The man steering Iceland into near bankruptcy in 2008 could possibly be available for a quick chat in Iceland. Pic RUV
On official tourism sites on Iceland secret stuff is all the rage these days. Supposedly locals are giving away „secret“ information about fabulous places to see and visit on the island.
Admittedly, some of the info could be beneficial to a certain group of tourists heading this way but on the whole the „secrets“ are anything but. At least, not secrets kept dutifully out of foreign guide books. In any case it must be kind of ridiculous that an official guide to Iceland is keeping any secrets at all. Let it all out we say.
We thought about if there was anything special some of you might want to know about the country or the people before arriving and we came to the conclusion that some of you might want to know more about the biggest man-made event to hit Iceland from beginning of time; the financial crash in 2008.
Now, you usually do not hear a word spoken about that particular episode among locals. Almost as if it never happened. But it did and it brought untold financial straits to thousands of people both in Iceland and abroad. [blockquote type=”blockquote_line” align=”right”]Oh, but do not expect him to be especially nice about it[/blockquote]
The man leading Iceland to this financial ruin was Geir H. Haarde. He was prime minister from 2006 to 2008 and the finance minister for years before that time. Ergo; the man most in the know but still failed miserably to salvage anything when the hammer came crashing down. Mr. Haarde has actually been convicted by a special Iceland court for his failure in the event in the time since.
However, the secret is that Mr. Haarde has turned away from the spotlight and has been an avid golfer since. And Mr. Haarde usually frequents the very same golf course close to his summer cabin in Borgarfjordur. Borgarnes golf club is where you might just run into Mr. Haarde in summertime and what better time to ask him about the crash. Get a crash course so to speak.
Oh, but do not expect him to be especially nice about it. Still to this day Mr.Haarde vehemently denies having anything to say or do about the crash or having any powers to prevent it.
