National Assembly of 2009

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The National Assembly of 2009 (Icelandic: Þjóðfundur 2009) was an assembly of Icelandic citizens at the Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík on November 14, 2009 in the wake of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis, organized by a group of grassroots organizations including the (Icelandic: Hugmyndaráðuneytið), collectively called "the Anthill" (Icelandic: Mauraþúfan).[1]

Organisation[]

1500 people were invited to participate in the assembly; of these, 1200 were chosen at random from the national registry,[2] while 300 were representatives of companies, institutions and other groups.[2]

Divided into 162 working groups of 9 each including trained moderators,[3] participants discussed the values underpinning , the direction Iceland should be taking in the future, and other issues. In the end, it was determined that the most important value was integrity[4] / honesty,[5] followed by equal rights, respect and justice, then love, responsibility, freedom, sustainability and democracy, with family, equality and trust also being considered important.[5] Other topics discussed included education, family, welfare, economy, environment, sustainability, opportunities, and public administration.[6]

Participants represented a cross section of Icelandic society, ranging in age from 18 to 88[3] and spanning all six constituencies of Iceland, with 73, 77, 89, 365 and 621 people attending from the Northwest Constituency, Northeast Constituency, South Constituency, Southwest Constituency and Reykjavík (combined), respectively; 47% of the attendants were women, while 53% were men.[7] Participants not from the Reykjavík area were flown in for free;[3] the event's total cost of 27 million ISK was covered by individuals, companies and other institutions,[3] with the Icelandic government contributing 7 million ISK.[3]

The event was followed by both Icelandic and international media, with journalists from The Economist[8] and other media attending.

References[]

  1. ^ Alda Sigmundsdóttir (October 30, 2009). "Power to the ants!". . Archived from the original on November 9, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Egil Ólafson (November 11, 2009). "Fréttaskýring: Þjóðfundur um framtíðarsýn Íslendinga". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e "National Assembly in Iceland Well Attended". Iceland Review. November 11, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  4. ^ "Integrity Named Iceland's Most Important Value". Iceland Review. November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Alda Sigmundsdóttir (November 14, 2009). "Values: First results from the National Assembly". . Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  6. ^ "Þjóðfundur 2009 - English". Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  7. ^ "Þjóðfundur 2009 – Niðurstöður – Fólkið" (in Icelandic). Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  8. ^ "Þjóðfundur hafinn í Laugardalshöll". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). November 14, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.

Further reading[]

TV/radio coverage on RÚV[]

External links[]

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