Posted on 11/26/2010 4:58:14 AM PST by markomalley
Iceland's getting a new constitution _ and it's really going to be the voice of the people.
The sparsely-populated volcanic island is holding an unusual election Saturday to select ordinary citizens to cobble together a new charter, an exercise in direct democracy born out of the outrage and soul-searching that followed the nation's economic meltdown.
Hundreds of people are vying for the chance to be among up to 31 people who will form the Constitutional Assembly slated to convene early next year _ a source of huge pride for Icelanders who have seen their egos take a beating in recent years.
"This is the first time in the history of the world that a nation's constitution is reviewed in such a way, by direct democratic process," says Berghildur Erla Bergthorsdottir, spokeswoman for the committee entrusted with organizing the Constitutional Assembly.
Iceland has never written its own constitution. After gaining independence from Denmark in 1944, it took the Danish constitution, amended a few clauses to state that it was now an independent republic, and substituted the word 'president' for 'king.' A comprehensive review of the constitution has been on the agenda ever since.
Pressure mounted for action after the nation's economic collapse in 2008, an event punctuated by ordinary citizens gathering outside the Althingi, the parliament, banging pots, pans and barrels _ a loud, clanging expression of fury. The meltdown was seen not only as a failure of the economy but of the system of government and regulatory agencies. Many came to believe a tighter constitutional framework _ including a clearer division of powers _ might have been able to minimize that damage, or even prevent it.
"It is very important for ordinary citizens, who have no direct interest in maintaining the status quo, to take part in a constitutional review," said Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir. "We are hoping this new constitution will be a new social covenant leading to reconstruction and reconciliation, and for that to happen, the entire nation needs to be involved."
The election marks yet another twist in the fortunes of this Nordic nation of just 320,000 that went from economic marvel to fiscal basket-case almost overnight. The rugged island settled by Vikings was transformed from a country of fisherman to hub of international finance with dizzying speed. Icelandic investors _ dubbed 'Viking raiders' _ snapped up assets around the world for a decade, mostly on borrowed funds.
The global financial crisis wreaked political and economic havoc in Iceland. Banks collapsed in October 2008, and with them the Icelandic currency, the krona. Unemployment soared, as did the cost of living. Loans issued in foreign currencies during the boom suddenly doubled, tripled or even quadrupled, all due to the collapse of the krona.
Icelanders debated their values and turned to questioning the foundations of their society, including those that had facilitated the boom. Anger grew as more instances of misdeeds and incompetence in the private and public sector were exposed. Icelanders woke up to the harsh fact that their country, which had consistently been at or near the top of the Transparency International anti-corruption index, was, in fact, steeped in corruption.
That was ultimately confirmed in a 2,000-page report following a special parliamentary investigation. That report showed that the foundations of Icelandic society were decayed and that a sweeping revision of the social framework was needed.
Sigurdardottir says a new social covenant can at least assist in "restoring the public's faith in the government."
The constitutional assembly will be made up of 25 to 31 delegates, the final number to be determined by a gender and equality ratio. It will be made up of regular citizens elected by direct personal voting. Anyone is eligible to stand for election, with the exceptions of the president, lawmakers and the committee appointed to organize the assembly.
The assembly will draft a proposed new constitution next year. They will use material from another extraordinary project earlier this year in which 1,000 randomly chosen Icelanders _ aged 18-89 _ offered their views on what should be in the constitution.
Now the race is on to be among the charter's authors, with 523 people in the running. Truck drivers, university professors, lawyers, journalists and computer geeks are all among the candidates. All have been given equal air time on Icelandic radio to make their platforms known.
Those elected will receive a salary equal to that of Iceland's lawmakers while the constitutional review takes place, and Icelandic employers are legally obliged to grant leave to any employees elected to the assembly.
I am curious to see what they end up putting together. I have been to Iceland many times and really enjoy the country, but the logistics of living there (particularly outside of reykjavik or even akureyri) are something else, there are some hard limits on what kinds of state powers they can just stick in there.
Thanks for posting. Ping; ping.
To be or not to be?
Might want your “The Debate over the Constitution” ping list on this one! (anybody from Iceland on your ping list?)
Most Icelanders speak better english than we do anyway so it need not be translated.
Imagine what our Constitution would look like had the Founders been limited to such political correctness. I wish the Icelanders well in this endeavor and not to forget important concepts like "We the People", "Bill of Rights" and limited government when drafting this document.
My bet is that it will be very left leaning . . . and very right leaning. Cap taxes at 10% but healthcare will be a universal right, etcetera. Its the curse of democracy. People want a bunch of government benes but don’t want to pay for them.
Here's a clue supporting your statement.
Copy our original Constitution without all the added on garbage and Iceland would rule the world in a few years.
In a country with ONE PERCENT of our population, it’s almost inconceivable that it could be “left-leaning”, in the way that we understand ‘left-leaning’. How big could the pressure/special interest groups be: one or two thousand apiece? How could it possibly evolve for example into a lopsided situation like ours, topheavy with government employees who make TWICE what comparable workers in the same field make? THAT is the source of our problems here and all over the “Western Industrialized Nations”.
EXCUSE ME: a COUNTRY WITH ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT OF our POPULATION!
Got your pen handy?
Believe it or not, Canada's includes the first. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) begins with this preamble: "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:"
Ireland's is explicitly Christian:
In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred,
We, the people of Éire,
Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ, Who sustained our fathers through centuries of trial,
Gratefully remembering their heroic and unremitting struggle to regain the rightful independence of our Nation,
And seeking to promote the common good, with due observance of Prudence, Justice and Charity, so that the dignity and freedom of the individual may be assured, true social order attained, the unity of our country restored, and concord established with other nations,
Do hereby adopt, enact, and give to ourselves this Constitution.
Left Leaning?- they have gone over the edge-
“Iceland’s Prime Minister Marries Female Partner”
First openly lesbian prime minister - they welcome all
Homosexuals and lesbians to come to their utopia.
(just make sure you bring some cash-cause were Broke!)
According to Montesquieu and opponents to our Constitution, countries of small area were particularly suited to republican forms of government and that the original thirteen states spanned too large an area.
If by that you mean a single state Republic, than certainly, however 320k people does not make for large Governmental Institutions, such as city/county/states.
It would be difficult for the Icelanders to form that system of governance (imho) however a single Republican Structure with a Sovereign Citizen model would work well.
The Switzerland I was thinking of was the neutral one, no membership in World Governing Bodies, Citizen Militia, Banking Privacy and Divorce from the State.
I find this fascinating as a purely organic movement, the first in the West since Belize was formed, I do not consider Panama in that light as it was basically a creation of Teddy Roosevelt’s initiative.
From reading my friends there, it already is very left leaning and in a very European way.
The document will be a liberal manifesto - no need to argue - just wait and see.
Well, that is a fascinating dilemma, should the State impose Christianity from the Top Down with sanctions for violating Christian Principles and Morals?
I say probably not, as Christianity is best when it is purely voluntary and flows upwards and not downwards in terms of governance, the Lesiban PM, and I have noticed countries that embrace homosexuality do tend to go into the toilet, so the point is not lost on me, however if they are a Christian people such people in positions of Authority in a Democratic Republic, would never be elected.
The entire process as outlined in this report is so steeped in leftist PC-think that the liklihood of anything approaching a genuine constitution of the people such as our own is slim to none. Forced gender representation? Why is this even an issue, they already have a female Prime Minister.
Oh this should be good: a bunch of communists, socialists and liberal activists sitting down to fix the financial problems.....
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