There's a new political party gaining popularity in Iceland, the "County Party." It's a single-issue group, its sole platform being that Iceland should give up its independence and become an overseas county of Norway.
Sounds like a silly joke, right? But everyone I've talked to about this is dead serious, saying they're sick of financial and political mismanagement, and of nothing much having changed after all, after the financial crisis of 2008.
Do they necessarily want to BE a part of Norway? (And do they even think Norway itself would want them?) No, of course not. But are they serious enough about the issues to vote for a joke party if that's what it takes to get the conversation started? Yeah, I think they are.
It's a strange position to hear espoused by people in such an independent nation. (And I can't help but wonder – would people still support the idea if the proposal were to become a county of Denmark, the country from which Iceland won its independence in 1944? Would that change how they felt about the prospect of being subsumed once again in a more powerful nation?)
As an outsider who doesn't know a whole lot, but has come to care a great deal about this country, I'll really be curious to see where this goes.
Unlike the Danes the Norwegians did not impose a trade monopoly on the Iceland... Allegedly this monopoly was worse than any of the natural occuring plagues such as epidemics, wee ice age, volcanic eruptions... they all have on thing in common they depleted the Icelandic population. It's so much cooler finding death in a volcanic eruption than due to a trade monopoly. I mean you can't write poems or novel about it.;-) Talking of volcanos. Did you know that small eruptions are also called "tourist eruptions"? Icelandic people get in their cars, drive to the erupting volcano and watch. And you are very lucky.... Their might be one sooon: http://www.spiegel.de/reise/aktuell/island-touristen-evakuiert-aus-angst-vor-vulkanausbruch-a-987172.html
ReplyDelete...And now you've made me want to write an epic poem about a trade monopoly, just for the challenge of it. ;-)
DeleteI really ought to be paying more attention; a couple different people have asked me if everything's okay, what with the volcano and all, and my response was, volcano? But Reykjavík is far from Vatnajökull, and life here is normal!
(And I would just like to add, now that I'm looking into this, that the Icelandic weather service has earthquake updates on their webpage! Iceland!)