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Iceland to Install Lesbian Prime Minister amid Financial Collapse, Toppled Government
By Rady Ananda (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)
For OpEdNews: Rady Ananda - Writer One blogger titled his piece, "Lesbian Gets Second Worse Job in the World," (after the US presidency following the Bush-Cheney years?). But confidence in 66-year-old Johanna Sigurdardottir is high, with nearly a 75% approval rating. She is also the only pol whose ratings increased in the past year. Last night, Andy Harley of UKGayNews.org posted an in-depth bio on Sigurdardottir, providing info confirmed by Iceland contacts. Sigurdardottir has been a member of parliament for over thirty years, with former leadership posts in various unions. Harley reports, "Ms. Sigurðardóttir's partner is Jónína Leósdóttir, a well-known Icelandic author, playwright and journalist." They registered their partnership in 2002. "Both are very private people, as is generally the case in Iceland. Ms. Sigurðardóttir has never given an interview about her sexuality and her relationship."
Speaking with OpEdNews, Harley said, "Icelanders are very amused that Europe and America are interested in the 'gay' aspect. 'So what?' is their attitude."
The issue is of great relevance in those societies where sexual minorities are criminalized or marginalized by laws that ban full civil rights, including the U.S. Violence against sexual minorities is so pervasive that in December 2008, more than a third of United Nations member states called for their protection and decriminalization.
Iceland was devastated by bank failures, followed by four months of weekly protests, one erupting in violence. Amid charges of corruption and incompetence, several high level resignations ensued including the entire Financial Supervisory Authority board, as well as its director, Jonas Fr. Jonsson, and Minister for Business Affairs, Bjorgvin G. Sigurdsson. Former Prime Minister Geir Haarde resigned this week, as did the entire coalition government.
Protestors, along with Sigurdardottir's Social Democrats Party, continue to demand the resignation of all members of the Central Bank, and call for a complete restructuring of it. The value of the Icelandic krona fell by half in 2008. The nation's banks collapsed last October under the Ponzi lending scheme where banks loaned money they didn't have for expansive projects that benefited the few. The Left-Green Party and the nation's citizens have demanded that the assets of Iceland's wealthy be seized. The Progressive Party and Social Democrats oppose this action, claiming it is unconstitutional.
The economic disaster precipitated by corrupt lending practices and government failure to regulate resulted in widespread unemployment, skyrocketing inflation, and starvation. Nearly a third of Iceland's population of 320,000 face losing their homes and life savings.
After the financial collapse, Iceland negotiated a $10 billion International Monetary Fund loan with an interest scheme that the new government plans to review next month, and every three months thereafter. The new minority coalition government promises to restructure its loans under less usurious terms.
Citizens, however, have demanded the canceling of all loans to its government:
"We, the People of the Republic of Iceland in this period of economic turmoil and near national bankruptcy, declare to the International Monetary Fund, to the Central Banks of all our neighbouring countries and to their respective governments, that it is not in the interest of the people of Iceland that our current government receive loans from anyone.
"It is precisely because of corruption in government and severe mismanagement of economic and monetary policy, that Iceland is now in such a sad and shameful position. Since we believe that a more politically accountable and civilised government is now crucial in order to ensure an effective implementation of economic recovery and reconstruction, a change has to be made in government to restore trust and credibility, domestically as well as internationally."
Iceland is not scheduled to hold elections until 2011, but continuing policy failures led the nation to widespread protests, which finally toppled the conservative government. Elections are expected shortly, but no later than May of this year. With the Left-Green Party most closely representing the interests of Icelanders, it is not expected that Sigurdardottir will retain the PM seat after the election, unless the Social Democrats win a plurality of the vote. Given her popularity, Sigurdardottir's reign as the modern world's first openly gay head of state may survive the election.
This article cited in The Week Magazine at Iceland’s gay leadership.
In 2004, Rady Ananda joined the growing community of (more...)
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Money and MAD
Our banks and currency are no better off than Iceland's except for two things: 1) The U.S. dollar is the reserve currency of the world. 2) Our Fed and member banks are at the leadership table of the world banking elite. The world politics of the dollar resemble the financial equivalent of the old nuclear Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) standoff. No foreign country yet dares being the first to abandon support of the dollar out of fear the sinking dollar will drag them down with it. It's worth studying Iceland to see what could happen here when and if a major nation makes a dash for the exit. by Paul Rye (11 articles, 2 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 558 comments [59 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 12:19:45 AM  (0+)
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Reply: studying MAD
good points... and I agree. I happened upon the story last nite, but because it's Iceland, I wanted to get up to speed on the financial collapse. what a HUGE story that is - and ongoing. Of course, to get the truth, you have to avoid US mainstream media for the most part, altho some details they provide are helpful. To understand the Ponzi scheme, you have to read alternative blogs or foreign news sources. You KNOW that MSM will not tell Americans the truth about this, given the Wall Street Bailout, etc. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 12:47:17 AM (0+)
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More power to her!
And, how telling that “Icelanders consider it ‘perverted’ to even care about someone's sexual orientation”… that's an indication of an enlightened society, for sure. Thanks for posting this, Rady. by Meryl Ann Butler (89 articles, 107 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 811 comments [45 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 1:45:08 AM (0+)
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Reply: 'twas a real joy to write this piece
what positive news for lesbians and gays... altho I agree with the blogger who said "Lesbian Gets 2nd Worse Job in the World" lol thanks for your comment, Meryl Ann by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:02:26 AM (0+)
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Iceland
I like the idea of not caring what someones sexual preferences are. Also I'd like not to be conerned about skin color and religious beliefs. What a better world. I'm wondering if Iceland is able to be "enlightened" as such, because of the limited, somewhat isolated population. About 320,000. Maybe most similar to Alaska in this USA. Daily survival, and personal interaction with neighbors might command more of one's time than worrying about trivialities. Here most folks join groups to confront others. For whatever reason. by sommers (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 300 comments [66 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 8:42:42 AM (0+)
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Reply: totally agree with your sentiments
btw, I'm not sure isolation and low population contribute to their egalitarian progressive attitudes. I know of some rural spots in the Southeastern US that exhibit the exact opposite attitudes about skin color, sexual orientation, religious affiliation (and gender, too). by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:04:36 AM (0+)
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Excellent idea!
Let's "demand the resignation of all members of the Central Bank, and call for a complete restructuring of it." Nationwide strike anyone? End the Fed! by Jim Eldon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 255 comments [17 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 9:16:52 AM (0+)
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Reply: need for a new monetary system
one that is not based on "fractional reserves" - what a scheme for bankers to make money on loaning money they don't have. We definitely need to listen to Ellen Brown, Riane Eisler, Michael Albert and Paul Craig Roberts... how we implement these ideas is a whole 'nuther discussion... ;-) by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:00:10 AM (0+)
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Iceland hunts whales
All their goodness about their lesbian prime minister is offset that Iceland exports whale meat to Japan, and is hence the target of all environmentalists. As it happens neurologists have recently discovered that whales have superior brains. The lack an Internet because the live in the ocean, but then they don't need one, they can communicate thousands of miles with sound. What they have are form of "empathic" neuron that resembles a computer network. Iceland's economic suffering is strong proof of God. Empathy in Animals: by John Bessa (7 articles, 0 quicklinks, 27 diaries, 112 comments [7 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 9:24:16 AM (0+)
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hey, TheWeek.com mentioned this article
how cool is that? (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti ) Thursday, January 29, 2009 What happened Icelandic social affairs minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, was tapped to be her country’s first female prime minister, and the world’s first openly gay one, after the island nation’s conservative government fell alongside Iceland’s collapsing banks and currency and soaring unemployment and inflation. Sigurdardottir will serve as interim leader until May elections. (AP in Yahoo! News) It’s hard to believe that anything good could come from the global credit crisis, said Britain’s The Independent in an editorial, but Sigurdardottir’s appointment is “one incontrovertibly cheering” result. Of course Iceland is, “to put no fine a point on it, bankrupt,” but perhaps she can succeed where her male predecessor failed—all of Iceland’s major banks are now headed by women, too. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 9:53:13 AM (0+)
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Thanks
Excellent article, Rady, thanks- nice "aftercomments" as well. Like many others here, I have to say the Icelandic perspective on "perversion" is extremely refreshing, as is their attitude towards profiteers and banksters. Hope it's infectious. I have a "virtual friend" who's from Iceland, I'll be interested to hear her perspective on this. Thanks again. by Jennifer Hathaway (17 articles, 56 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 853 comments [253 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 11:57:43 AM (0+)
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Reply: virtual iceland friend
thanks for your kind remarks, Jennifer ~ I'd be interested, too, in hearing your friend's take on this - any of it. A lot of interest has refocused on Iceland's financial collapse because of the news of Johanna's appointment; and hopefully, many more will write about the Ponzi scheme that led to the collapse. We are facing the exact same thing here in the US, and Amanda Lang posted this quicklink about the next countries facing what Iceland endurs: The List: The Next Iceland: Britain, Latvia, Greece, Ukraine and Nicaragua. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 7:45:00 PM (0+)
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It only shows how idiotic the lemmings are
...that anyone even wonders about her sexual orientation and how it affects her governance. This obsession about who is doing what in bed with whom with what impliments, instruments, organs and devices shows how primitively moronic this species remains. We continue to allow ourselvs to be distracted and diverted with sexual mind control, diversion and propaganda, while the manipulators play their games at our expense. You have penis worshippers who create wars over psychological projections and inferiority emotions, based on the symbolic length of their organs, using what ever fallic weapon in the arsenals to prove a point. You have women who are so busy compensating for their lack of a projectile penis that they suck up to the penis worshippers, or, even worse, try to outdo them. Then you have the vagina mongers who are so busy manipulating moronic weenie wagers that the world continues to brew generation after generation of spoiled, manipulated, pseudo-narcicistic men. This gender-mongering has to stop. Your worth is not measured by who you sleep with, athough too many humans have been brainwashed into thinking it does. Now, let the party begin. by M. Davis (64 articles, 3 quicklinks, 17 diaries, 229 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 1:16:21 PM (0+)
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Reply: party on, Sister
oh, I think things are going to get pretty dicey here.... where gender & sexual orientation will get little attention. Let's hope love trumps physical attributes. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 at 7:47:32 PM (0+)
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She wasn't chosen because of her sexual preference
but, her sexual preference didn't prevent her from being chosen. Isn't that the goal - a merit based society. Those with limited minds just need to get over it and in a hurry. "Gay marriage," "don't ask don't tell," etc. are all non issues. People have a right to chose how they behave and other have an obligation to mind their own business. We have too many serious problems to waste time on nonsense. That's how the people of Iceland felet. Great news for Iceland and great example for us. by Michael Collins (146 articles, 23 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 557 comments [58 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Jan 31, 2009 at 11:40:59 AM (0+)
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