US Ambassador offended by the Icelandic President ?

Soon - the Ambassador of the USA in Iceland , Carol van Voorst ,will be leaving Iceland.
And as tradition says - she requested a meeting with the Icelandic President ,mr Olaf Ragnar Grimsson.
Later ,the ambassador got a letter from the Icelands Foreign Office,wich told her ,that the President was going to give her a Presidential medal - the Fálkaordan. ( photo )

Then when the Ambassodor and her husband where on their way to the Presidents house at Bessastadir,they got a phonecall from the Presidents office ,and where told that ,she would not be getting the medal.
No more explanation was offerred.
According to sources,the ambassador was not pleased,but continued to Bessastadir.
There had been some mistake made at the Presidential office.
The President apologized for this mistake to the ambassador ,but told her also - " that the medal is only for those that deserve it "

Carol van Voorst

Great monday after the elections in Iceland

Great weather was today in Reykjavik.
And tonight the weather was warm and calm.Took a little video clip of boats in Reykjavik harbour and a few photos ---
There might be some crisis - banking and more - but you can still enjoy the calm weather and enjoy the outdoors.

Click on the photos - and they will be bigger

Left parties win in Iceland election.

After considerable delays and an unusually long election night, all ballots have finally been counted.
The coalition parties, the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement have a majority in parliament with 34 MPs out of 63 and could remain in government. Of the 63 elected to Althingi 26 are women, or 43 percent. Eight of those who sought
re-election did not get through. Both of the parties in the governing coalition managed to improve their position and the Independence Party lost a big part of their votes since 2007. Twenty seven new people will be entering the Icelandic Parliament, Althingi following yesterday’s elections.
The Elections results

Election letter B - Framsóknarflokkurinn (Progressive Party), 27.699 votes or 14.8% and 9 seats (an increase of two)
Election letter D - Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn (Independence Party). 44.369 votes or 23.7% and 16 seats (lost nine MPs)
Election letter F - Frjálslyndi flokkurinn (Liberal Party), 4148 votes or 2.2% and no seats (lost four)
Election letter O - Borgarahreyfingin (Civic Movement), 13.519 votes or 7.2% and 4 seats (brand new party elected for the first time)
Election letter P - Lýðræðishreyfingin (Democracy Movement), 1107 votes or 0.6% and no seats (brand new party running for the first time)
Election letter S - Samfylkingin (Social Democratic Alliance), 55758 votes or 29.8% and 20 seats (two more MPs than last time)
Election letter V - Vinstri Grænir (Left Green Movement), 40.580 votes or 21.7% and 14 seats (gains five more parliamentarians)

Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir - Iceland Prime Minister

Parliamentary election today in Iceland

Iceland is holding its national parliamentary election today.

Polling stations are open from 09.00 until 22.00 ( GMT )

227,896 people, over the age of 18, have the right to vote today. Icelandic citizens are automatically registered to vote and do not need to register themselves if they live in the country.
Here is a video clip from one of the polling stations .

Icelandic Parliement members accepting bribes ?

Gudlaugur Thor Thordarsson,member of the Independence party and former health minister, has admitted receiving money from Companys in Iceland .
Baugur Group and FL Group donated to him a few million kronas ,when he was running for the Reykjavik City council.
He is now running for parliement ,and these news will not help the Independence party.
Jon Asgeir ,owner of Baugur group ,said yesterday ,that his company donated to most of the parties in Iceland,but not to the Left Green Movement.

The Independence party support is not going well.
General elections will be on next saturday.

Still,the Investigation against the banking crisis,is done by the goverment - so the corruption still goes on.

Here are a few videos from last winter protests in Iceland .
and one video of a 8 year old girl ,making a speach,and it has english subtitles

Members of the Icelandic parliement accepted donations

Many of the members of the Icelandic parliement ,accepted money donations from big companys ,during their fight for becoming members of parliement.
The generla elections ,that are due on next saturday are going be tricky.
Members of all parties have accepted some money from companys.
Will this affect the elections ?
People are getting more angry .

Iceland offered the Euro last okctober ---- secret in Iceland

Last october ,the IMF recommended that Iceland
should take up the EURO ,according to mr: Gudmundur Olafsson ,and Icelandic economist in a radio talk show last week.

He is very angry at the Icelandic Media ,for not reporting about this.
But the Icelandic media is controlled by political parties.
Mr. Olafsson ,claims that this has been kept secret by the former goverment of Iceland.
Why should they keep this a secret ?

Here are two photos from december 31st 2008

Poverty increases and elections next weekend in Iceland

The number of people seeking assistance from the Church in Iceland,has trippled since the same time last year.
Young people are more now asking for help.
Sometimes ,people cant afford medical service and cant buy the drugs that they need.
People are asking for food and things they need to live.

And next weekend there is the parliement elections here in Iceland.
There have been discussion about bribes to certain political parties,and in parliement last

week,on member ,used the word - Bribes,when discussing the money donations to the Independence party.

The investigations about that crash and them that took part in that,is still going slow.
Few years ago ,the Oil companys,where convicted ,that they working togethere to controll the oil prices, ,and nobody went to jail.
The comapanys where fined,but they guys,the CEO.s of the companys that did the crime ,are

still walking free.
And how did the Oil companys pay the fine ?
They raised the oil prices.

Probably the same thing will happen ,regarding the corruption around the banking crash.
Those that are investigating,are part of the political system,so it is difficult for them to be neautral in investigating .
If you steal from the shop a few dollars,you go to jail -- if you steal from the nation billion dollars -- you dont go to jail.

Here are a few photos and video from the protests last winter.
Click on the photos ,and they will get bigger

Protesters take a house in Reykjavik -- video and photos

Yesterday ,a group of Housetakers or anarkists,took over a house that had been empty for a few years in Downtown Reykjavik.

They wanted to make it social home for people in Reykjavik and the kids wanted to have a FREE shop there ( everything free,and a library and more.

The owner heard about it --( he was in a foreing country ) and he called the police and asked them to take them out of the house,

And early this morning ,the police came in full riot gear and took them out of the house ,after a few hours fight.

Nobody got injured in the fighting.

Click on the photos - and you will see them in real size

Independence Party accepting bribes in Iceland ?

Svandís Svavarsdóttir , ( photo ) member of the political party - Left Green Movement ,and in Reykjavik city council,says that the donations to the Independence party from FL Group and Landsbanki ,then you need to aske the question about ,if it is Bribes.

Vice chairman of the Independence party ,Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir,is offended by these accusations,and says that Svandis must come with some proof.
Svandis is not only naming two member of Reykjavik city council,members of the Independence party ,but also the Chairman of the Independence party.

Iceland - Enron --- same thing ?

Many of the big bankers and millionares in Iceland ,are not seen in public these days.
Mr. Gylfa Magnússyni ,minister of Buisness affairs,says that things are similar between the Icelandic banks and the Enron case in the USA .
The Daily Telegraph,is covering the Icelandic banks story ,and you can see it here
Last night ,a big firecracker bomb was set off at the Independence party headquarters.

Still investigations are going slow -

Political bribes in Iceland ?

People in Iceland are angry about the Independence party ,accepring huge money donations from big companys.
A political professor in the Icelandic University,mr Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson,says that the public needs to know ,if the donations are conncected to the buisness decisions around the company Reykjavik energy Investment

Still trouble in the Independence party in Iceland

Mr . Gudlaugur Thor Thordarsson ,a member of parliement and former health minister,claims that there are certain powers within the Independence party ,against him.
In an interview in a local news media today,he says that Agnes Bragadottir ,a reporter for the biggest news paper ,MBL ,she can not be neutral in her news about him .
Agnes has been very supportive in the news about the former party chairman ,former prime minister and former CEO of the Central Bank,mr David Oddsson.

People claim that she is never neutral in her cloumn in the MBL ,due to here political connections
in the Independence party.

Trouble at the Independence party in Iceland

Mr Andri Ottarsson,CEO of the Independence party has resigned as CEO .
In a statemnet from him today,he says that he did not have any part in asking for or receiving donations from FL Group and LAndsbanki.

But he still thinks ,that for the party,it is important that he resignes,so the Independence party can have faith and trust again among party members.

He has been CEO of the Independence party since 2006.
Andri Ottarsson had a meeting with the new party Chairman - mr. Bjarni Benediktsson.
And after that meeting ,Andri and chairman Bjarni ,agreed that he resign as CEO of the independence party.

Icelandic blog pages are going ballisitic,after these news today.

Stock owner and the state police in Iceland

Mr . Finnbogi Vikar, a stock owner in FL group has asked the State Police ,for an investigation against the 30 million donations to the Independence party from FL Group.

He also says in his request to the state police,that just after the donation ,there was discussion between Reykjavik Energy Invest ,owned by Reykjavik City ,and the Independence party was in majority control there,with Geysir Green Energy ,wich FL group was a big owner there --- .

Mr Finnbogi Vikar ,is a memebr of the LEft Green movement- and according to him, he has been getting phonecalls from members of the Independence party ,with threats ,and asking him back down with the investigation request.

Here below is a video clip i took yesterday of a graffity in Reykjavik

Money bribes or corruption in Iceland ?

Independence party in Iceland is in big trouble .
Three years ago ,the political parties agreed ,that money to the parties from individulas or companys,might not be more than 300.000 kronas.
But just before that law came to effect,The Independence party asked for and got 30 million from FL Group and 25 million fron Landsbanki ( one of the banks that collapsed last year )
The invoice for the donation from FL Group ,was not made,until after the donation limit law came into effect.
Gudlaugur Thor Thordarsson,is said ,by Icelandic media,the man that asked for the donations.
At that time he was in the board og Geysir Green energy,and where at that time trying to make a deal with another green company ,that was partly owned by FL Group.

Now ,the former head of the Independence party , Mr Geir H. Haarde,takes full responsability,but Mr. Gudlaugur says that he did not know of this donations from FL Group and Landsbanki .

Gudlaugur is now runnig for parliement and was health minister in the last goverment that broke up in february.

The new party chairman mr. Bjarni Benediktsson ,has promised to return the money to FL Group and Landsbanki.


Things are getting a bit fishy here in Iceland

Protest Iceland april 8 2009

Three weeks until the general election in Iceland - and the parliement is still at work.
Now the goverment wants to make a Constitutional public committie to go over and change the Icelandic constitution.But some parties do not want that - that is - to let the public have power about the constituion.
So this party ( the Independence party ) is slowing parliement down ,by talking a lot about the constituinal changes ,and that they do not want to loose the parliement power over changes about the constituion.

And tonight - around 6 in the evening ,a small group came outside parliement - and made nosie - to let parliement know - that they should stop slowing parliement down.
Parliement was until three o´clock last night.
And while they are talking about this- other important matters are not discussed in Parliement.

Blues festival in Reykjavik

This week ,there is a Blues festival in Reykjavik -
So - they took out their classic cars and drove around Reykjavik in Police escort.
Blues was played in the streets and on tuesday - Pintop Perkins will hold a concert.
He i only 95 years young,and still smokes.
Great health there.

Click on the photos - and they will be larger

Bankers in Iceland - corruption ?

More corruption is coming up in Iceland.
last year ,while the Prime minister and others where in foreign countries - convising foreign banks ,
that the Icelandic Banks where ok and secure,then strange things where happening at the Icealndic Bank - Landsbanki.
The board members where approving big loans to themselves.
150 billion kronas ( 1 - 1,5 billion dolalrs )where loaned to the board members.
Many of the board members are politically connected to Icelandic political parties.
The socalled investigation at he bank crisis ,is going nowhere.
Expecially when the men controlling the investigation ,where politicaaly hired by the Justice Minister last year.

Below is a video from the protests in January 2009