Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.02.2017, Blaðsíða 12

Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.02.2017, Blaðsíða 12
The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 02 — 2017 12 Iceland lost a little credibility in 2016. It has, in fact, become the most cor- rupt of the Nordic countries, accord- ing to the latest results from Trans- parency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). A look at their methodology revealed a number of reasons for the shift. The data shows Iceland is now ranked in 14th place, with their CPI score dipping from 79 in 2015 to 78 in 2016 (a score of 0 means “highly cor- rupt” while 100 means “very clean”). This is the lowest score Iceland has received since 2013, and makes it the most corrupt of the Nordic nations. Surprisingly, the Panama Papers received no mention in the CPI. How- ever, TI’s blog published a post shortly after the leak last April that did men- tion Iceland; notably, they actually praised Iceland for being “the only country that jailed top financial ex- ecutives behind bars in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis,” adding that “[o]n the positive side, partly as a result of the banking collapse, Iceland has a robust and independent free me- dia, which has reported vigilantly on the prime minister’s conduct and con- tinued to question him on his undis- closed financial affairs.” This naturally raises the question: how exactly does Transparency Inter- national measure levels of corruption perception? In a short methodology note with the CPI, Transparency International says they measure corruption per- ception by “aggregat[ing] data from a number of different sources that pro- vide perceptions of business people and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector.” Tak- ing a look at the XLSX file of their data set, it is possible to see exactly which business people and country experts expressed their perceptions about Iceland. Most striking of all is the fact that Iceland’s lowest rank came from Sus- tainable Governance Indicators [SGI]. In their summary, SGI outline a num- ber of areas where Iceland could stand to improve. These include, but are not limited to, the following: “Public debt remains very high, with future prospects clouded by unfund- ed public-pension obligations. Finan- cial troubles at key public institutions threaten fiscal sustainability further.” “Income inequality dropped signifi- cantly in the financial crisis’ wake, but private-debt levels are high. Pen- sions and welfare benefits were cut in the crisis, increasing social-exclusion risk.” “Media content is strongly influenced by owners’ agendas, and politicians have sought to interfere with public- media reporting. A proposed new constitution and voting system were supported by strong majorities in a non-binding public referendum in 2012, but parliament has refused to ratify the draft constitution.” “The Prime Minister’s Office has rela- tively minimal sectoral expertise. Min- istries have considerable autonomy in drafting policy. Long-term strategic planning is often vague, with inconsis- tent follow-through.” “Despite a generally well-informed public, voter turnout has dropped sig- nificantly particularly among young people, in parallel with a decline in pol- icy interest and trust in politicians. The media provides in-depth information on state policy, but reporting can be af- fected by owners’ financial interests.” Perhaps most telling of all in this summary is the fact that these are problems Iceland has faced for years now. Neither protests nor successive right- or left-wing governments have made headway in tackling these prob- lems. If Iceland hopes to get out of the rut it has been in since 2013, and ear- lier, our new ruling coalition will have to confront these issues. How, or even if, they will do so remains to be seen. Although the name “Hel” hails back to ancient Norse mythology, Iceland’s Naming Committee believes it would only cause problems for a child so named. RÚV reports that a couple who are registered in the Ásatrú Society, a pagan religious organisation that hon- ours the ancient Norse gods, put in a request with the Naming Committee to name their daughter Hel. In Norse mythology, Hel is the daughter of Loki, who rules over the underworld of the same name and receives a portion of the dead. While the Naming Committee agreed that the name is in harmony with Icelandic grammar and does not conflict with the language, they ruled that the name could cause social dif- ficulties for the child. It is also for this reason that Icelanders cannot name their children Skessa (a female troll) or Þrjótur (villain), despite those names also being grammatically declinable. Iceland’s Naming Committee over- sees which new names may be added to the Icelandic lexicon. There are a num- ber of criteria that prospective names need to fulfill, such as declining in ac- cordance with Icelandic grammar, or having a historical precedent in Ice- landic archives or literature. The Committee has its share of supporters and detractors, but is now just one round of voting away from be- coming a thing of the past. A new bill from the Ministry of the Interior pro- poses a number of sweeping changes to Iceland’s naming laws. Amongst the conditions in Iceland’s current nam- ing laws that would be struck down if the bill passes are the following: 1. The condition that the name be able to abide by Icelandic grammar. 2. The condition that male children have male names and female children have female names. 3. The condition that first names not be “embarrassing.” 4. Restrictions on the use of family names (instead of patronyms). For their part, the Committee have strong objections to many of these changes. They have cautioned, for ex- ample, that without laws about what are boys’ names and girls’ names, “it would be possible to name a boy Þorg- erður [a female name] and a girl Sig- mundur [a male name].” They add that, in the event the bill passes into law, “it will be impossible to avoid disputes that arise over names and their reg- istration.” The bill as it is now states that “if a minister, head of a religious organisation or the National Registry believes that a first or middle name violates the law, it will be referred to the [Minister of the Interior].” Former Reykjavík mayor Jón Gnarr (born Jón Gunnar Kristinsson) has long been an opponent of the Naming Committee, as they have repeatedly blocked his attempts to legally change his name to the one by which he has been known for years. Jón managed to get around this in 2015, by having his name legally changed in the US. If the bill goes through, the next generation of Icelandic parents might not have to travel so far. Iceland Got A Little More Corrupt In 2016 The new government has its work cut out for it Iceland’s Naming Committee Rejects “Hel” Words PAUL FONTAINE Share: GPV.IS/COR2 Words PAUL FONTAINE Share: GPV.IS/HEL2 ANALYSIS ANALYSIS Not A Chance In Hel Map by TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL MORE INFORMATION, OTHER TOURS, & BOOKINGS AT: WWW.STERNATRAVEL.COM OR VISIT OUR SALES DESK AT HARPA CONCERT HALL DOWNTOWN REYKJAVÍK GOLDEN CIRCLE IN THE AFTERNOON -When the sites are less crowded! Duration approx 6.5-7 hours. PRICE: 9.200 ISK BOOK ONLINE & GET STERNATR AVEL .COM Geysir Þingvellir
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