We do love us some Icesave over here at the Grapevine. And, apparently, so do you guys! At least if we judge by the amount of correspondence you’re sending in. We even received a poem!
Now, most of the letters we get are pure and simple proclamations of support from folks around the world. Even though they may be misguided at times, they are heartwarming; it’s nice to know some of y’all out there are following the plights of poor ol’ repressed Iceland and will actively express your sympathy for the “once proud nation.” An overwhelming majority goes: “Good luck in fighting evil bankers […] don’t let the Evil Dutch oppress you […] England must give back the gold it stole [from wherever] […] our thoughts are with you!”
Others have figgered out great solutions to our problems, such as the very nice Mr. Philip Barton of THE GOLD STANDARD INSTITUTE, who writes:
Hello Iceland
The people of Iceland owe the depositors in Icesave precisely nothing. Those depositors received a high rate of interest to compensate for the fact that the investment was riskier than normal.
The business (bank) failed, the investors lost their money. The people of
Iceland are no more responsible for the losses than the people of South
Korea, Australia or the UK. Not since Bobby Fischer played Boris Spassky has Iceland received so much international coverage. Iceland will be seen as heroic by the people of the world if it acts on principle and refuses to be bullied by the UK and the Netherlands.
Being allowed membership of the EU if they bend over is a very questionable benefit, especially when measured against the loss of Icelandic honour and integrity.
Philip Barton-Founder
The Gold Standard Institute
www.goldstandardinstitute.com
—
Then there are the angry ones. Like this guy here, F, he’s positively fuming:
An immature nation
Is Iceland the most irresponsible nation on earth?
You are like immature children. You tried to compete with the big boys and failed. Now pay your debts like adults. How dare you try to make the UK out to be the bad guys. You are the freeloaders of the western world. Why bother to have a referendum on an orphan agreement. Do you like wasting money?
F
There are many more like him. Probably folks that lost all their savings when Icesave collapsed, we suppose. Our absolute favourite, though, has to be the folks who get artistically motivated by the Icesave debacle. Like this guy, Sal Gustav Reddson. He sent in the following:
Poem Against Icesave
“We don’t believe in the socialization of private debt.”
– Birgitta Jonsdottir
I was cod fishing
before our banks and currency fell,
and I’m back at it.
Fish don’t know about
ridiculous money schemes.
They only know the hunger
that drives them to baited hooks.
Heaving another over my head,
I say, I’ve nothing against
the common man
but fuck The Netherlands
and Britain.
Let them catch
their own damn fish.
—
Keep ’em coming, y’all!
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