Icelandic member of parliament Þráinn Bertelsson spoke quite plainly in a radio interview he conducted for the station Bylgjan.
During the interview, it was reported to him that the results of an online poll showed 80% of respondents againsts the government paying artists any kind of salary. 1,183 took part in the survey.
Bertelson responded that, “There are much more than 1,100 idiots in this country. They comprise about 5% of the nation.
At this point, one of the technical workers at the studio, Þráinn Steinsson, jumped into the conversation.
ÞS: “And they’re mostly artists receiving government pay [these idiots]?”
ÞB: “You know, I think some things aren’t worth answering,”
ÞS: “I don’t understand how you can say something like that.”
ÞB: “I think you ought to pay attention to taking care of the buttons over there rather than mix yourself into the discussion here.”
ÞS: “Which I obviously know nothing about?”
ÞB: “It’s on a level above your head.”
ÞS: “That’s pretty clear.”
To hear the entire intereview (in Icelandic), click here.