Category: Politics and Society

Former PM refuses to discuss Klaustur bar tapes

yesterday, 13:25 GMT The MP's from the Centre Party who are the centre of the so-called Klausturgate bar recordings have refused to attend a government committee meeting to discuss parts of the recording.

Bjarni Benediktsson wants to begin the sale process of Íslandsbanki and Landsbanki this year.

Minister of Finance wants state to sell Íslandsbanki

14 Jan Bjarni Benediktsson, Ministser of Finance and Economy says that the state needs to pull out of its extensive ownerships of Icelandic banks, sell Íslandsbanki and keep a 35- 45 % share of Landsbankinn.

Former minister accused of sexual violence and harassment

13 Jan Over 150 women have joined a Facebook group to discuss their experiences of harassment and/or violence by Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson. Hannibalsson is the former leader of the Icelandic Social Democratic Party, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs and later, diplomat to Iceland.

The medical costs for the young family are having an impact on the quality of their life.

Young couple had to pay one million ISK for prenatal care and birth of child

7 Jan A young couple have had to pay all costs related to the birth of their child because the mother is Mexican and had not obtained medical insurance rights yet in Iceland. If the mother was Icelandic and the father had been foreign however, they would have been insured.

Many people believed drivers are taxed enough through petrol.

Icelanders divided in opinion on road tolls

5 Jan 40% of Icelanders are in favour of road tolls if they help to advance road work but 40 % are against them even though they advance road work. Twenty percent are neither for or against. The matter has been a source of debate since possible government plans were aired for road tolls in certain areas.

More Icelanders are against religion in schools today than three years ago.

45% of Icelanders against religion in schools

3 Jan According to a new survey conducted by marketing company Maskína, over 45 percent of Icelanders believe that religious ceremonies, prayers or reading from the bible has no place in the public school system in Iceland. Between 35 and 36 percent of Icelanders however believe religion should be a part of schooling.

Kristján Loftsson is happy about Japan's decision to leave the IWC.

Japan's withdrawal from the IWC not influential to Iceland

27 Dec Japan's decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission has no influence on Iceland says director of Hvalur hf, Kristján Loftsson. Hvalur hf is the only whaling company in Iceland.

Bára Halldórsdóttir at Reykjavik District Court earlier this week.

Court rejects case against Klaustur bar whistle blower

19 Dec The Reykjavik District Court has rejected the request of four MP's from the Centre Party to gather evidence to make a case against Bára Halldórsdóttir who famously recorded six MP's having a conversation at the Klaustur bar.

Klaustur bar whistle blower makes court appearance

18 Dec Bára Halldórsdóttir, who recorded six MP's at the Klaustur bar in Reykjavik was asked to appear at the Reykjavik District Court to make a statement for a possible case made against her. Crowds of people showed up outside court to show their support.

Former Minister for Foreign affairs and MP for the Centre Party Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson was one of the six involved in the scandalous bar conversation.

Person who made Klaustur bar recording goes public

7 Dec Newspaper Stundin revealed today the identity of the person who made the recording at Klaustur bar of six MP's that has caused a scandal within Icelandic society. She's a disabled gay woman called Bára Halldórsdóttir who says she began recording when the MP's began to make loud crude comments about minority groups and women.

Awful misogynistic remarks were made about Minister Alfreðsdóttir in the Klaustur bar conversation that was leaked.

Minister of Culture calls MP's in bar recording scandal "Perpetrators of violence"

5 Dec Iceland's Minister of Culture Lilja Alfreðsdóttir appeared on the Kastljós news programme tonight, speaking for the first time about her reaction to the comments made about her in bar conversation two weeks ago, recorded by a witness.

Freyja Haraldsdóttir was an MP for Bright Future. She suffers from brittle bone disease.

"Must have been the wheels on my wheelchair skidding"

4 Dec Centre party leader Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson said yesterday evening that the seal noise made at the Klaustur bar was not one of the MP's but probably a bike skidding to a halt outside the bar. His chair sound theory was proved wrong by journalists. Disabled former MP Freyja Haraldsdóttir has responded on Twitter that it must have been the sound of the wheels on her wheelchair skidding.

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon addresses parliament today.

Bar conversation scandal could be violation of parliamentary ethics regulations

3 Dec President of Parliament in Iceland, Steingrímur J.Sigfússon read a statement at Parliament today where he apologized on behalf of Parliament for the derogatory remarks made by six MP's about women, disabled people and the queer community. The matter is now under investigation by the parliamentary ethics regulations committee.

Freyja Haraldsdóttir doesn't want any more phonecalls from men in powerful positions who try to explain to her what prejudice against disabled people is and isn't.

Former PM apologizes to disabled former MP and says seal noises were actually a chair moving

3 Dec "He called to apologize and also explain to me how apparently I had misunderstood everything," says disabled activist Freyja Haraldsdóttir about a phonecall she received from leader of the Centre party, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.

Protesters outside the house of parliament.

Crowds protest and demand resignations from the six MP's in scandalous bar recording

1 Dec "I don't want shitheads at parliament," said one protestor speaking to mbl.is at a crowded but peaceful protest at Austurvöllur parliament square this afternoon in the bitter cold. Protestor demanded resignation from the MP's whose bar conversation was secretly recorded and leaked to the press. The three hour long conversation contained insults towards multiple female MP's, homophobic slurs and making fun of a disabled deputy MP.