Just Iceland this week in the @Lesleyriddoch podcast

Lesley spent some time in Reykjavik getting out and about seeing and meeting people. As ever, everyone here has an opinion to what is going in Iceland. And Icelanders have opinions they were happy to share. This is a short podcast which reflects some of those opinions touching on the arts, the bankers and their Oscar entry.

There will be a longer multimedia slide show with the thoughts of our travellers within the next week. Watch out for the Reykjavik Rap.

 

V

Comments

[Mike Vickers]

Interesting for being short – can concentrate over lunch!
Really a couple of asides – I have read Lesley’s article in the Scotsman and read a short transcript of a Newsnight programme by Joe Lyman of the BBC on a visit to Reykjavik. Roughly the same reports although Lyman provides a few downside stories of people struggling. But one is never sure how many people need to be interviewed to get the downside ones.

But
To English – I spent five years in what was then West Germany and likewise everyone wanted to speak English to me – which certainly didn’t do my German any good.

While listening to the pod I looked up the History of Iceland because a comment that ?Lesley made implied that Iceland was a vassal of Norway – which was true before it was handed over to Denmark. Only after WW2 did Iceland become independent. What I hadn’t realised was the Brits occupied Iceland at the beginning of WW2 – then the Brits were overtaken by the US.

A recent Belle Caledonia queried what would happen to poor Northern Ireland when Scotland becomes independent – the writer said they would have no choice but to remain in the Union (Formally of course they are not part of the Union – it’s the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland) or join the Republic of Ireland (sorry I understand that Eire is no longer acceptable). The Protestants have no wish to join Eire any more than a lot of Scots want to be part of the UK. But it would seem to me that Northern Ireland could follow Iceland and become a nation on its own – that would at least avoid the number of days the Union Jack is flying over Stormount.