Hello there!
Tensions are high this week in Icelandic politics after Foreign Minister Bjarni Benediktsson (remember him? who “assumed responsibility” for his corruption and misdeeds by resigning as Finance Minister about three weeks ago, only to move a week later to an equally high-powered cabinet seat, that of Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I digress) … after Foreign Minister Bjarni Benediktsson declared at an emergency meeting of the UN that Iceland would abstain in voting on a ceasefire in Gaza.
For the purpose of this particular post I will refrain from commenting on the nature of this action and what it means in terms of the atrocities happening in the Middle East, and instead focus on what it tells us about the reality of Icelandic politics. I know this is about 1000 percent less serious, but truly, the situation in Gaza is so horrific that any attempt to discuss it in a space like this one would be reductionist and disrespectful to the suffering of those involved.
And so, back to the (non-)vote. Keep in mind that Bjarni Benediktsson had been Minister for Foreign Affairs for about two weeks when he attended the UN meeting and cast this non-ballot. Two weeks after his big “I’m being accountable by stepping down as Finance Minister” announcement; two weeks after sailing into the Foreign Ministry, like the self-appointed King of Iceland
You know what else was like the King of Iceland? The fact that he cast that (non-)vote on his own initiative and without consulting his coalition partners, including the prime minister. Yup, he made that call on Iceland’s behalf without consulting with anyone … though reportedly he did send an email to PM Katrín Jakobsdóttir of the Left-Green Party and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, head of the Progressive Party (the third member of the coalition) a full 11 minutes before voting commenced.
So, yes. The King of Iceland because King of the Independence Party, and oh, did I mention that the Independence Party always gets its way?
Apart from the utter disregard and disrespect for his coalition partners, what makes this action particularly egregious is that it flies in the face of just about everything that the Left-Greens stand for. But hey, why bother consulting with the prime minister? Everyone knows who is really in charge.
Also, despite our alleged stellar gender equality record, I doubt very much that BB would have conducted himself in this manner had the prime minister been a man. In fact, I am almost sure he would not have done so.
This is such a perfect illustration of the deception so widely held that Icelandic society is just so damn wholesome and pure and environmentally conscious and a paragon of female equality. After all, we have a female prime minister! Who is so young, and cool, and progressive! Yay Iceland for showing the rest of the world how it is done!
Yeah, right.
Here’s the real deal
Back in 2017 we were gearing up for elections. Opinion polls showed that the only party with a remote chance of beating the IP were the Left-Greens, so many of us voted for them strategically, in the hope they might herald in a new era.
That did not happen. Instead, the Left-Greens decided to enter into the three-party coalition I mentioned above, despite being about as far away from the IP on the political spectrum as you can get.
Voters felt betrayed, as did many members of their own party. So much that some key people decided to leave.
A slight boost to the morale came when it was announced that Katrín, chair of the LGs, would be in the role of prime minister. However, that was short-lived, as it soon became obvious that Katrín and what was left of the LGs had very little resistance against the bulldozing and domineering tactics of the IP. They capitulated again and again, all in the name of “compromise” … though that compromise was always appallingly one-sided.
The only time in the last six years that I recall the Left-Green party asserting itself with a semblance of determination was when the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Svandís Svavarsdóttir imposed a ban on whaling this past summer.
Whaling, as you may know, is the sole occupation of a single man who has become very wealthy through favours bestowed upon him by the IP, and who pays handsomely into its election fund. Predictably, the IP threw a fit, so the whale ban was revoked and whaling resumed at the end of August. (I wrote more about the abomination that is whaling here.)
Anyways, I could rant endlessly about the political corruption in Iceland and the IP’s involvement therein, but the point I wanted to make is that Iceland’s supposed gender equality and support for human rights is largely a ruse, as witnessed by the events of this past week.
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