Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.04.2007, Qupperneq 6

10_RVK_GV_04_007_OPINION
WWW.GRAPEVINE.IS
Icelanders are soon to be offered an
opportunity to express themselves
actively on political questions and
exert influence on the political
system under which they live. On
the 12th of May national elections
are to be held and the voter will
be presented with a chance to
mark the ballot in favour of one
of Iceland’s six political parties. For
many, this is the time of absurdity
and nonsense. For others, it is the
time of hope and a great promise
– the promise of change.
Officially, all Icelandic political
parties share a common vision of
a pluralistic and liberal democracy,
and thus, one might assume that
their differences are of emphasis
rather than fundamentals. This
naïve assumption, however, falls
short of explaining why most official
political debates are in a constant
state of chaotic uproar, and why
all that can be heard from most
candidates are hysterical outbursts
of impotent rage – outbursts from
men who take themselves too
seriously.
There is not much that can
be written of the man who takes
himself too seriously, except maybe
this: He takes himself too seriously.
Through all his slogan-chanting, he
forgets that a large group of voters
is long tired of the Independence-
and Progressive-Party government,
which has reigned over this island
for the past twelve years. Seldom
has difference of political opinion
been as evident as the nation
stands divided in two large blocs;
some see the dream of capitalism
par excellence realised under the
current government, while others
perceive a madhouse in which
every political-cupboard is bursting
with skeletons.
War and honesty
In March 2003 Icelandic authorities
declared Iceland’s support for
the US-led invasion of Iraq. The
decision was made unilaterally by
Davíð Oddsson (then prime minister
and leader of the Independence
Party) and Halldór Ágrímsson (then
foreign minister and leader of the
Progressive Party). It was met by
strong protest from all opposition
parties and various humanitarian
organisations; the decision was
made without the mandatory
prior discussion with Iceland’s
Parliamentary committee on
foreign affairs and crucial evidence
was withheld from the public.
Politicians and policy-makers
who pander to the prejudices
of their allies at the expense of
analytical honesty are described by
political scientists as ‘hired guns’ or
‘beltway bandits’ – but when they
deliberately alter facts to justify
warfare they are, quite simply,
called ‘war-mongers’; Today, when
Iraq has officially been declared
a failed state – when over half a
million innocent lives have been
lost – when it is as clear as daylight
that the invasion was founded on
a pack of lies, former and current
leaders of the Progressive- and
Independence-Party, for some
reason, still refuse to admit they
were wrong by granting this
catastrophe an Icelandic blessing.
As the philosopher, Slavoj Zizek,
points out, this can lead to serious
political miscalculations: Not only
does the war-monger have a
dubious past (he has supported and
promoted human slaughtering), he
is also not prepared to confront his
past and evades crucial questions
concerning it. His argument is
spoken in the political tongue
‘designed to make lies sound
truthful and murder respectable
and to give an appearance of
solidity to pure wind’. In short,
his basic feature is a refusal to
self-recognition. Is a man who
is unable or unwilling to accept
responsibility for his actions morally
mature enough to be trusted with
executive or legislative power? – At
least Oedipus had the decency to
rip out his eyes after realising the
horrors of his deeds.

The paradox of heavy
industry
Democracy is a word many
politicians use but few seem
to understand. Thus far, the
Icelandic government has not
hesitated to use a methodology of
personal threats and professional
harassment against individuals
who oppose its heavy industry
policies. A new-born reserve-force
of 250 policemen – which is at the
disposal of the Minister of Justice,
Björn Bjarnason – will undoubtedly
make these tactics even more
frequently employed.
The heavy industry policy is
epitomised by the Kárahnjúkar
dam project, which is designed to
provide hydro-electric power for
an enormous aluminium smelter
owned by the US multinational
corporation Alcoa. But this project
is only the commencement of a
much greater devastation. Despite
fierce local and international
opposition, plans to build even
more aluminium smelters, for
example in Helguvík, Þorlákshöfn
and Húsavík, are on the agenda
for the coming year. The smelters
are to be powered by constructing
new mega-dams which would, yet
again, flood large areas of unique
wilderness. In short, the plan is to
obliterate Europe’s largest enduring
wilderness for the benefits of heavy
industry.
Even though a monumental
number of Icelanders has marched
in protest of these plans the
government is unwilling to change
its policy. Only two political parties
have publicly stated that they want
to halt further heavy industry
projects until the year 2012; the
Left-Green Movement and The
Iceland Movement want to pass
legislation which will protect
nature before further projects to
harness energy for industry are
undertaken.
In the past, man looked on
heavy industry as a sign of technical
progress and economic prosperity,
and exploited the areas of land
he thought necessary to exploit
with a clear conscience; but in
the age of global climate change,
environmental destruction is
considered an abomination and we
engage in this abomination more
than ever. Is this not paradoxical
behaviour?
Farewell to welfare?
This government stands accused
of seeking to cut back womb-to-
tomb security for workers and the
jobless, for pensioners, the sick and
the disabled. The once gradually
expanding social-safety net which
was one of Iceland’s proudest
achievements has started to shrink
while corporate power expands
relentlessly in a seed-bed of
privatisation. As the gap between
rich and poor steadily widens we
are led further away from the
Scandinavian welfare-model and
more emphasis than ever is put on
corporate interest.
The Independence Party’s
policy (Sjálfstæðisstefnan) states, in
the strongest terms possible, that
maintaining a strong welfare system
in a social-democratic fashion is
not on the agenda: ‘The way of the
social-democratic parties (as they
like to call themselves) crosses one
hidden path after another. When
one looks closely, these paths lead
away from the democratic road of
freedom. Surely, these paths are
not all as steep and winding, but
the result of following them will
always be the same. Freedom,
initiative and vigour drift away
and when the end is reached the
straitjacket will be the genuine
national dress.’ Obviously, there is
no room for compromise.
On May 12 Icelandic voters
have the power to decide Iceland’s
national characteristic: Should
Iceland be a dark aluminium-
smelting workshop of war-
mongers, or a peaceful haven of
sublime environmental splendour?
You’d better decide for yourselves.
Of Elections and Identity-crises
By Magnús Björn Ólafsson
Is a man who is unable or unwilling
to accept responsibility for his actions
morally-mature enough to be trusted
with executive or legislative power?
upcoming concerts
F
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- BBC Music Magazine
tickets sold at www.sinfonia.is or tel. 545 2500
All concerts take place in Háskólabíó unless otherwise noted.
fl group is the main sponsor of
the iceland symphony orchestra
THursdAy, April 12th @ 7:30
ashkenazy in reykjavík
Conductor ::: Vladimir Ashkenazy
soloist ::: Gülsin Onay
F. Mendelssohn ::: die schöne Melusine
r. schumann ::: Piano Concerto in A minor
H. Berlioz ::: symphonie fantastique
FridAy, April 13th @ 7:30
ashkenazy in ísafjörður
FridAy, April 20th @ 7:30
romantic gypsies
Conductor ::: Owain Arwell Hughes
soloist ::: Guðný Guðmundsdóttir
G. rossini ::: La gazza larda, Overture
A. dvorák ::: romanza for violin and orch.
M. ravel ::: Tzigane
s. rachmaninov ::: symphony no. 1
WEdNEsdAy, MAY 2ND @ 7:30PM
beethoven and brahms iii
Conductor ::: rumon Gamba
soloist ::: Cristina Ortiz
L. Beethoven ::: Piano Concerto no. 4
J. Brahms ::: symphony no. 2
FridAy, MAY 4th @ 7:30PM
beethoven and brahms iv
Conductor ::: rumon Gamba
soloist ::: John Lill
L. Beethoven ::: Piano Concerto no. 5
J. Brahms ::: symphony no. 1
FridAy, MAY 11th @ 7:30PM
reykjavík arts festival 2007
Conductor ::: david Björkmann
soloist: Heléné Grimaud
H. Berlioz ::: roman Carnival, Overture
J. Brahms ::: Piano Concerto no. 2
C. debussy ::: L’aprés-midi d’un faune
M. ravel ::: La valse
FridAy, MAY 18th @ 7:30
reykjavík arts festival 2007
Conductor ::: Andre de ridder
H. Hallgrímsson ::: die Wält der Zwischenfälle
THursdAy, MAY 31st @ 7:30PM
shostakovich last symphony
Conductor ::: rumon Gamba
Þ. Magnússon ::: Það mótlæti þankinn ber
r. Wagner ::: The Valkyrie: “Wotan’s Farewell”
d. shostakovich ::: symphony no. 15