The Icelandic Revolution was not televised

[rambone]

This is pretty interesting. After a financial crisis a few years ago, that left taxpayers on the hook for private bankers' debt, Icelanders recently drafted a new constitution... online.


Why Iceland Should Be in the News, But Is Not

But Icelanders didn't stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ‘president’ replaced the word ‘king’.)

To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.

 

[geronimojoe85]

Cool beans, is there a link or something to their new constitution?

 

[eldirector]

Cool beans, is there a link or something to their new constitution?

Here it is:
Stjórnlagaráð 2011 - Forsíða

Not in English, though.

 

[geronimojoe85]

I need to brush up on my Islenska, but I think it promises 40 acres and a mule

And something about Bjork being a national hero

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

I need to brush up on my Islenska, but I think it promises 40 acres and a mule

And something about Bjork being a national hero

You forgot kjúklingur í öllum pottinum

 

[eldirector]

And now we know why it isn't news here. The media is too lazy to translate.

 

[CarmelHP]

If the Icelanders refuse to pay off the banks' debts, it's only because they're not as stupid as Americans.... and Iceland doesn't have a CRA for banks to offload blame onto. We saw the banks in the '80's run a trial balloon for their scam during the "S&L crisis." They passed out high interest loans like confetti to those unable to pay and investment banks bought and securitized the loans into what would be junk bonds if there wasn't government guarantee attached making them AAA. Uncle Sugar paid everybody on the backs of the taxpayers. A generation passes and we forget, by the 2000's they had perfected the scam and, so, they do it again, only bigger, better and more audacious. The taxpayers pick up the tab for the trillions in profits extracted before the bust. This country's citizens have to be the most gullible in the world.

 

[edsinger]

This country's citizens have to be the most gullible in the world.

You nailed this one

 

[9mmfan]

Google chrome translator works just fine. It's a very simple, easy read.

 

[insanemonkey]

I skimmed through it. I did not see anything about the right to personal protection. It talked about protecting citizen rights, but not specifically that a person has the right to defend themselves. Also no mention of the right to bear arms.

The whole thing seems a little vague. They really don't detail much and leave a lot to be decided by law. It may just be the translation though.