They have democracy. We don’t.”

they have the balls and passion to take on Gov like the French do. Ever seen protests of a proper scale in Ireland? rarely.
And when they are ‘big’, they hardly represent in numbers the real amount of people that back the protest’s motives and desires. The people follow, shout a bit, and then have a few cans down the back of the march and that’s a hard days work done!

Its the irish mentality thats the problem, not so much the democracy…

Glad you agree.

I’d hate to think that giving €10,000,000,000 to Anglo Irish Bank was the democratice will of the people.

That would be stupid.

eh, isn’t that a lot of spoilt votes in a Yes/No referendum?

And yes, we clearly have no democracy in this country, what a fantastically accurate thing to say, not at all stupid…

Go easy on the victimhood stuff.

As in Ireland, the political class allowed a group of businessmen wreck the economy.

After 13 years as prime minister, David Oddsson became governor of the central bank and after being ousted in 2009 became editor of the country’s only broadsheet newspaper.

It makes Irish cronyism look like small beer.

Bertie Ahern becomes governor of the central bank and then editor of the Irish Times!!

Those who rely on foisting “cheap” credit on others must occasionally take a loss…. Just increase interest rates in Ireland to make up for it!

Seems like a precedent. Bet someone is now regretting putting the Icelandic nation under such pressure! Early retirement for that incompetent!

I hope they ‘paws’ for thought before passing that one.

What’s the difference between Ireland and Switzerland?

The number of rich Irish people who live there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjglR2KYz5o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPRoQ7OxZAQ

They have democracy. We don’t.

There won’t be a Referendum.

Cowen, Lenihan and Gormely have sold this country down the drain. A Referendum and a proper investigation of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society would prove it.

This is the man who has had 18 months since the collapse of Lehman Brothers (his favourite touchstone) and now he tells us that he has a “plan” to recapitalise the banks within the next month.

Cowen pledges to reveal bank plan ‘within weeks’

“Mr Cowen stressed the importance of the Government’s plans to restructure the banks next month. And he confirmed that recapitalisation would form part of the overall plan.”

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/cowen-pledges-to-reveal-bank-plan-within-weeks-2090857.html

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

€11bn already wasted and another €10bn (?) to go.

Nobody arrested on suspicion of fraudulent accounting. Key individuals pensions off.

No. There won’t be a Referendum. They’re going to protect theirs and what’s theirs.

We get to pay.

Bye bye Democracy. Bye bye Republic.

Welcome debt slavery.

http://www.politics.ie/current-affairs/125235-braveheart-not-too-removed-our-current-predicament.html

Only 1.5 per cent supported the deal, with another 4.8 per cent casting empty or spoilt ballots.

The resounding rejection reflected deep public anger over a deal which critics said would punish taxpayers for the mistakes of bankers and regulators and pile more debts on a country of 320,000 people struggling to rebuild its shattered economy.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2551a7e6-2937-11df-972b-00144feabdc0.html

http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC100306-0000224/Initial-results-in-Icelands-referendum-show-voters-overwhelmingly-say-no-to-repayment-deal

GIVE US AN ANGLO & NATIONWIDE REFERENDUM NOW.

On 18,000 votes counted - 98% vote NO - 2% vote YES.

Referendum on NAMA anyone?

The man in the sweater was saying, hold on, what’s the rush? Which I think is the present situation.

I don’t speak Icelandic but it sounds like “Icelanders(!) rise up”.”
Our MfF is rapidly becoming the international face of bond market tyranny.

Professor Andrew Wawn of the University of Leeds will give a public talk at the National Library of Iceland on Wednesday, March 10, entitled “The English grab with both hands at anything coming from Iceland.”

I suspect that will be well attended!

The mixed-media exhibition “Stripped Away” by Icelandic artists Birgir Snaebjörn Birgisson, Helgi Hjaltalín Eyjólfsson and Helgi Thorgils Fridjónsson opened at the Tintype Gallery in London last week.

For an interesting report on how MP’s debate on radio over there please go to:

http://grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/MP-Says-Five-Percent-of-Nation-Idiots

For live blogging (in English) on the referendum, go to:

http://grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/Icesave-Referendum-Liveblogging

“Q. Whats the difference between Iceland and Ireland?

A. One letter and six m……

Well, if we are being honest…..Vertebrae.”

As poster Mouroux remarks when he opens the discussion FF/PDs/Bankers/Brokers/Bank Investors are doing their best to discredit Iceland in internet discussions and the media:
“Okay, I’m readying myself for a barrage of smart-alex one-liners about how ‘idiotic’ Icelandic voters are, about how they need to ‘get real’, accept the ’system’, and generally be a good little electorate like Ireland, with the typical sit-down-the-back-of-the-church mentality…”

It reminds me of Minister Lenihan’s dishonourable attempts to get the wolf pack to go after Greece, which also featured furious FF/broker attacks on the “idiocy” of the Greeks. What a wretched country we are that we allow the worst of Ireland to control our public debate - and us.

What’s the difference between Ireland and Iceland? I will tell you if they re-run a referendum after getting a no vote

Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson: “It is of the utmost importance that we don’t over-interpret whatever message comes out of this”

I suspect there’s only one message coming out of this Minister.

Shouldn’t take long to get the result. You can probably do it by a show of hands over there?

“There is a good probability that the total assets of Landsbankinn will be sufficient to cover the deposits in IceSave,” then Prime Minister Geir Haarde said in early Oct 2008.

Stories of plucky Icelanders resisting being impoverished by the arrogant Brits make better copy than presenting the relevant facts.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the president of Iceland, remarked to Simon Carswell of the Irish Times, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month that the Irish people might be interested in how the devaluation of Iceland’s currency has made the export sector “much more profitable in a matter of weeks.”

“This has been an extremely good year for the fishing sector - - the fishermen are getting higher salaries than ever before,” he said.

The fishing sector is responsible for more than 50% of Iceland’s goods exports while in Ireland, US-owned pharmaceutical and medical device firms have such a role, with a high import content.

Besides, about 90% of Irish goods and services exports are made by foreign-owned firms and the majority of the trade is intra-company.

So devaluationists should find some more credible crutch.

I don’t speak Icelandic but it sounds like “Icelanders(!) rise up”.

“The Government of Iceland has for the last three weeks been engaged in a dialogue with the Governments of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, hoping for a resolution of the Icesave matter. Discussions to date have been constructive and Iceland is confident that a mutually acceptable solution can be reached. The Icelandic negotations committee returns today from London. Iceland remains committed to a continued dialogue and is hopeful that discussions will resume as early as next week..”

If you are referring to an estimate of the unemployment rate based on the numbers registered as unemployed, I think perhaps you are reinforcing my point.

I bow to your more uptodateness.

What was Ireland again? Better/worse? *makes balancy hand symbol thingy*

“GDP growth was -5.3% in Iceland in 2009″

it was -6.5% in 2009.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gY4ej6rM6-4fK2odYzVHnyCrpaqg

GDP growth was -5.3% in Iceland in 2009, better than us, but I don’t know if that was in constant currency terms.

Krona mortgages in Iceland are, I believe, index-linked, so inflation is increasing the debt burden even for those without foreign debt.

As someone with savings, I know where I’d rather be. But that is just me. Others will differ.

the same “unemployment rate” per your description also went to 1% in 2008, which seems “iffily” low and unprecedented by global standards.