In her response to the Prime Minister’s policy address yesterday, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, leader of the Social Democrats, said that a new century brought new threats. She said that in such times “knowing our strengths and weaknesses as a country mattered.”
Ingibjörg said that the small size of the nation was the main reason for the narrow-mindedness that sometimes prevails in Icelandic society. She said that the nation had witnessed conflict caused by such narrow-mindedness. She said that conflict had occurred on numerous issues including: on the war in Iraq; the ministerial pension issue; the appointment of a Supreme Court Judge; the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service’s news editor case; the president’s veto right; the media case; the oil price fixing case; and the Baugur case. She said that there had been too much conflict in the last three years and this conflict had weakened the institutions in society.
She also said it was difficult to understand what the government meant by “continuing the stability”. Ingibjörg said that the trade deficit had never been higher, the export industry was experiencing great difficulties and 8% inflation had recently been forecasted. Ingibjörg said that this was not responsible fiscal management.
