Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2016, Page 10

The South Coast
and Jökulsárlón
overnight tour
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Bright Future (centrist)
1. Optimistic, liberal, pro-EU,
green party. We want better poli-
tics and radical reforms.
2. Björt framtíð (Bright Future)
wants to change how we approach
politics through the use of
Servant Leadership. Through
servant leadership we intend
to insure that we take deci-
sions based on what is best for
the majority of society versus
the elite. Björt framtíð is made
up of people who in their daily
lives and work have taken on
servant leadership roles as
teachers, policemen, children's
social service counselors and
even one of Iceland‘s leading
servant leadership scholars. We
want tax reforms that serve the
ordinary citizen; in particular
we want to simplify the VAT
system. We want increased gov-
ernment transparency. One of
our ideas there is to have regu-
lar National Assemblies to dis-
cuss matters of importance to
the nation, in the same form as
the National Assembly that was
held in 2009 to discuss consti-
tutional reforms.
3. We rule out partnering with
the Icelandic National Front [a
far-right anti-immigration party
currently not polling high enough
to win a seat in Parliament] and
any other parties that promote ha-
tred, fear or injustice.
The Left-Green Party (left-
wing)
1. Left green politics, based on
equality, feminism, pacifism and
sustainability.
2. Our focus is on strengthen-
ing the healthcare and education
systems, and improving various
parts of the infrastructure—in-
cluding those needed to properly
accommodate the increased num-
ber of tourists visiting Iceland.
To finance these reforms, we are
not looking at increasing the tax
burden of “ordinary” people—
our focus is on the state securing
a fair part of the profits made by
big industry and those companies
that use our collective natural re-
sources.
3. The parties that have been in
opposition this term have often
been working well together. Con-
tinuing this partnership after the
elections would be the obvi-
ous first choice. We could
absolutely not work with any
party that has racism on its
agenda.
The Progressive Party
(centre-right)
1. The Progressive Party is a
liberal social party that con-
stantly strives for the bet-
terment of society.
2. Working to increase
equality by lowering taxes
on low-income earners, and
raising taxes on those who
make more. By increasing
budget allocations to the
healthcare system, ensur-
ing pensioners receive pay-
ments that are in harmony
with the minimum wage,
and taxing so-called “super
bonuses” [for bankers and
management] especially.
Supporting the welfare sys-
tem as a whole.
3. The Progressive Party
could work with every party that
has a seat in Parliament. That co-
operation depends on whether we
can agree on the issues. The one
party that we could not work with
is the Icelandic National Front.
The Questions
1. Describe your party
platform in 10 words or less
(Editor’s note: Only three
parties managed to do this).
2. What ideas does your party
have for changing Iceland for
the better?
3. Of the other parties
currently polling high enough
to win seats in Parliament
if elections were held
today, who could you see
yourselves partnering with in
a coalition? Who could you
see yourselves absolutely
not partnering with in a
coalition?
Party Platforms
Where Do They
Want To Take Us? (cont.)