Interesting things happen when corrupt idiots wielding obsolete laws from colonial times meet modern technology and communication infrastructure...
As you know, Bob, Iceland has been having a bit of a "Banana Republic" moment.
In particular, we were shocked, shocked, to discover that when the conservative Independent Party finally got to implement their dream of massive deregulation, the small number of well connected oligarchs not only managed to loot the treasury, they also indebted the whole country in a classic privatize-the-gains/socialize-the-losses game of moronic risk taking, criminal institutional stripping and general behaviour only found in bad caricature novels featuring corrupt third world dictatorial thugs.
But I digress...
someone leaked the internal presentation to one of the "new banks" on the large, often unsecured loans, some of which were pushed out the doors just before the final collapse of the old banks; amounts and names.
Apparently publishing these names is thought to violate the (now non-existent) banks' obligation to protect their customer privacy - although the people involved are largely defaulting on the unsecured loans, and the money is now owed to the new public institutions, with the liabilities, whereby these assets were set up, now the responsibility of the tax payer.
The District Commissioner who issued an Icelandic injunction against the release of this information, happens to be the father of two of the players...
Iceland Weather Report explains, though if you speak the lingo, my old friend Lára Hanna has all the raw details and links.
She also has details on which laws were likely violated (in making the loans, not publishing them, silly) - Iceland has the legal concept equivalent of "fraudulent conveyance".
It'd be nice to use some of the old laws for Good.
I wonder if there's an "outlawed" clause still buried somewhere in our 12th century precedents. There's a few people out there could use a spear thrust in delicate places while in the outhouse... always best to go with the classics.
Of course edged weapons are probably too good for them.
Wikileak on the pre-collapse unsecured multi-million euro loans to select individuals and institutions
- with bonus leaked pdf of the presentation to the bank.
I expect there are between 10,000 and 100,000 copies of the pdf stashed on laptops around the world by now.
Make more.
Information likes to be free.
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How do spears get the money paid back?
Wonderful. Just wonderful. I love RÃVs response to the injunction - just put the URL online long enough for people to grab a computer and see what is there.
When will the Icelanders get their brooms and sweep out these criminals?
Estate taxes...
historically washing some spears has tended to provide some catharsis, and occasional lowering the gini coefficient
but then you get into the whole blood feud thing, and before you know it some pansy norwegian has proclaimed himself king...
The Independence Party was voted out in the spring elections, but not quite annihilated, and are now trying to position themselves for a comeback, ironically by posing as the party that will stand up to the foreigners and not pay back the debts.
Key issue now is application for EU admission, new Parliament voted to negotiate, but it is far from certain that the national referendum will be pro-EU when the time comes.
Depends on The Fish, as always.
Of course, as we all know, you oughta wait for vs 2.1.1
Never get 2.0 or 1.2 or... 3.1...
"[...] always best to go with the classics."
Something to laugh about during winter, I presume ;)
To Lab Lemming: It will not but it will "encourage the others" by providing a much incitament structure.