Friday, July 13, 2012

How Iceland goes after the bankers that brought down its economy...

Prior to the economic crisis, Olafur Hauksson was police commissioner in Akranes, a small port town of 6,500 inhabitants stranded at the end of a frozen peninsula some fifty kilometres from Reykjavik. Since 2009, he tracks down and brings to justice those who played a role in the country's economic collapse of 2008.

At the end of 2008, the Icelandic bubble burst as a consequence of the subprime crisis in the United States. Two weeks after the dramatic fall of Lehman Brothers, the country's three major banks – valued at 923% of gross domestic product (GDP) – collapsed. The crisis swept through the island, the Icelandic krona dropped in value and no intervention could halt its downward spiral. On October 6, 2008, live on national television, the then-prime minister ended his speech by asking God to "save the island".

Since that fateful day, Iceland has known troubled times. In 2009, the Icelanders, although not used to demonstrating over social issues, shouted their anger against the politicians and the "neo-Vikings" of finance that betrayed them. The "revolution of pots and pans" forced the resignations of the Parliament and of the conservative government. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Jailing bankers is the best way to curb market abuses...
  2. Tony Robinson: Are bankers human at all?
  3. Iceland shows eurozone how to fight crisis...
  4. Why the media is mum about Iceland...
  5. Come to Iceland and be inspired! Wow!
  6. Iceland says it was bullied over bank debt by European countries...
  7. Iceland declares independance from international banks...

No comments:

Post a Comment