Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.04.2013, Page 14

14The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 4 — 2013
Parties In Parliament,
1999–Present
1999
Independence Party – 26
The Liberal Party – 2
The Social Democratic Alliance – 17
The Left-Green Movement – 6
2003
Independence Party – 22
The Liberal Party – 4
The Social Democratic Alliance – 20
The Left-Green Movement – 5
2007
Independence Party – 25
The Liberal Party – 4
The Social Democratic Alliance – 18
The Left-Green Movement – 9
2009
Independence Party – 16
The Social Democratic Alliance – 19
The Left-Green Movement – 11
The Progressive Party – 9
The Movement – 3
Grapevine Election Guide
2 0 1 3
The Battle of Wits scene in the
classic film ‘The Princess Bride’
ends with the arrogant Vizzini dy-
ing from iodine poisoning in the
midst of a laughing fit. It is a must
Google.* Vizzini is so sure of his
mental superiority that he regards
Plato, Aristotle and Socrates as
morons and in the end, after a se-
ries of extremely bad arguments,
this illusion is the death of him.
Regrettably, many in the pro-
fession of politics share this gen-
eral outlook. The certainty of be-
ing absolutely on the right side of
the truth can be found within the
old parties of Iceland established
at the beginning of the last century.
In fact it can be found in all parties
everywhere and is not a specific
Icelandic political problem. It is
in plain view in American politics
and we are witnessing the same in
many European countries.
This outlook is at the root of
most of the problems the politi-
cal system is facing today. Why?
Because it leads to the dangerous
conclusion that anything is justifi-
able because you are right. It leads
to zero tolerance for opposing
views, to no respect for different
approaches. It leads to the loss of
civility and it has led to genocide.
Civility, and the lack thereof,
also results in the general pub-
lic’s disillusionment with politics,
distrust of political parties and of
the political system. In a crisis, the
lack of civility becomes even more
visible and more costly and can
spell the economic death of coun-
tries.
This needs to be solved. But
how? Some argue that all politi-
cians need to be replaced. We have
to vote for new people. The last
four years in Iceland have all but
killed that argument. We had 27
new parliamentarians and noth-
ing changed. New politicians and
new parties change nothing if they
behave like the old ones. Even
Hreyfingin (“The Movement”) be-
came a classic political party with-
in a few months, with the spirit of
the before-mentioned Vizzini very
much alive.
Enter Bright Future, the party
I’m running for! We have defined
this problem to be at the core of
Icelandic politics today and put
together a declaration on how this
should be solved. To put it simply,
we want to create a relaxed venue
for political participation. It should
be fun and non-threatening and
the objective is service. We do not
look at politics as a battlefield. We
do not like to use the fight-lingo
associated with political speak:
things are beginning to heat up;
this is going to be a hard battle,
etc. Politics is not the art of war.
It is the art of the possible. We are
merely exchanging ideas on our
society. Thus, we do not answer
with a sneer and we do not assume
motives for other parties. Instead
we listen and try to find the best
solution.
What Besti flokkurinn (“The
Best Party”) did in Reykjavík we
want to do in Althingi. It is a no-
nonsense approach based on creat-
ing a friendly atmosphere where
the best decisions can be reached
together. The Best Party has shown
this to be possible. We can change
the way politics are done and
Bright Future is the next step.
So does that mean that Bright
Future has no vision or ideology?
No. We have differences with other
parties and very strong views i.e.
on the protection of the environ-
ment, economic stability and Eu-
ropean cooperation; being polite
does not mean that we have no
opinion and will not disagree. And
it does not mean there will not be
room for a gentle joke or humorous
comments. The fundamental dif-
ference is that we believe that we
can disagree and still respect each
other’s views. A smiley face in
your Facebook comments changes
the way others perceive them and
the same goes with political dia-
logue. Answer an accusation with
a smiley face and it can change the
way we make political decisions.
Respect is key. Remember the
lesson of Vizzini and his famous
last words: "Never go in against a
Sicilian when death is on the line!
Ahahahaha, ahahahaha, ahaha-
ha”—thud.
*All characters appearing in
this piece are fictitious. Any re-
semblance to real persons, living
or dead, is purely coincidental!
Róbert Marshall is an MP running with
Bright Future in the Reykjavík South district.
Polite-ics Reinventing the art of the possible
I live In Iceland. Can I vote?
Aside from some outlying exceptions, the requirements
to vote are pretty straightforward. If you meet ALL of the
following few requirements you are eligible to have a voice in
the upcoming parliamentary election on April 27.
1. You are an Icelandic citizen, or a Danish national who
lived in Iceland between March 6, 1936 and ‘46 (Why?
Because it says so in law nr. 85/1946).
2. You are 18-years-old by Election Day.
3. You are a legally registered resident listed in the National
Registry at least three weeks prior to Election Day. If
you’re not registered, you can take care of that through
the National Registry’s website.
OKAY, BINGO. NOW WHAT?
1. Go to www.island.is/um-island-is/kjorskra/.
2. Type in your kennitala (ID number) and note your voting
location, which is determined by your legal address.
3. Show up and do it.
ARE YOU AN ABSENTEE VOTER?
You can still vote, you know. If you are absentee voting from
outside of Iceland, you will need to hunt down the nearest
Icelandic embassy or consulate to cast your vote. If you are
an absentee voting in Iceland however (say, if you plan on
undergoing surgery or being at sea or something during
elections proper), you need to pay a visit to your closest
Sýslumaður office. Detailed instructions on this and any
other aspect of the voting process may be found at www.
kosning.is.
1 COUNTRY. Djók.
6 Constituencies
63 Parliamentary Seats
15 possible electoral parties (We think!)
Number of professed supporters in Reykja-
vík if all parties get sufficient support: 9,900,
8.4% of the population
Population in Reykjavík: 118,326
Number of professed supporters in Iceland
if all parties get sufficient support in all con-
stituencies: 28,350, 8.9 % of the population
Population in Iceland: 320,160
Facts
STEP 1
If you’re not an Icelandic citizen, become one. If you are an
Icelandic citizen, stay one. Also, make sure you’re “in pos-
session of full civil rights”—or in plain language: you haven’t
been convicted of a felony. If you meet these requirements,
you’re eligible to take part in the parliamentary election and
thus ready for the next step. Oh wait, if you’re a Supreme
Court judge your game is over.
STEP 2
If you are a member of a political party, skip to step number
three. Now let’s assume you’re not interested in any of the
existing political parties. You’re going to have to make one.
Create a nice and catchy name, draft a nifty manifesto and
apply with the Ministry of Interior for a party-letter. Hopefully
you won’t get a sucky letter like M.
STEP 3
Now that you have a party, you need to round up some can-
didates. There are six constituencies in Iceland and for each
constituency you plan on campaigning in, you need to turn in
a list with twice as many candidates as there are parliament
seats. No more, no less. The parliamentary seats range from
8–13, and every candidate has to have a legal residency in the
relevant constituency. So it can be tricky. Hopefully you have
a lot of friends.
STEP 4
You thought that was hard? It’s time to get supporters. You
need supporters in every constituency that you’re campaign-
ing in, and their number has to be at least equal to 30 times
the number of parliamentary seats and at most 40 times that
number. So, to get enough supporters for the two constituen-
cies in Reykjavík alone, you need 660 supporters. As soon as
you have enough support, turn in your list to the Ministry of
the Interior at least 15 days before the election. If you’re plan-
ning to create a party this time, you’ve got until April 12.
STEP 5
This is the last step, and some would say the most important
one: exploit the media, make ridiculous campaign pledges,
and lobby as hard as you can. If you win the hearts of the
masses, meaning you get at least 5% of the vote, you can fi-
nally sit your ass down in that parliamentary seat come fall.
How To Get Elected,
A Five-Step Guide
We Sent The Parties An Email That
Looked More Or Less Like This:
Dear political party running in the Alþingi elections this April,
The Reykjavík Grapevine is making an "Election Guide" for the benefit of all of
our English readers. We plan to profile each and every party and to that end
we would like to ask a representative of your party to answer the following
questions. We would also like to give you the opportunity to submit a 500-600
word opinion piece.
Please submit answers to these questions (and an op if you choose to do so) one
week from today:
1. Briefly describe your party’s general agenda in one sentence.
2. Tell us about your party. What’s it all about? Does it have a history?
Are you proud of that history?
3. Is there a foreign sister party that you identify with?
4. What do you consider the most important issue facing Iceland today?
How about the most important issue to consider in this election?
5. What do you admire about the current coalition government and what it
accomplished in the last four years? What do you dislike? What will you do
better?
6. Was the financial crisis in 2008 and the problems Iceland now faces in some
way caused by government policy and action or the lack thereof? Is your
party in some way responsible for this? Why or why not?
7. Specifically, how do you plan to bring Iceland back to economic prosperity?
8. Do you want to weaken, strengthen or keep unchanged the regulation of the
financial industry and other business activity in Iceland?
9. Do you plan to increase or decrease the total tax burden in Iceland?
10. Do you believe in the Icelandic króna? Or will you work to adopt an alterna-
tive currency? If so, which one?
11. Do you support the newly passed law removing an expiration date from
Iceland’s capital controls? Will your party work to lift these controls? Does it
have a timeframe in mind?
12. Do you believe that the collapse was more than an economic one? If so, what
else failed in 2008 and does it still need fixing?
13. How can the government best serve Icelandic homes?
14. What is your stance on Iceland’s application to the European Union? Do you
ultimately think Icelanders' interests would be best served by being part of
this coalition?
15. What is your stance on the new constitution that was called for in the wake
of Iceland’s financial crisis? Are you for or against pushing the current draft
through parliament? Why or why not?
16. Will your party do something to protect the land and its resources? Is a
more stringent regulative framework needed to ensure conservation of the
environment?
17. Is gender inequality an issue in Iceland? If so, what does your plan to do to
ensure equality?
18. Where do you stand on immigration issues?
19. Does your party harbour any ideas about the role of religion in governance?
20. Are there any parties that your party will not work with in a coalition govern-
ment? Why?
Their answers amounted to 20,000 plus words! There
was no way that we could squeeze them all into this is-
sue. Go to www.grapevine.is to read their answers in full.