Iceland

Its Children in Need today (Friday 14th) and Riddoch Questions s off air while the nation frolics for Children in Need. So I’m in Iceland at the moment recording some interviews for the next edition of Riddoch Questions on Friday 21st about the collapse of the Icelandic economy – and what it means for other little would-be independent nations like Scotland. And surprise, surprise, the Icelanders I’ve spoken to are determined to bounce back and are appalled at the way their country’s name is now mud across the world. I spent the evening talking with two great women – Eyglo Svala Amarsdottir a 20 something (I'm guessing!) who writes for Iceland Review www.icelandreview.com and a fabulous woman who’s almost single-handedly unraveling the complex web of banking failure and deceit here in her blog -- Alda Sigmundsdottir.

Alda lived in Canada and the UK and has come home

with her daughter to set up a family and build her own cult website www.icelandweatherreport.com

Take a look and you can see how incisive, outspoken and stylish this lady is -- writing about everything to do with the current economic meltdown and the determination of Icelanders to make this a new beginning – not a depressing dead-end for their country.

Ill be writing about Iceland in my Scotsman column for Monday but I’m mostly here researching a book about the “Arc of Prosperity” – Alex Salmond’s trio of small, prosperous, independent countries – Iceland, Norway and Ireland. All have hit hard times economically. But none would give up their independence. And all still have great social and human wealth – does that not count for anything in the materialist reckoning about “success” and failure?

Anyway there’s resentment here about the British government standing between Icelanders and a bail-out loan from the IMF – tempered by even greater anger towards their own politicians and bankers. There’s going to be a demo outside Icelandic parliament on Saturday. So watch this space

Comments

[Vikingisson]

I am a Canadian tourist finally making my visit to Iceland. I have had online discussions with both of the mentioned ladies. I was also at the demonstration on Saturday. Odd to think that my virtual friends were there too. I wish I could have met them in person.

I have had many conversations around the Icelandic problems but indeed the people are resolute about their independence. They have an uncertain future but I think they will survive as they have done many times over the centuries.

If money issues are more devastating than the natural disasters they have endured then we really need to think about what we really want from our society. We can be that sensitive to economic pressures. At least not for basic survival.

I love this country as I do my own.