Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.01.2015, Qupperneq 30

Three Lessons
From 2014
Katrín Jakobsdóttir
chair of the Left-Green Party
I think of 2014 as the year in which we
learned three important things about
our society and the world we live in.
First, through new research into inequal-
ity—such as Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital in
the Twenty-First Century’ and various
studies on trickle-down economics and
the legacy of neoliberal polices—we have
come to realize what we always suspect-
ed: Inequality will only get worse unless
we really decide to do something about it.
And we have to, as its effects are proving
detrimental to the general public. Unfor-
tunately, we see a reverse development in
Iceland, with various government poli-
cies that will further increase the gap be-
tween the rich and the rest.

A second fact that we are confronted
with is that of climate change. In 2014,
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change delivered its fifth assessment
report on the issue, giving even more se-
rious warnings than ever before. As the
panel makes clear, it is time for immedi-
ate and substantial action to reduce car-
bon emissions. We have seen a reverse
development in Iceland, the current gov-
ernment having undermined most of the
efforts to reduce emissions instated by its
predecessors.
These two phenomena, rapid envi-
ronmental change and growing inequal-
ity, are probably the biggest sources of
conflict in the modern world. It is a sad
state of affairs that too many believe that
conflict and disagreement can only be re-
solved through the use of force, a solution
that rarely works, as history has repeat-
edly demonstrated.
And, finally: We have seen how pre-
cious and important real democracy and
real protection of human rights is for the
people of the world. At the same time, we
have witnessed how easy it is to erode and
undermine these them, leaving those on
the periphery to lead a life devoid of nec-
essary freedoms, opportunities and secu-
rity.
Growth
Alexander Dan
author
There is something growing on my back. I
can't see it, but I know it's there.
At first I thought it was a zit, oozing
viscous fluid, troubling my back as I went
to sleep. As it grew it felt more like a boil,
throbbing and seething with pain. My
sleep became more distraught, festered
with murky visions of lumbering moun-
tains rising and falling with each breath,
their lava-filled innards rotten and boil-
ing out.
I tried piercing it with a red-hot nee-
dle, but I could not see where it was and
every time I felt like I found its exact spot
I stabbed myself, just missing the ach-
ing centre of the boil. I asked my wife to
pierce it for me, but when she looked she
saw nothing there.
I could not lie on my back because
of the bump that had formed there. My
dreams were vivid, senseless journeys
through an alien but familiar landscape,
accompanied by man-sized flies, their
smiles made from crooked fishbones.
There is a hump on my back. I can-
not walk upright anymore. It itches all
the time. I tried scratching it, but quickly
pulled my hand back in pain. It was bleed-
ing from tiny puncture marks, almost as if
I'd been bitten. I asked my friend to take a
look, but he said there was nothing there.
I just had bad posture is all, I just needed
exercise, to have a positive attitude, to try
this new diet he was on.
Every day I see more people walk-
ing hunched over, pained expressions on
their faces, still sweating from whatever
nightmare they have just woken up from.
But there's nothing there. Nothing that I
can see. But I know it's there.
There is something growing on my
back. But there's no need to worry. It'll
work itself out. No need to worry. It'll be
fine.
It'll work itself out. It'll work itself out.
It'll work itself out.
We Need A Revolution
Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir
MP, Left-Green Party
Nature was generous to Icelanders in
2014: the ocean provided, the land was
fruitful and we were visited by an unprec-
edented amount of tourists. If we weren’t
stuck with our godforsaken government,
we would be doing well as a nation, over-
coming the recession, strengthening
our foundations and infrastructure and
increasing general equality. We should
have learned, from bitter experience, to
steer clear of the policies that caused the
collapse, we should have turned from the
path of greed, inequality and the privati-
zation of our shared resources.
We are instead being lead back to
the slaughter at Mammon’s altar, hav-
ing climbed right back on the very same
carousel that we crashed in the collapse,
with no end in sight.
At the beginning of the New Year, we
as a nation must shake off our slumber
and refuse to be seduced back into the
swamp. We need to get rid of the cursed
government as soon as possible—before it
manages to lay even further waste to our
welfare and educational systems, our so-
ciety’s foundations—and instate one that
places an emphasis on equality, justice
and sustainability.
What I am calling for is a revolution,
a revolution that begins in the heart and
mind of every individual. Together, we
can defeat the destructive course that’s
embodied in the latest state budget,
where heavy burdens are placed on the
least fortunate of us, and the wealthy and
powerful are pampered and subsidized.
We as a nation are at a crossroads. We
have every opportunity to make a good
life for every Icelander from Kópasker to
Reykjavík; we can well afford to maintain
great healthcare and educational sys-
tems, to and foster equality and to protect
our nature. It’s in our hands.
A Bottom Line For
Culture, Nature And
Life Itself
Ragnhildur Sverrisdóttir
communications officer,
Novator
2014 was the year of the Excel spread-
sheet. Not in business, where it belongs,
but in politics. It‘s all about the bottom
line.

I’m all for spending wisely, especially
when politicians are portioning out
taxpayers’ hard-earned money. It’s the
“wisely” part I worry about. Politicians
seem to actually think that you can some-
how divide everything into debit and
credit.
Most people know better. We certain-
ly need to make sure that the taxpayers’
money used to run the state broadcaster
is used wisely, but in that case “wisely”
is not the same as “turning a profit.” Cul-
ture is not profitable. But creative people
tend to panic and start to fill in their own
cultural spreadsheets with all kinds of
direct and indirect debit, hoping that
the politicians will believe that culture
pays in the one sense they understand,
because they seem to be utterly incapable
of comprehending that something can be
rewarding in any other sense.
I worry that we won't stop at taxing
books, but will try to figure out a bottom
line for literature, that we won't stop at
nibbling at radio programmes, but will
put a price on culture as a whole, that we
will actually start to believe that we can
calculate the value of nature. I'm worried
that we forget that most of us tolerate Ex-
cel as a necessary evil while what makes
us tick are other things.
And we have to be able to throw a
lifeline to those who will never be able to
show a healthy bottom line.
Hope And Change
Kristján Hrannar
musician
The year that just passed was insane for
both me and my family. My battle with
alcoholism and (at the time unbeknownst
to me) co-dependency continued. I went
into rehab in February, only to relapse in
April. I was subsequently admitted to a
closed psychiatric ward after a suicide at-
tempt. My parents kicked me out, putting
my pregnant wife in a very unexpected
and terrifying situation.
It wasn't until June, when I started si-
multaneously battling my alcoholism and
co-dependency, that I made some recov-
ery. My wife didn't leave me, although the
relationship was hanging on a thread. I
am so lucky to be a family man today. The
life I have now is better than I ever dared
hope for. So yes, 2014 was quite eventful!
For the future: As a society, I think
we're heading towards more transpar-
ency in the political field. It's easy to be
pessimistic and go on about how populist
movements are getting more shameless
and power-hungry. But I think it's due
to the fact that the internet and the new
media aren’t letting them get away with
as much bullshit as they used to. Bad de-
cisions, ignorant politicians and blatant
corruption are now more visible than
ever—but I sincerely hope that's not be-
cause there's more of it going around. The
media's responsibility has never been so
vital in shaping the social discussion, and
this will remain true throughout 2015.
"2014 was the year of
the Excel spreadsheet.
Not in business, where
it belongs, but in
politics. It‘s all about the
bottom line."
"These two phenom-
ena, rapid environmen-
tal change and growing
inequality, are probably
the biggest sources of
conflict in the modern
world. "