7 ms·
Perhaps not politically correct, but I absolutely love it when politicians loudly declare they will NOT resign, only to resign the follow day or two.
by Overtonwindow 11y ago
Perhaps not politically correct, but I absolutely love it when politicians loudly declare they will NOT resign, only to resign the follow day or two.
- DannyBee 11y agoHow is this any different than most people's defensive reaction to people asking them to do something they don't want? Lots of people won't admit when they screwed up until days later (ask anyone in enough relationships :P), not sure why this is any different?
- munificent 11y agoPeople often don't admit they screwed up until they have to. When someone like a prime minister does it, it's a nice example to show that even their power has limits. I wish we saw this more often in the US, but these days it seems like between a giant government and giant corporations, the people at the heads of them answer to almost no one.
- a3n 11y agoIn the US you pretty much have to have an FBI investigation and pending or filed charges, and foil-wrapped bundles of hundred dollar bills in the freezer, before anyone has to resign. Brazen in politics is a feature.
- newjersey 11y ago> I wish we saw this more often in the US, but these days it seems like between a giant government and giant corporations, the people at the heads of them answer to almost no one. The biggest reason why I want privacy and security for all is I don't want my future heads of government and policy makers to be beholden to anyone who might have dirt on them. If someone was able to get to those documents and leak them, who's to say someone else was not able to get to them before the leak? What if someone were to get a hold of all the private conversations between future POTUS X and their boyfriends/girlfriends? I am more concerned that my elected representatives might have to reply "how high" when some clandestine operator says "jump". Yes, I am aware about campaign financing as well (saw the John Oliver video) and there's something we need to do about that as well.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- flexie 11y agoEarlier today the prime minister actually first tried to get the president to dissolve the parliament (as some kind of retaliation?), but apparently the president refused. As I understand it, this is the first time in Icelandic history that the president refuses to dissolve the parliament when asked to by the prime minister. Maybe someone here from Iceland knows...
- halviti 11y agoYes, he was trying to retaliate against his own party for not supporting him. The president wasn't ready to approve the request without at least first talking to the leader of the other coalition party to see if they were in agreement. http://www.visir.is/forseti-neitar-sigmundi-um-heimild-til-thingrofs/article/2016160409336 http://www.visir.is/forseti-neitar-sigmundi-um-heimild-til-t... And now it seems the former PM is accusing the president of lying.. http://www.visir.is/sigmundur-david-segir-forsetann-hafa-sagt-osatt/article/2016160409279 http://www.visir.is/sigmundur-david-segir-forsetann-hafa-sag... I'm pretty sure what happened is that he wanted the approval to dissolve the parliament, and then would then wave this authorization in the face of the other coalition party as a way to blackmail them for support.
- levemi 11y agoIt sounds like that Icelandic PM is a complete jerk who deserves everything that has happened to him. Obviously not putting the country first.
- Beltiras 11y agoYes, this is unprecedented but allowed for by the constitution. What you need to understand about the Icelandic Constitution is that it's mostly a translation from the Danish one from 1944 with patchwork reforms here and there, substituting Monarch for President. The Danish Monarchy is a figurehead not intended for much besides being a symbol of national unity. Much of the powers that the Constitution seems to grant has been interpreted to be in a similar vein to the Danish arrangements, in name only. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has been an activist president, interpreting his role more participatory than his predecessors.
- a3n 11y agoI'm always curious who plays the role, or the messenger for that role, who tells someone in this kind of situation that "no, you actually will resign. Today."
- toomuchtodo 11y agoAfter watching House Of Cards, I always imagine the Frank Underwood character coming in to deliver the bad news.
- newjersey 11y agoFor me, I hope the someone who is supposed to resign is smart enough to already see the writing on the wall and one of the closer advisors or aides quietly says "it is time".
- toomuchtodo 11y agoFrom experience, I find this to never be the case, whether in government or the private sector.
- scott_s 11y agoFor these kind of executive positions, I don't see how it could not be the case. For example, Nixon. There is no one who could have told Nixon "You will resign today". On the other hand, I imagine he did have advisers telling him, "It's time." I figure it's the same for the Icelandic Prime Minister.
- a3n 11y agoI've always thought that Nixon was old fashioned enough to believe, despite his flaws, that it was the proprietary thing to do, and that it would have been shameful to have to go through a certain trial in the Senate.
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- afandian 11y agoI have no idea what the details of the case are (it's all still coming out) but the timeframe was extremely short. I would challenge anyone to make such a momentous decision inside a day or so.
- msbarnett 11y agoWhen close to 8% of the country is protesting outside your office door, there honestly isn't much choice in the matter.
- keithpeter 11y agoIceland has a population that is less than half - nearer a third - of the city I live in. On that smallish scale, direct action by a significant number of people carries a lot of weight I imagine!
- SyneRyder 11y agoIt's a tiny country. I've been to rock concerts that had bigger crowds than that protest. (Estimates are 22,000 for the Iceland protests. Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have drawn bigger numbers just to their rallies.)
- sanatgersappa 11y agothat's just like acquired startup guys saying nothing will change.
- jug 11y agoSeems like he didn't expect the extent of the protests at all. I think this is a case where we are aided by social networks. It is easier than ever to not only rally large groups, but also inspire others.
- kitcar 11y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude
- mtgx 11y ago> Gunnlaugsson becomes the second Icelandic premier to resign amid street protests, after Geir Haarde was forced out during the 2009 financial collapse. This is beautiful. THIS is how you do a protest.
- sickbeard 11y agoWhat were the protesting about though? Did he do something wrong?
- kzrdude 11y agoHe was found guilty of only the least charge: “But he was found guilty of not holding cabinet meetings when things turned critical. The lesser charge carried no prison sentence or fine. ” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17256626 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17256626 My opinion: He was complicit in his government’s regulatory capture.
- cubano 11y agoA primary qualification of being an 10x politician is to be able to look citizen voters in the eye and sincerely lie right to their faces without any compunction.
- noonespecial 11y agoI don't think is like that at all. The primary qualification is to be able to look citizen voters in the eye and know exactly what they want to hear said, and then say it sincerely without ever pausing to consider "the truth" at all. They don't "lie", that would entail thinking about the truth and then speaking differently. What might be true or false never crosses their minds.
- toyg 11y agoYou and parent poster are both wrong. A politician rarely ever lies. Incredibly, most career politicians sincerely believe what they say. They just change their beliefs more often than most people, even several times a day. Whenever some specific belief is challenged by external conditions (poor polling, disagreement with wealthy donors, etc), they just go through long doublethink processes multiple times with their advisors, until they're persuaded that changing their position is the best thing to do. Once they believe what they say, they simply sell it like only Real Believers could.
- cubano 11y ago>You and parent poster are both wrong. A politician rarely ever lies. Incredibly, most career politicians sincerely believe what they say. They just change their beliefs more often than most people, even several times a day. I'm sorry, but I truly believe that not only is this view utterly naive but apologist as well, and I simply think it tries to blot the sun with its thumb.
- noonespecial 11y agoIsn't it just a limit then? The best politician simply changes his beliefs for every person he talks to until "belief" is so fluid it becomes completely unmoored and meaningless. Hence no consideration of truth or falsehood and being able to sincerely tell everyone what they want to hear.
- anexprogrammer 11y agoThe declaration that they're NOT going to resign has become a reliable indicator for impending resignation. cf I have every confidence in my Minister for Thing. I have no plans to run for the Presidency/Leader of Party.
- tremon 11y agoEvery time you openly consider the political correctness of your statements, god kills a kitten.