Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir appeared on BBC television yesterday in a rare interview with the foreign broadcast media. Sigurdardottir spoke in Icelandic.
The Prime Minister’s opponents have repeatedly attacked her for not speaking with foreign media enough and for her extreme reluctance to speak English, Eyjan.is reports.
The BBC report was about the Icelandic economy a year after the collapse and explored how Icelanders’ focus is returning to traditional sectors and traditional thriftiness after the uncharacteristic spending spree of recent years.
The report also included an interview with Left Green Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, the country’s Minister of Finance, who described how he believes Iceland’s own currency provides the economy with an important flexibility that would be lost with the euro.
Sigurdardottir disagrees, saying that EU membership and the euro currency would bring a much-needed stability to the Icelandic economy.
The BBC report can be seen on the BBC website for a limited time only, here.
Article about much-needed stability in Latvia.
But most interesting are comments of those who are from Latvia.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/6263039/Banks-brace-for-Latvias-collapse.html
having spent five months in Iceland shortly before the economic collapse , i thought that their economy was relying mostly on credit , it could not last any longer , the whole country seemed to be on a spending spree , their standard of living was built on fragile grounds and was gravely shaken in 2008 , they will need to be more realistic , and certainly be more carefull with credit , i think that the prime minister is right when she plans to adopt the euro as the currency for Iceland .
I think that being a member of the eurozone is a mistake for Iceland, look at the extreme cost of living in all the euorzone countries brought about by the euro itself, Iceland needs to concentrate on reviving its economy on its own, without hinderance and reliance on others.
The prime minister of Iceland can´t speak English????
ANANAS
The prime minister of Iceland can´t speak English????
WELL ANANAS, SHE SHOULD BE WORKING AT A SUPERMARKET CASH, LIKE IN BONUS OR SOMETHING. DOES SHE KNOW SOME BASIC MATHS??
IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW INCOMPETENT THIS POLITICIANS ARE, ICELAND HAS SO BAD LUCK, FORMER POLITICIANS WERE PIRATS ALLIED WITH THE BANK MAFIA, AND NOW PEOPLE WHIOUT A CLUE IN ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS RULE THIS COUNTRY.
BUT THE WORST OF ALL, ICELANDERS JUST COMPLAIN AND DO NOTHING… I SUPOSE THEY HAVE WHAT THEY DESERVE…
AND FOR WHAT IT IS ADOPTING THE EURO. IT IS THE SAME, ICELANDIC KRÓNA IS TOTALLY DEAD. SO ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS FOR ICELANDIC ECONOMY TO START RECOVERING IS TO HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITED CURRENCY, NAME IT DOLLAR, EURO, OR WHATEVER YOU LIKE… CHOOSING ONE I WOULD CHOOSE THE EURO, SPECIALLY BECAUSE ICELAND IS IN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA ( EUROPE IS ITS MAIN TRADING PARTNER) AND BECAUSE THE EURO HAS SHOWN TO BE A VERY STRONG CURRENCY.
EVEN AMERICANS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE EUROS THESE DAYS THAN JUST THEIR DEVALUATED DOLLARS.
AGAIN, WHO IS GOING TO TRUST THIS COUNTRY WHEN EVEN THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT ABLE TO AGREE IN SOMETHING AND PROVIDE A RESPONSE ON WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO??
THEY DON´T GET ANYONE TO LEND THEM MONEY, NO ONE TRUST THIS COUNTRY ANYMORE, PRIVATE INVESTORS ARE WAITING TO GET WHATEVER THEY HAVE HERE AND FLY AWAY WITH THEIR MONEY.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ICELAND TO GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION IF IT IS NOT BY ENTERING INTO THE EU, OR, WHAT WOULD BE WORSE, HARDSHIP FOR MANY DECADES… ICELAND BY ITS OWN COULD REESTABLISH ITS ECONOMY AND BE A WEALTHY COUNTRY, BUT IT WOULD TAKE ONE HUMAN GENERATION FOR THAT. I SAY 10-20 YEARS.
WITH CUTS IN EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT I SEE NOTHING CHANGING IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS. WITH A SOLID ECONOMIC APPROACH THEY COULD START PAYING OFF DEBTS SOON. BUT IT WOULD BE STILL BE A POOR COUNTRY FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS AT LEAST. BUT AS I SAID, THIS COULD ONLY HAPPEN IN AN SCENERY WHERE ICELAND HAD RESPONSIBLE POLITICIANS, BANKERS AND BUSINESSMEN. AND WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT, THAT THEY WOULD FINALLY AGREE IN SOMETHING.
IN ICELAND TODAY I CAN OBSERVE JUST THE SAME POLITICAL INCOMPETENCE, ECONOMIC CORRUPTION, LACK OF DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, LACK OF UP-TO-TIME EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, ETC.. YOU CAN FIND IN ANY SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY…
SORRY TO TELL, BUT ICELAND IS GOING TO BE LET BEHIND FOR A LONG TIME, IT WILL TAKE FOR THEM 30 YEARS OR MORE TO CATCH UP WITH OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, WHICH ARE FAR MUCH POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND TECHNOLOGICALLY DEVELOPED.
UNLESS THEY GET INTO THE EU AND PARTICIPATE OF IT…
OR EAT FISH AND POTATOES AND RIDE ON A HORSEBACK TO WORK..
Indeed, it should be illegal for any citizen to be elected to any political office anywhere in the world if they don’t speak the Queen’s English properly. If this appears to be a problem, remember that there are enough British citizens to hold all political positions in the world; the simplest solutions are often the best.
jim why should we have to speak english ?
@eyrúne – Because the Brits are not abel to learn other languages ;-)
“jim why should we have to speak english ?”
Because the Queen’s English is a most civilised language for learned men to discuss matters of state, politics, and science.
jim i think after the row with darling every one is being carefull so a different meaning to what we say is used if we say it in icelandic then any translation fault is not ours
>jim i think after the row with darling every one is being carefull
Indeed. If only Mathiesen had thought to lie instead of telling the truth. Another lesson for Icelandic politicians?
Sir Euro, you know, with people like you and others acting like they are, as an Icelander I’m ready to: “EAT FISH AND POTATOES AND RIDE ON A HORSEBACK TO WORK”.
Best regards.
Sir Euro, IF you live in this country, you know as I that the younger generation is perfectly capable of moving, and they will, globalization for the glory.
Leaving the older generation which built this country to a respectable level untill it was sold off to “the free market”, which will not take responsability for what has happened, but sold it out to the people of Iceland to pay.
P.S.
If you live in this land, then you are just as guilty as anyone of letting this happen, just by beeing here, as per the international standard..right?
Or are you a better person than everybody else living in this country?
Don’t worry, Eyrúne and Øystein, I think Jim’s only joking about Queen’s English.
However, time was when the Queen’s Initials were so sacred that they even spilled over into England’s national game (cricket); everybody knew that the E R in E R Dexter’s name stood for Elizabeth Regina.
“if we say it in icelandic then any translation fault is not ours”
But surely the translator would be an Icelander, so the fault would still be yours…
>Because the Brits are not abel to learn other languages ;-)
Øystein – that’s unfair. I speak fluent Yorkshire, and a small amount of English :)
jim no it would be up to the translators employed by who ever is translateing it in iceland we use icelandic translators who have graduated from the uk in english translation ( most with a masters ) i know this as 2 of my cousins do translation from english to icelandic and they graduated in the UK
So it is not absurd to blame the Brits and the inadequate standards of their English master degree courses, as exposed by the overuse of the word ‘preposterous’.
@Terry – Yorkshire – so you are a Viking – that´s good :->
>Terry – Yorkshire – so you are a Viking – that´s good :->
Øystein. I’m also half Hebredian (but I don’t usually admit to that). So, I guess that makes me doubly Viking!
So to Brumley, Peter and Jim – as Bjarni said -
“You may think you are bigger and stronger, and therefore you can bully Iceland, but you will never break us!”
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/09/30/iceland-health-minister-resigns/#comments
>as exposed by the overuse of the word ‘preposterous’
Except we don’t know that Alex went to university in the UK.
Terry:
“So to Brumley, Peter and Jim – as Bjarni said -”
Well, I’m a Yorkshireman as well, so I guess that makes me one of you…
Hi,
It seems we are discussing a language/translation point from a different news story here; but I will attempt to address it anyway.
Alex did indeed go to university in the UK (for a Bachelor’s degree) and has just begun a Master’s in Iceland (that is why we have welcomed Russell to our team).
With regard to the word ‘preposterous’: it is an accurate translation of the Icelandic word ‘fráleitur’ even if it was not the best translation under the circumstances. Either way, the Prime Minister did use the word three times in the Icelandic quote.
All of this aside, if you take a look at the article in question, you will see that I have changed it to three different words of similar meaning. Hope this helps!
Thanks for reading IceNews
Alex, editor
Thanks for that Peter. Fisy is perceptive – able to identify fellow Vikings: -
>Just what in gods name do you mean ? You are starting to sound like Peter – London.
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/07/29/more-members-of-parliament-against-the-icesave-deal/#comment-88521
Sorry Mike – you should have been included with Brumley, Peter and Jim, but Niels… not you – you have been gentlemanly.
As a Viking, I suppose I should say Afram Ireland (so as not to leave out Kevin – Waterford?)…
Sorry to be ‘off topic’ Alex – just a little banal banter, whilst we wait for the big issues’ to unfurl.
After a Bachelor degree in the UK – a Masters – in Iceland must be equivalent to an ‘A’ level in the UK?
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/10/10/record-number-of-student-graduates-in-iceland/comment-page-1/#comment-95842
“So to Brumley, Peter and Jim – as Bjarni said -”
Half of my genes are English. The other half are European and so I don’t admit to them in public ;-)
HA HA you tell them alex
Don’t worry Terry, a bit of banal banter is good for the soul!
As for the Master’s part: either I am rapidly losing brain capacity with age, or studying in Iceland is (for me at least) a challenging and inspiring thing!
Terry,
Off course I am being gentlemanly: my genes are neither british nor viking , being half dutch and half eastern european jewish :-)