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PM Categorically Denies Insider Trading Accusations
In a lengthy Facebook post made just two hours ago, Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has responded to news that broke this morning that he had sold his remaining assets in a Glitnir bank fund called “Sjóður 9” only hours before the…
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Rumblings Of Dissent In Independence Party Over Equal Pay Bill
Rumblings of opposition to Iceland’s progressive new equal pay bill are rumoured in the Independence Party, reports RÚV. Independence Party MP, Óli Björn Kárason, chairman of the Economic Affairs and Trade Committee said that he made known his dissatisfaction when the bill…
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Blast From The Past: Hitler’s Reputation Valued At 200 ISK
On January 6th 1934, famous Icelandic author Þórbergur Þórðarson wrote an article in the now defunct daily paper Alþýðublaðið. Its headline, “Kvalarlosti nazista,” roughly translates as “Nazi Sadism.” In the article, Þórbergur said many a negative thing about Hitler and his henchmen,…
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Iceland’s Gov’t Condemns Trump, While Ruling Coalition MP Condemns Asylum Seekers
While the Icelandic government has condemned President Donald Trump’s ban on Muslims from entering the United States, one Independence Party MP has promised to greet an undefined group of asylum seekers with “a fist of steel”. Last Saturday, a federal judge put…
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Pirates Propose Free Dental Care; Conservative Calls Idea “Populism”
Vísir reports that the Pirate Party has put forward the idea of dental care free of initial fees. While Icelandic Health Insurance estimates that such an implementation could cost the state some 11 billion ISK, the Pirates have proposed covering the cost…
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Tremors Within The Ruling Coalition
Not every government MP is on board with the plan the leadership decided on for the ruling coalition. Numerous members of the Icelandic parliament have come forward in the wake of the formation of a “new” coalition. As reported, the Progressives will…
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Uncertainty Surrounds Iceland’s “New” Government
Even Progressive Party MPs are less than happy with Iceland’s proposed new government, and opposition is growing. As reported, Iceland’s new Prime Minister is Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, formerly the Minister of Agriculture and Fishing and a Progressive Party MP. Iceland’s outgoing Prime…
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MP Slammed For Remarks About Asylum Seekers
An MP for the Independence Party has been harshly criticised by members of his own party for remarks he made about asylum seekers yesterday. As reported, Independence Party MP Ásmundur Friðriksson floated the idea in parliament yesterday that Iceland should consider beginning…
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Foreign Minister Lashes Back At Conservative Critics
The Minister of Foreign Affairs says Independence Party critics of the trade ban against Russia show a conflict of interest. Since last summer, Iceland has been participating in the current trade ban against Russia, in which the EU is also involved. The…
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Björk Clarifies “Redneck” Statement
Björk has clarified her use of the pejorative term “redneck” in interviews with Sky News and Rolling Stone last week. “It’s a minority of redneck politicians, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance especially – who are trying to erase the…
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Separation Of Church And State In Discussion Amongst Conservatives
A proposal put forward at the national convention of the Independence Party opens the way for the separation of church and state. The draft of the national convention proposal – which outlines the party platform for the coming year – begins with…
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Pirates With Most Support Five Months Running
A new Gallup poll shows some record highs – and record lows – for Iceland’s parliamentary parties. Kjarninn reports that the poll has the Pirates currently at 36%, up by four points since the last poll and the highest the party has…
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Conservative Chair Confounded By Pirate Party
Independence Party chairperson Bjarni Benediktsson says he finds the Pirate Party to be “a blank page” and questioned the commitment of one of its founders, MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir. In an interview with DV, Bjarni targeted Birgitta for criticism by citing her political…
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Ruling Coalition Struggling Against Pirate Party
While the Pirate Party took a single-digit dip between polls, the ruling coalition is not gaining much ground. RÚV reports that the results of this month’s Gallup poll on party support are in, and the Pirate Party remains the largest party in…
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Nurse Resignations: A Chance To Privatise Health Care
An MP for the Independence Party believes the mass resignations of Iceland’s nurses is a great opportunity to start privatising health care. In a column published by Fréttablaðið, Independence Party MP Sigríður Á. Andersen argued that the current crisis in the health…
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MP Will Likely Submit Alcohol Bill Again
Independence Party MP Vilhjálmur Árnason, undaunted by public opinion and parliamentary defeat, still wants to legalise the sale of alcohol in stores. Vísir reports that Vilhjálmur is considering submitting his bill a second time when parliament reconvenes this fall. The bill, if…
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Gallup: Progressives At All-Time Low For Current PM
The results of a new Gallup poll show the Progressives ranking lower than they ever have since Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson was made chairperson in 2009. At the same time, the Pirate Party is now large enough to go from three seats to…
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Pirate Party Still Largest, And Growing
The Pirate Party is still the party with the greatest support, according to a new MMR poll, and has in fact grown in support. Meanwhile, the Progressives – who lead the government – now measure at 8.6%. According to a new poll…
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Trust In Iceland’s Parliament Drops Further
According to a new Gallup poll only 18% of Icelanders trust the parliament – a 6% drop since last year, reports Kjarninn. The results are perhaps no surprise in the wake of recent actions by the government to withdraw Iceland’s EU bid…
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PM On EU Bid: We’re Just Hitting The Reset Button
Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, has said that the letter to the EU announcing the end of Iceland’s accession talks was the simplest and clearest method for bringing to light the ruling coalition’s intentions, reports RÚV. The Prime Minister also said that although…
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Academics In Two Camps Over Validity Of EU Bid Drop
Law and Political Science academics are in two camps over the ruling coalition’s actions and the validity of the Foreign Minister’s letter to the EU, announcing the end of accession talks. Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, insisted in the news this…
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Foreign Minister Drops Iceland EU Bid, Doesn’t Run It Past Parliament First
Iceland’s Foreign Minister, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, has notified the EU that Iceland will no longer be pursuing EU accession talks, but did so without running it past parliament first, reports RÚV. “The Icelandic Government wishes to clarify further its intentions. The Government of Iceland…
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FM: Nothing Wrong With Accepting Contributions
Companies within the fisheries industry donated around 16 million ISK to campaigns in the last election, reports RÚV. Roughly 90% of that money went to the Independence Party and Progressive Party, who are now Iceland’s ruling coalition. Finance Minister, Bjarni Benediktsson –…