Talks have started in Reykjavik about the fate of the UK’s Icesave savers and the Icelandic government is apparently willing to meet the obligations the British government is asking for. There is a great deal at stake for both countries, but both remain hopeful for a positive outcome.
According to the Daily Telegraph, several Universities, UK councils and non-profit organisations have much to lose if they do not get their savings back – one particular small Cat Charity stands to lose GBP 11 million.
But as stated by the Icelandic PM, there are solutions to this and the government of Iceland, in cooperation with the UK government, are looking for solutions to this huge problem and hoping to provide an answer to the most pressing questions soon.
>>BCCI was regulated by the Bank of England and registered in Luxembourg.
No, it wasn’t.
BCCI was not regulated by any country. The BoE successfully won a court case to prove it was in no way responsible for BCCI.
BCCI was a criminal organisation that was NOTHING to do with the UK.
@Anders Hedman,
By your criteria there is barely a country in europe that hasn’t commited some kind of atrocity or had a sketchy past. It’s not just the UK. Think France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portuagal, Russia. If you go back as far as 200 years *all* of them have had dealings with colonies and slavery and wars of agression. So quite how your idea of trawling up 200 years of history helps the cause is quite beyond me.
Roger!
Árni has said what needed to be said, but I will just add this: Life here is not miserable, on the contrary, It´s pretty good, and will specially be so (again) when the Oligarchs have left the country. Now we can build up in peace what they tore down with their greed. Yes, and it´s beautiful and peaceful too.
I am sorry to hear all the trouble you are going through. Keep the faith. Hope is on its way. If you are looking for a job, I am looking for a babysitter for my 18 months child in Boston,USA. I will provide you board and room plus a pay. If you are interested, feel free to email at rosahelp@yahoo.com
Roger!
You obviously dont know what you are talking about. Talking about greed and stealing – you should read a little bit of UK-history. Robbing your colonies all over the world for centuries and Icelandic fish for MANY MANY decades. For short: You have never cared about anyone but yourself. I have been to the UK many times and I really like the people there but you have had many bad governments through the years.
Thing aren´t always simple, are they?
By all accounts Iceland was a cold, grim and miserable place before the boom time. Then greed got the better of you and let your banks of their leash to fund your short lived days in the sunshine. Now sadly it’s all over, you guys had a good time by “stealing” money from your European neighbours, and now are you surprised they’re not prepared to help ?
Well it’s back to the cold, grim and miserable past for your sad little country. Hope are your looking forward to becoming Russian slaves !!
I understand that the British Government is pissed with the situation but I think they also deserve it. They have behaved very bad many times during the last 200 years towards other people around the world and also against their own people. Just look at Africa. First the Boer war and later they left many of their own people into the hands of Mugabe in Rhodesia 1980, just to mention a few examples. And where did the guilty Icelandic Oligarchs now disappear in their private jets? Answer: To the UK!
Why is the UK not applying the terrorist laws on these people? They should!
I guess they still have billions of EUR and USD that can be confiscated in the UK. Do not punish the poor Icelandic people for this. Punish the Icelandic oligarchs!
http://www.nu.nl/news/1784969/30/IJsland_komt_verplichtingen_na.html
Latest Dutch news: The Icelandic government will pay the first EUR 20.887 of the Dutch Icesave savers.
I guess the UK government will get the same promise of the Icelandic government.
This seems to be going from bad to worse as its not just folks savings its charities and all sorts that have put money in Iceland banks and now I read The CHELSEA BUILDING SOCIETY has 50 odd million in Iceland banks, is this allowed by building society rules I ask. If this money is sitting in the Iceland banks coffers it should start to be repaid in percentage terms to each investor, if they have no money they should say and maybe find an alternative repayment eg electricity, if nothings done I doubt if mum will be going to Iceland anymore nor the other Icelandic high street stores….
My advice to Geir Haarde and his chums is to look very carefully at how much compensation the British and Luxembourg governments gave to wholesale depositors, including Local Authorities, when the bank BCCI failed in 1991.
BCCI was regulated by the Bank of England and registered in Luxembourg. Geir might like to ask Gordon why the Western Isles Council is still paying off a 30 year loan to the Scottish Office in respect of help they were given as a result of losing £24 million in BCCI (they got a lot of it back from the liquidators of BCCI but they haven’t paid off the loan yet as far as I know). Or, when it comes to it, why didn’t the British Government give local authorities at that time the protection our government now demands from the Icelandic Government?
I think the Icelandic taxpayer and the Icelandic Government have the right to have questions like this answered before they hand over vast sums of money to Big Gordie.
Good luck, Iceland. I think you’re going to need it.
Also 6. Where is a good website to find jobs in Iceland?
http://www.job.is
1. what side of the road do you drive on?
The Right site :-)
2. is it easy to get a job?
Most of the time, I am not sure now. What skills do you have?
3. if you only speak english is it difficult to get along with life
No
4. Do Icelandic like foreigners? Do they like British people less after what has happened?
No I am not sure, I don’t Icelanders generalise. But genrally all foregners are welcome.
5. Is it easy to emigrate or live there and work for a few months to see if you like it
If you are from a EU country that should not be a problem.
Also 6. Where is a good website to find jobs in Iceland?
I have some questions:
1. what side of the road do you drive on?
2. is it easy to get a job?
3. if you only speak english is it difficult to get along with life
4. Do Icelandic like foreigners? Do they like British people less after what has happened?
5. Is it easy to emigrate or live there and work for a few months to see if you like it
I have just been doing some research (watching videos on youtube) and it looks like a nice place and the people don’t seem like they fight each other on the streets at night. I don’t think you are terrorists at all.