This issue, we reached out to some friends of the Grapevine to ask a simple question: what is the state of politics in Iceland in 2025? Here are some of the responses.
“Although the multi-party system is becoming more familiar, one might say that it presents greater challenges for Icelandic political life than in countries where national parliaments are larger. After all, we only have 63 members of parliament, and it’s problematic to have such a small group so fragmented.
Still, there are many positive things to say about Icelandic politics. The current government is led by a person who is young enough to be free from the burden of the financial crash — who was neither a direct nor indirect participant in it and also not caught in its moral undertow.” — Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson, author, comedian
“‘Things Can Only Get Better’ was the anthem of Tony Blair’s Labour Party during the UK’s 1997 election campaign. Keir Starmer isn’t the only politician flirting with what looks like the corpse of New Labour, resurfacing after being buried beneath the left’s self-loathing for the past 20 years. But whereas the Icelandic government, led by the Social Democratic Alliance, hesitantly sings along to the tune of New Labour, the words go more like: ‘Things can hardly get worse.’ So, in a nutshell, I’d describe the atmosphere as morbidly hopeful.” — Sif Sigmarsdóttir, author, journalist
“Icelandic politics find themselves in a peculiar position: the current coalition of liberal centrist parties faces virtually no real opposition. After decades of near-continuous dominance, Iceland’s historic ruling party, the Independence Party, has yet to find its rhythm or voice in its new role in opposition. The other traditional power player, the Progressive Party — though always the junior partner in coalition governments — is still struggling to figure out how to save itself from political extinction. This has given the governing parties wide latitude to advance their agenda without facing genuine — or credible — resistance. The liberal centre is now experiencing its own moment, much like neoliberalism did in Iceland in the 1990s. Whether that is good or bad depends entirely on one’s political perspective.” — Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, editor, journalist
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