So at work today, I managed to catch bits and pieces of a radio "debate" between current Reykjavík mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir and Best Party chairman Jón Gnarr. Because my day job requires me to do actual work, and not just pretend to work while listening to the radio, I wasn't able to catch as much of it as I wanted to, but what I did hear kind of surprised me.
For one, Jón sounded like a politician, while Hanna Birna sounded frankly annoyed and defensive. I suppose that stands to reason, seeing how The Best Party has taken a huge bite out of every party, hers included.
Jón took issue with his campaign being called a "joke party", or actually, with anything he says or does being seen as comedy in some form or another.
Alright, I thought, this is a bit like the Jón Gnarr in our latest issue's interview with him - a serious politician. I was surprised to learn, for example, that dude is actually serious about setting up a toll booth between Seltjarnarnes and Reykjavík, telling us, "I only think of it as normal that they would have to contribute to our city’s funds, as they use a lot of our services—we put out their fires, for instance. At a time when we have to cut back on our services due to lack of funds, they—the richest community in Iceland—brag about paying the lowest taxes in the country."
OK then! No more Jón Gnarr and His Whacky Parody Campaign; meet Jón Gnarr, Serious Mayoral Contender.
In the radio debate, the subject of city planning came up. Gnarr was asked for his thoughts. The first thing he mentioned was that he wanted to change the kinds of trees planted in the downtown area to trees that are nicer to look at. He also feels the bridge over the pond Tjörnin needs to be prettied up. And he wants to move Árbæjarsafn downtown.
Where have I heard this kinda stuff before?, I thought to myself. Oh right - this reminded me of when Independence Party candidate Gísli Marteinn Baldursson talked a couple years back about how nice it would be to have an outdoor ice skating rink downtown.
Meanwhile, we have a horrible mass transit system, no downtown bike paths, condemned houses standing empty, and construction projects half-finished. Yet the first thing this supposedly serious mayoral contender mentions with regards to city planning are the kinds of trees we have planted?
I've said before that I feel this is a celebrity campaign. I'm not really sure about that anymore. I really believe in Jón Gnarr's sincerity. He's an incredibly clever guy, and he seems very passionate about wanting to shake things up, foment cultural revolution, wipe the slate clean and start over. But how? And then what? I'm not even sure he really knows himself. His heart's in the right place, though, and I think people pick up on that.
Some food for thought, though: The Civic Movement (Borgarahreyfingin) was another party that wanted to shake things up and bring people closer to the government. They had a stronger platform, but didn't have nearly the star power that The Best Party has. The Civic Movement won four of parliament's 63 seats. The Best Party is projected to win half of city council's 15 seats.
The proportional difference is significant, and makes me wonder how many of The Best Party's supporters are voting for changing the system, and how many are just voting for Jón Gnarr.
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It is a worthwhile question to ponder, indeed. However, it's also fun to think of it this way:
ReplyDeleteWhen a 'proper' political party runs, say the Independence Party, how many of the voters are voting for their platform and policy, and how many of them are voting out of blind allegiance, out of tradition or out of an ill-defined affinity for some of the candidates?
I would imagine the ratio isn't dissimilar to the ratio of BF voters that are CeleBlind and those that like to imagine they are making a political statement, and voting for a platform.
Just a FYI. I was talking to Pálmi Freyr at the City Planners Office and the plan is to build at least 10 km of bike paths in Reykjavik a year for the next 3-4 years.
ReplyDeleteDon't have the details but that is promising.
Haukur: Oh goodness yes. Just look at how many people still count Mbl as their most trusted news source.
ReplyDeleteFRiTZ: That's awesome to hear. Downtown could certainly use them. There's already plenty of them down by the sea.
I think the joke ran out quite few weeks ago. I do agree with my french comrad Morgane about the fact that politicians do not have with fancy diplomas and can come from the crowd...This Best joke (as it was presented in the beguining) is just a butter klip (smjörklippa?, it has kept everyone busy laughing and considering if we should have a Polar Bear or not in the Reykjavík (and turn the zoo into an offical animal jai)l.
ReplyDeleteThis joke stinks...and as usual Icelanders or in this case inhabitants of Reykjavik make a perfect demonstration of their ignorance. They are willing to elect someone that recently said in an interview that he wants to import Jews because they have money and build a ghetto for them in Skeifan....I am not even going to comment on the joke about the forest bear and gay people in Öskuhlið as i find it extremely offensive. Wonder what will happen if i run for city council and start to make sexist jokes about women or black people?
This is the first election since the Black/truth/everyoneknewwhatwasgoingon report came out and for the inhabitants of Reykjavík to really confront the politicians from the main parties, mess with them, and ask them to bear the responsability of their acts. Revolution starts at home....Instead everyone is cheerleading for the Besta Flokkurinn and turning away from the old ones...A very 2007ish things to do. Get a new stuff when the stuff you are using is not pleasing you anymore...
The actual so called "4 parties" might be experiencing certain difficulties lately (to minimize the things) and their candidates (all obssessed with children) hiding many dirty secrets in their closet, but i think that the job of a city council member is a really thing. There is important things to decide and this might look like a popularity contest right now, but on monday, once election will be over, difficult decisions would have to be taken. Do we really want those fancy friendly hip&cool 101ish people to be in charge? Do we want to elect people from a list who is composed of Jón Gnarr and his friday evening drinking buddies plus a couple of acquaintances to be in charge?
Strange times we live in. People are asking for more democracy but they are willing to vote for an undemocratic/nepotic list....I guess one never really learns from its mistakes. I am very impatient to see the X-æ list to publish the complete list of their donators... i am also very impatient to see their faces when all the Glimmer and fanciness of the election will be gone that they will have to take real decision
I think it is due time that Jón Gnarr and Cie come up with some serious clarification and that they clearly present what they stand for. Joke or not joke what is their real plan for Reykjavík...and there is more than putting a polar bear to discuss. (Idea which i think must please our local animal rights people).
I am suppose to be able to vote for the first time ever in Iceland on saturday. I am sad to see that this is going to be in these conditions and i am very scared to see that this is going to cost us at the end a lot...and not only money wise...
Virgile: Do you have a citation for when Gnarr said he wants to "import Jews because they have money and build a ghetto for them in Skeifan" and "the joke about the forest bear and gay people in Öskuhlið"? That's pretty serious stuff there.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, good for you for exercising your newly-acquired right to vote.
I heard both those comments, and no, they are not at all serious.
ReplyDeleteThere you go http://www.dv.is/sandkorn/2010/5/22/getto-i-skeifuna/
ReplyDelete„Að lokum viljum við flytja inn gyðinga til að rétta við efnahagskerfið, því þeir kunna jú að fara með peninga. Ég var að hugsa um að búa til gettó í Skeifunni því þar er svo mikið af búðum.“
yet again this is said as a joke.......
for the gay stuff this is from Þórsteinn Guðmundsson "En verði þetta loforð að veruleika þá langar mig í framhaldi til þess að stinga upp á að það verði fenginn skógarbjörn í Öskjuhlíðina. Þar gæti hann gengið sjálfala og lifað á Maarud snakki sem fólk hendir mikið af þar og kanínum sem nóg er af. Kanínukjöt er gríðarlega næringarríkt. Svo gæti hann virkað sem spennuvaki fyrir hommana sem hittast þarna (margir hommar hafa gaman af spennudrifnu kynlífi) ....
link: http://bestiflokkurinn.is/frambjoeendur/thorsteinngud
as a gay person, i actually think this is not funny at all...but yet again...this is a joke isn't it?
I think the "joke" about Jews being great with money and building a ghetto for them is in exceedingly poor taste. Disappointingly so. I don't care if he's not being serious. It's a sick and disgusting comment to make.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree...Yet again He said it as a joke....so let's just all laugh and clap......
ReplyDeleteSick and disgusting, Paul? Really?
ReplyDeletePopular culture portrays Jews as being good with money. It is an old, old meme. It also portrays Scotsmen as being stingy and Danes as being lazy and drunk.
Are we not allowed to have fun with our cultural stereotypes? Especially if they are as harmless as 'being good with money' - most Jews I know seem fine with poking fun at Jewish stereotypes.
Their fourth seat candidate is Jewish, and she doesn't seem to mind, either.
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Furthermore, gay men have sex in Öskjuhlíð all the time. If you'd put a grizzly bear there, it would certainly make their sex lives more exciting. In any case, it's a weird djók to be offended by.
Seriously, y'all are acting all born again or something.
You know, you're sort of overlooking the whole "Jewish ghetto" thing there, and it should be obvious that that's what I'm taking special issue with here. I don't really think I need to tell you why I'd find that offensive.
ReplyDeleteAnd pointing out that "most Jews I know seem fine with poking fun at Jewish stereotypes" sounds way too much like "I know black people who make fun of their stereotypes all the time, so it's alright for that white guy to do it, too." It doesn't work that way, for reasons that should be pretty plain.
Not everyone's going to have the same sense of humor. I find the whole "look at how edgy and un-PC I am" brand of humor old and worn out, personally. Comparing others to "born agains" for being squicked out about those kinds of jokes isn't a real good idea. If I don't laugh at a joke like this, it's not necessarily me with the problem.
In any event, like we discussed earlier, I don't think this is anti-Semitism, but it is a kind of humor that saddens me, and it's something I'm still not used to. I'm not gonna raise a huge stink about it or anything, but I'm also not going to pretend it doesn't nauseate me.