On Saturday at Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, chair of the Social Democrats, opened the meeting of the ruling committee of her party saying that the Independence Party and the Social Democrats were now the two main forces in Icelandic politics and they would fight for leadership in two elections in the coming two years.
According to the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, Ingibjörg spent much time during her opening speech criticizing the Independence Party. She said modern politics was a clash of two opposing ideologies: social democracy and free market liberalism. Free market economics was “retreating”, and conservatives and liberals were embracing social democracy.
Ingibjörg Sólrún said that inequality had increased in Iceland; she said that Independence Party supported by the silent agreement of the Progressive Party, was driving Iceland further away from the Scandinavian model. She said that 60% of the nation supported increased equality. Ingibjörg Sólrún also said that the Social Democrats had something in common with these voters while the Independence Party courted them when the Independents thought they needed their support.
Ingibjörg Sólrún continued to say that as free market liberalism was in retreat, the Independents needed to move to the center. She said that the Independents were being supported by Morgunbladid, “as usual”. She said that Morgunbladid used its control over public debate to root for the Independents and fight their enemies, currently the Social Democrats. It was important that the public was aware of this fact, said Ingibjörg Sólrún .
Ingibjörg Sólrún said that the Social Democrats were guarding the middle ground in politics. The main task of the Social Democrats was to find solutions to the inequity created by the Independents.
