Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.06.2005, Blaðsíða 12

12
Who They Are:
Paul F Nikolov gives us Grapevine’s Government Guide
The Leftist-Green Party
(Vinstrihreyfingin-Grænt Framboð)
Guiding principles: Far-left, pro-environmental, anti-NATO, feminist.
Party Chairman: Steingrímur J. Sigfússon
Number of seats: 5
Registered members: about 1,400
Ministers: none
Strange but true: Recently won the right to use the letter “V” instead of “U”
as their symbol from the Ministry of Justice.
Website: www.vg.is
E-mail: vg@vg.is
Phone: 552-8872
Address: Pósthólf 175, 121 Reykjavík
The Alliance Party (Samfylkingin)
Guiding principles: Left-centrist, social-democratic.
Party Chairman: Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir
Number of seats: 20
Registered members: about 20,000
Ministers: none
Strange but true:
They all seem to take their vacations simultaneously. In Spain.
Website: www.samfylking.is
E-mail: samfylking@samfylking.is
Phone: 551-1660
Address: Hallveigarstígur 1 (2nd Floor), Box 160, 101 Reykjavík
The Progressive Party
(Framsóknarflokkurinn)
Guiding principles: Right-centrist; believes in fewer economic and
environmental regulations while strengthening the social system.
Party Chairman: Halldór Ásgrímsson
Number of seats: 12
Registered members: about 10,000
Ministers: Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson, Minister of Social Affairs
Árni Magnússon, Minister of Agriculture Guðni Ágústsson, Minister of
Health Jón Kristjánsson, Minister of Industry Valgerður Sverrisdóttir
Strange but true: Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson has once again found
himself in the centre of controversy, this time involving his role in the sale of
the government’s share of the bank Búnaðarbanki to a group of investors of
which the PM’s family owns 34%.
Website: www.framsokn.is
E-mail: framsokn@framsokn.is
Phone: 540-4300
Address: Hverfisgata 33 (2nd Floor), 101 Reykjavík
The Liberal Party (Frjálslyndir)
Guiding principles: Right wing, pretty much the same as the Independence
Party, with more emphasis on the rights of fishermen.
Party Chairman: Guðjón Kristjánsson
Number of seats: 3
Registered members: about 2,000
Ministers: none
Strange but true: Despite losing an MP to the Independence Party, have still
managed to be more popular than the Progressive Party.
Website: www.frjalslyndir.is
E-mail: xf@xf.is
Phone: 552-2600
Address: Aðalstræti 9, 101 Reykjavík
The Independence Party
(Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn)
Guiding principles: Right wing, believes in further privatization in all areas
of society.
Party Chairman: Davíð Oddsson
Number of seats: 23
Registered members: about 34,000
Ministers: Minister of Fisheries Árni M. Mathiesen, Minister of Justice
Björn Bjarnason, Minister of Foreign Affairs Davíð Oddsson, Minister of
the Economy Geir H. Haarde, President of Parliament Solveig Pétursdóttir,
Minister of the Environment Sigríður A. Þórðardóttir, Minister of
Communications Sturla Böðvarsson, Minister of Education Þórgerður Katrín
Gunnarsdóttir
Strange but true: The National Association of Women of the Independence
Party have encouraged the party to equalize the number of men and women
running for office in the upcoming municipal elections.
Website: www.xd.is
E-mail: xd@xd.is
Phone: 515-1700
Address: Háaleitisbraut 1, 105 Reykjavík
Whaling, For Scientific and
Commercial Purposes?
Leftist-Green Party: Opposed
“We’re very skeptical that it serves
our interests. There are those among
us who are categorically against
whaling for any purpose, who feel it
is wrong under all circumstances. I
doubt that it’s possible to sell whale
meat, and there are other important
factors to consider, such as its effect
on tourism. Unless you can prove it
serves the public good, I have very
grave doubts about whaling.”
MP Ögmundur Jónasson
Alliance Party: Uncertain
The party put forth a bill in
parliament, approved last March,
calling for a study on the effects of
whaling on tourism.
Progressive Party: Supporting
MP Siv Friðleifsdóttir has supported
the hunting of whales for scientific
purposes, and has dismissed
arguments against it by saying that
not enough whales are being hunted
to endanger their numbers.
Liberal Party: Supporting “The
Liberal Party is positive towards both
commercial and scientific whaling,
but it is very important that the
whaling will be based on scientific
measures of how big the whaling
stocks are and how their position is
within the ecological system.” Party
Chairman Guðjón Kristjánsson
Independence Party:
Supporting Minister of Fisheries
Árni M. Mathiesen is ardently
in favour of whaling for scientific
purposes, specifically to study the
diet of minke whales and whether
or not they’re depleting fish stocks.
When asked if the return of herring
to east Iceland waters after a 40 year
absence took credence away from the
argument that whales deplete fish
stocks, Mathiesen replied, “I don’t
see a connection between the two.”
So Where Do They Stand On...
Reykjavík 14 May - 21 August 2005
Dieter Roth
Train