Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Blaðsíða 6

Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Blaðsíða 6
FOR If there’s one group of marginalised people who suffer constant persecu- tion, it’s bankers. They’re the last mi- nority over whom it’s still ok to pour scorn and ridicule. They’re hugely un- derappreciated, and get nothing but abuse for all the hard work that they do. You may have seen that certain key figures in custodial care of the once glorious Kaupthing bank were award- ed modest bonuses, the grand total of which is a paltry 1.5 billion ISK, with individual bankers getting about a few measly millions for their trouble. Almost instantly, politicians were competing with one another over who could be the most outraged over the bonuses. Which is pretty rich, considering these are the same members of Parliament who were perfectly happy letting bankers do exactly as they pleased when times were good. Now that times are get- ting better again, you’d think they’d be totally on board with giving these hard-working bankers their due. But no—apparently populism is more important than having sound principles, such as supporting the wheels of capitalism no matter what. You can hate all you want, but without our bankers, there wouldn’t be an economy. Deal with it. AGAINST I have been finding myself more and more having to check the calendar to make sure it isn’t 2007. Case in point: Kaupthing bankers are making head- lines, and not for being put in jail. It is hugely insulting to the Ice- landic people that these guys would award themselves such a ridiculous sum of money. But then again, it’s to be expected: bankers have consis- tently proven that they are at war with Iceland, and yet no one seems brave enough to stand up to them and do what needs to be done. Namely, it’s time to build a gulag in the Highlands. Now, you may be asking: how is building a gulag going to solve our problems? Simple: the gulag will be reserved for bankers only. As they clearly and consistently pose a threat to national security, we would be stu- pid not to build a gulag, really. Plus they could be made to actually work for a living, for a change. Such work could include being on chain gangs maintaining Highlands roads, clean- ing up litter (and organic leavings) dropped by visitors to the region, and repairing emergency shelters. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll recognise that we need to confront the banker problem head-on. Build the gu- lag. Give their bonuses to the people. SHARE: gpv.is/fa14 www.bustravel.is info@bustravel.is +354 511 2600 Daily guided bus tours Golden Circle Tours Glacier Lagoon Southern Iceland Into the Glacier Figures Don't Lie WORD OF THE ISSUE: The word of the issue this issue is tengi. Literally the first-person personal of the verb “to connect,” it is used amongst Ice- landers on the internet to express that they relate to something someone has said or done. A very handy word to know when taking part in Facebook threads with your Icelandic friends. Used in a sentence: Facebook status: “Ég er pínu sorgmædd af því að dyravörðurinn er hættur að biðja mig um skilríki.” (“I’m a little sad that the doorman has stopped asking for my ID.”) Response: “Tengi.” Tengi A POEM Dear immigrant mother Dear immigrant mother, I love your honey thick accent and your beautiful soul but what really makes me nervous is your limpy painful walk and the blood on your toes. A Poem By María Thelma The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 14 — 2016 6 A POEM BY is curated by Grapevine’s poetry liaison, Jón Örn Loðmfjörð Percentage of respondents to a recent Gallup poll who believe Iceland should wel- come more refugees. Percentage of Icelanders in same Gallup poll who believe the government should do more to help people seeking asylum. Bonuses For Bankers? FRIENDLY CROSSFIRE Number of applications granted asylum in July 2016 (NOTE: these accepted applications were not from amongst those submitted in July). Number of asylum applications submitted in July 2016.
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