The island nation of Iceland, known for its weather, Bjork, and…umm…Bjork, is without a working government as of yesterday, a collapse of power triggered by the country’s financial crisis which has caused widespread unemployment, driven down the value of the krona, and caused the usually docile Icelandic public to protest in the streets.
Iceland began on this road to hell during recent years of economic expansion that required stacking up a large debt - which is now against the government to European nations and individual customers of banks that are subsidiaries of Iceland’s major financial houses. As a result of the banking industry’s demise, Iceland is ten billion dollars in the hole, tired, hungry, cold, and without shoes.
The Social Democratic Alliance Party, with which Prime Minister Geir Haarde’s coalition government was held, is calling for a replacement leader and has suggested Johanna Sigurdardottir. Prime Minister Haarde is instead pushing for Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir. The Icelandic Farmer’s Union decided to throw down their two aurar as well by suggesting union head Imafarmer Letssitdownandtalk. As yet, no compromise has been reached between interested parties and protests among the disillusioned public continue. In the most awkward rallying chant ever heard, protestor Svginn Rumar Hauksson led a demonstration Monday by repeating, “We are happy that the government has gone, but now we need to clean up the financial supervisory authority and the central bank.”
