Photo from the Economist, via Silfur Egils
Archive for January 2nd, 2009
The prime minister and president delivered their annual speeches to the nation last night and today.
Geir Haarde asks himself every day if he could have done anything to prevent the most serious crisis in the nation’s recent history. He says it is an Icelandic trait to be courageous, when everything about his job performance in 2008 suggests that it is not a trait he himself is in posession of.
The president wants to assure us that he will be more careful who he will associate the presidency with in the future. He acknowledges that he might have gone too far in promoting unstable businessmen abroad.
Both of them show a hint of remorse for the first time. But is that remorse there because they feel genuinly sorry for driving the broken roller coaster or is it the remorse of a five year old caught with his hands in the cookie-jar?
The fact that neither has the balls to accept responsibility suggests the latter. So Iceland is stuck with the same spineless leaders who bask in the glory when times are good, and refuse to acknowledge their role in dire times.
Economic Disaster Area 