Iceland review - 2012, Blaðsíða 70

68 ICELAND REVIEW
for the position until it was announced. I did
not know anything until that meeting. And
it was a meeting that I conducted!”
Being responsible for government funds
during times of recession would hard-
ly be considered a desirable job. Oddný
describes herself as a Social Democrat, and
says she was raised to be aware of social issues.
And those ideals are her guiding lights when
making decisions at work.
“While we are in this difficult place
we must pick and choose. Priorities must
be determined. With this government, the
Social Democratic ideals lead the way.
Therefore we put first the interests of those
who have the least money and need social
services,” says Oddný.
“At the end of the day I think people are
grateful for our frugality. We must set a good
example. State finances must be balanced
in order for everything else to be balanced.
If we are careful with the State budget and
stick to our plan, good things are sure to fol-
low. Not to mention how important it is, not
having to run government services on loans
as we have been doing since the 2008 finan-
cial collapse. Now we are getting to a place
where we can begin repaying loans from our
neighboring countries. That is very impor-
tant. A nation that’s as indebted as we are
now stands on weaker ground. So we must
get to a place where we can endure setbacks.
And we are getting there. It will happen in
the year 2013,” Oddný says with determina-
tion in her voice.
In your opinion, how are Icelanders doing,
making their way out of the crisis?
“When you follow the local media and
watch the news you might think that here,
everything’s a mess. Some people are always
saying that this is not good enough. This
“idle government,” as some like to call it,
is at the same time always doing something
people don‘t like. But when we talk to
people abroad, influential people who look
to Iceland and have been following the col-
lapse and then the rebuilding, we get nothing
but admiration.
“We have already made great progress,
but following this strict plan has been very
demanding. And painful for many. But if
we look at the big picture, we are in a good
place. Our weakness has always been the
employment issue. Of course, a nation in cri-
sis should launch all kinds of state-run proj-
ects like they did in the past; build bridges
and roads, et cetera. Of course, that is what
we would be doing were we not so deep in
debt. That is why we are looking for viable
projects that do not require a big contribu-
tion from the government.”
The unemployment rate must sting a little at
the heart of the Social Democrat?
“Unemployment is our biggest problem.
It is the bad side effect we must deal with.
We must put all our efforts into reviving
employment. And that is of course what
we’re doing, and have been doing in vari-
ous ways, for example with new investment
contracts – which is the most significant
action. Already, four major corporations have
taken advantage of this and a dozen more
are currently negotiating such contracts. We
are using a variety of methods to encour-
age new investments and get cash flow into
the country – that will mean a great deal
to us,” says the Minister. She also mentions
two new initiatives, one that encourages
people to enroll in the university and the
project “Everybody wins,” which promotes
construction or home improvement, with
homeowners being refunded the VAT of the
professionals they hire for the job.
Last February, the unemployment rate in
Iceland was 7.3 percent and has been
high ever since the 2008 economic collapse.
According to Oddný, it´s a huge undertak-
ing to work against the bad consequences of
long-term unemployment, but thankfully the
rate is going down. “But of course there are
certain areas in the country that have fared
worse than others. For example my home
turf, the Reykjanes Peninsula. There, as well
as in other places, we have put great empha-
sis on creating ideal conditions for companies
who want to relocate to the area.”
Do you envision staying in politics for long?
“I don’t know. Honestly, I haven’t made
a decision regarding whether I’ll run again.
I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had time
to think about it.”
What about your spare time, away from the
hustle and bustle of politics? What are your
hobbies?
“I have always worked very hard. But I
like bicycling and do a lot of that with my
husband. We fasten our bikes to the back of
the car, go somewhere and ride. Of course
we have done a lot of it in the Reykjanes
Peninsula but we have also traveled around
South and North Iceland. And I have also
bicycled abroad. So bicycling – that is my
hobby. And then there are the grandchildren.
Being a grandmother is a wonderful role. So
if I have time to spare nowadays, I spend it
with the boys.” 
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POLITICs
“at the end of the day i think people are grateful
for our frugality. we must set a good example.”