have arrested the bankers and tried them in court
Now that’s really for Iceland, isn’t it. Assuming Brown decided to go off the deep end, how was he to do this? Invade? Snatch-squads? Please.
>Don’t even say places like Afghanistan / Iraq is not a terrorist State, or terrorist prone states, then you’ll be just justifying your illiteracy!!
So you don’t understand something and I’m illiterate?
>By the way I think all you do is copy people’s comments and criticize them, when will you add a positive comment from your own thoughts????…. let me know when.
Well, if you will ask questions. But no, you’re right, block-text rants are better :rolleyes: