Panama Papers

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:03

The parliamentary opposition will not withdraw a proposal to dissolve parliament, saying that the new PM is not enough to improve matters.

In the wake of news that Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson will resign as Prime Minister – to be replaced by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Sigurður Ingi Jóhannson – coalition co-leader and Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson told RÚV that he will be meeting with Sigurður to discuss the matter. Bjarni said he has no intention to seek the Prime Minister slot for himself, but told reporters that new developments will come to light over the next few days.

However, not everyone is on board with the choice of new PM. Sigurður has publicly defended the Prime Minister since the Panama Papers story broke, going so far as to defend the use of offshore accounts by saying, “It is complicated to have money in Iceland.”

Pirate Party captain Birgitta Jónsdóttir told RÚV that she sees no reason to withdraw the opposition’s proposal to dissolve parliament. She furthermore said that many things are still left unclear, such as whether Sigmundur will continue to be an MP.

Left-Green chairperson Katrín Jakobsdóttir was of much the same mind, telling RÚV that the events which have transpired today are not the way to inspire trust in the government. She also believes that early elections need to move forward.

“I believe that this matter is serious enough that it is very important for the public to have the opportunity to vote for a new parliament,” she said.

Another round of protests are scheduled to take place today.

https://grapevine.is/news/2016/04/05/op ... ssolution/

AutomaticEarth · Post by **AutomaticEarth** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:05

Apparently 10% of Iceland's population went to the street. Can you imagine that happening here?

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:18

mr brightside wrote:I'm actually quite concerned about how unshocked i am over the whole affair. I seem to have unwittingly entered into a state where i fully accept this corruption as being normal, and this concerns me more than anything Panama related. It's early days though, i predict a slow burn on this one.

You would have known about this some time ago if you had read Donnachadh McCarthy's book, The Prostitute State, including the bits about Cameron Snr. That was completely ignored by the MSM and after a while this will be quietly put to bed as well.

Most of the paper owners run their business in this way as does half the government, monied opposition included, so it's in the Kleptocracy's interest for all to go quiet. The journos involved will probably be given an ultimatum; quiet and job or go freelance (if you can find anyone to buy your work).

We'll see!

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:25

AutomaticEarth wrote:Apparently 10% of Iceland's population went to the street. Can you imagine that happening here?

Just to add a bit of context, more than a third of Iceland's population lives in Reykjavik.

It's still impressive though!

johnhemming2 · Post by **johnhemming2** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:44

30k is a bit easier to handle transportation wise than 6m.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:48

This has to be beyond beyond parody:

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/articl ... bJ2PgGt9eZ

HMRC pays rent on its London headquarters to a private company called CIHL Infrastructure Holdings, registered in the tax haven of Jersey, and its 600 regional offices from a company called Mapeley Steps Limited, which is registered in the tax haven Bermuda, as the result of a private finance initiative (PFI).

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 05 Apr 2016, 18:51

Pepperman wrote:
AutomaticEarth wrote:Apparently 10% of Iceland's population went to the street. Can you imagine that happening here?
Just to add a bit of context, more than a third of Iceland's population lives in Reykjavik.

It's still impressive though!

They mostly live within walking distance, and the crowd is now reassembling.

Ásta Helgadóttir ‏@asta_fish 5m5 minutes ago
"Sigurður Ingi no thanks!" People already rejecting new PM.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 05 Apr 2016, 21:27

Our current democratic models are crumbling and outdated. We need to make something more real and meaningful.

Always ahead of the game, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, leader of Iceland's Pirate Party, wrote this a couplke of months ago.
http://newint.org/features/2015/01/01/d ... glayP.dpuf

raspberry-blower · Post by **raspberry-blower** » 05 Apr 2016, 22:53

Keiser Report: The curious case of Putin's pic in Panama Papers

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 06 Apr 2016, 11:28

On Iceland's social media the talk is of their Schrödinger PM, who is in a suspended state of having resigned and not having resigned simultaneously. There are many pictures of cats in boxes.

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 06 Apr 2016, 12:55

raspberry-blower wrote:Keiser Report: The curious case of Putin's pic in Panama Papers

So what if his name doesn't come up? There will be loads of shady characters who don't have their names directly associated with this scandal. Does anyone seriously believe that Putin isn't involved in this shit? Unsurprising that RT is pushing that line though!

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 06 Apr 2016, 13:22

Cameron looks to me to be in serious trouble over this. It's not so much what Corbyn or The Guardian say that matters - he's also under attack in the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, and that's not so easy for a Tory PM to shrug off, especially just a few weeks before he is due to host an major international conference on tackling tax avoidance.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 06 Apr 2016, 13:43

Iceland's history over the last two days: http://www.ruv.is/frett/what-exactly-is ... in-iceland

Pepperman · Post by **Pepperman** » 06 Apr 2016, 13:44

UndercoverElephant wrote:especially just a few weeks before he is due to host an major international conference on tackling tax avoidance.

Oh really? Ha! That could be interesting.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 06 Apr 2016, 14:14

Ásta Helgadóttir ‏@asta_fish 19m19 minutes ago
Apparently he's fully resigning now according to his own party.

Ásta Helgadóttir ‏@asta_fish 18m18 minutes ago
The opposition will put forward a motion of no confidence against the new PM and his government first thing tomorrow. #Iceland #panamapapers