Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn, the party of hungry children Ian McDonald skrifar 22. mars 2024 12:31 Now that some time has passed since the new collective agreement was signed between the broad alliance of trade unions, Samtök Atvinnulífsins and the Icelandic government. The dust has settled, people have had the chance to read and understand the substance of the agreement and how it will help working people over the coming years. This agreement promises to inject substantial amounts of tax-free disposable income into the pockets of working-class individuals and families, by increasing child benefit payments, lowering housing costs, lowering the cost of living by ensuring that the government reduces interest rates, and not least of all by making primary school meals free. It is on this last point that there has been objection to, particularly from Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn, and specifically (and vocally) from Oli Björn Kárason, a high-ranking member of the party. My immediate reaction to hearing that a member of the independence party doesn´t believe that it is the responsibility of the state to.....feed children..... was just a sigh and a shrug. But of course. That fits entirely with the ethos and brutal austerity politics of his chosen ideology. But then I thought a little deeper. This is a man who has been in the highest levels of Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn for a very long time. He has stuck with them through scandal after scandal, corruption, nepotism, public embarrasments and illegality. Through rampant cuts to public services and the measurable worsening of quality of life for the people he is paid to serve. And through all that, this man has held his tongue and not raised his head above the parapet. But the issue of ensuring that children have full bellies and that their families do not have to worry about the spiralling cost of meals is apparently one that he is willing to stand up in public and voice his opposition to. This is something that Óli Björn (and others) are willing to go on the record against and mark his part in Icelandic political history. To not believe that feeding children should be accepted as a bare minumum standard of care and decency in our society. That parents who are already struggling to make ends meet should be forced to scrape and save what little disposable income they have to ensure that their children aren‘t going hungry. And if they can´t afford it? Well i guess then work two jobs and pay the difference? I am well aware that the objections to increases in welfare such as this are always dressed up in political language, jargon and double-speak. The implication that somehow the Icelandic government does not have the money for this, or that it will result in inevitable cuts elsewhere. The debate surrounding free school meals for children is not merely a matter of economics; it's a litmus test for the moral conscience of our leaders. Yet, time and again, we see certain politicians barricading themselves behind bureaucratic jargon and hollow justifications, conveniently forgetting the dire realities faced by countless families struggling to put food on the table. These politicians, ensconced in their ivory towers of privilege, fail to comprehend the harsh truth that for many children, the school lunch may be their only nutritious meal of the day. By denying them this basic necessity, these politicians are complicit in perpetuating a cycle of poverty and hunger that stifles the potential of entire generations. Let's be unequivocal: objecting to free school meals for children is not a political stance; it's a moral failing. It's a betrayal of the fundamental duty of elected officials to safeguard the welfare of their constituents, especially the most marginalized among them. As a British ex-pat, my mind is inevitably drawn to comparisons with my native country, where during the covid-19 lockdowns, the Conservative government refused to feed children who were in lockdown and could not attend school. In that case it took a premier league footballer who started a public awareness campaign to pressure the government into sending food to hungry children. And yes. That is just as dystopian as it sounds. Make no mistake, that same ideaolgy is at work here, Sjalfstæðisflokkurinn are simply a bit further up the road than the British Conservative party. But the end point is the same. As citizens, we must hold these politicians accountable for their abhorrent stance on free school meals. We must demand that they prioritize humanity over politics, empathy over ideology. We must remind them that their duty is to serve the people, not their own self-interests. The author is a manufacturing worker. Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein Kjaraviðræður 2023-24 Mest lesið $€tjum í$lensku á (mat) $€ðilinn! Ólafur Guðsteinn Kristjánsson Skoðun Land rutt fyrir þúsundir íbúða í Úlfarsárdal Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson Skoðun Hvað gerir brjóstakrabbamein að ólæknandi brjóstakrabbameini? Helga Tryggvadóttir,Ólöf Kristjana Bjarnadóttir Skoðun Hver er þessi Davíð Oddsson? Daði Freyr Ólafsson Skoðun Dýrmæt þjóðfélagsgerð Eva Björk Valdimarsdóttir Skoðun Minna tal, meiri uppbygging Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir Skoðun „Lánin hækka – framtíðin minnkar“ Sveinn Óskar Sigurðsson Skoðun Tvöföld mismunun kvenna í hópi innflytjenda Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir,Steinunn Bragadóttir Skoðun Hugsanlega löglegt, en siðlaust og grimmt — af hundsráni í GOGG Kristinn Ka. Nína Sigríðarson Skoðun Tíðahvörf og hormónar – að taka upplýsta ákvörðun Kolbrún Pálsdóttir,Ólöf K. Bjarnadóttir,Sigurdís Haraldsdóttir,Svanheiður Lóa Rafnsdóttir Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun $€tjum í$lensku á (mat) $€ðilinn! Ólafur Guðsteinn Kristjánsson skrifar Skoðun Minna tal, meiri uppbygging Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Tvöföld mismunun kvenna í hópi innflytjenda Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir,Steinunn Bragadóttir skrifar Skoðun Ný nálgun – sama markmið: Heimili fyrir fólkið í borginni Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir skrifar Skoðun Geymt en ekki gleymt Ástþór Ólafsson skrifar Skoðun Tækni og ungmenni: Hvar liggur ábyrgðin og hvað getum við gert? Stefán Þorri Helgason skrifar Skoðun Hvað gerir brjóstakrabbamein að ólæknandi brjóstakrabbameini? Helga Tryggvadóttir,Ólöf Kristjana Bjarnadóttir skrifar Skoðun „Lánin hækka – framtíðin minnkar“ Sveinn Óskar Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun Hey Pawels í harðindunum Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Land rutt fyrir þúsundir íbúða í Úlfarsárdal Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson skrifar Skoðun Dýrmæt þjóðfélagsgerð Eva Björk Valdimarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hver er þessi Davíð Oddsson? Daði Freyr Ólafsson skrifar Skoðun Hugsanlega löglegt, en siðlaust og grimmt — af hundsráni í GOGG Kristinn Ka. Nína Sigríðarson skrifar Skoðun Þjóðkirkjan engu svarar – hylur sig í fræðilegri þoku Hilmar Kristinsson skrifar Skoðun Borgarstefna kallar á aðgerðir og fjármagn Ásthildur Sturludóttir skrifar Skoðun Skjáheimsókn getur dimmu í dagsljós breytt Auður Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Eru álverin á Íslandi útlensk? Guðríður Eldey Arnardóttir skrifar Skoðun Öryggisgæslu í Mjódd, núna, takk fyrir! Helgi Áss Grétarsson skrifar Skoðun Erum við ennþá hrædd við Davíð Oddsson? Magnús Árni Skjöld Magnússon skrifar Skoðun Saman getum við komið í veg fyrir slag Alma D. Möller skrifar Skoðun Lýðræði eða hópeinelti? Margrét Pétursdóttir,Þórarinn Haraldsson,Þórdís Guðjónsdóttir,Sigurveig Benediktsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Blóðtaka er ekki landbúnaður Guðrún Scheving Thorsteinsson,Rósa Líf Darradóttir skrifar Skoðun Svar til stjórnunarlegs ábyrgðarmanns frá Keflavík Soffía Sigurðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Ríkisstjórnin ræðst gegn launafólki og atvinnulausum Finnbjörn A. Hermannson skrifar Skoðun 764/O9A: Kannt þú að vernda barnið á netinu? Anna Bergþórsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Opinberir starfsmenn kjósa síður áminningarskyldu Ísak Einar Rúnarsson skrifar Skoðun Einkavæðing orkunnar, skattasniðganga og lífeyrissjóðir Ögmundur Jónasson skrifar Skoðun Er gervigreindarprestur trúlaus eða trúaður? Björgmundur Örn Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Skattaferðalandið Ísland Björn Ragnarsson skrifar Skoðun Til hamingju Víkingur Heiðar! Halla Hrund Logadóttir skrifar Sjá meira
Now that some time has passed since the new collective agreement was signed between the broad alliance of trade unions, Samtök Atvinnulífsins and the Icelandic government. The dust has settled, people have had the chance to read and understand the substance of the agreement and how it will help working people over the coming years. This agreement promises to inject substantial amounts of tax-free disposable income into the pockets of working-class individuals and families, by increasing child benefit payments, lowering housing costs, lowering the cost of living by ensuring that the government reduces interest rates, and not least of all by making primary school meals free. It is on this last point that there has been objection to, particularly from Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn, and specifically (and vocally) from Oli Björn Kárason, a high-ranking member of the party. My immediate reaction to hearing that a member of the independence party doesn´t believe that it is the responsibility of the state to.....feed children..... was just a sigh and a shrug. But of course. That fits entirely with the ethos and brutal austerity politics of his chosen ideology. But then I thought a little deeper. This is a man who has been in the highest levels of Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn for a very long time. He has stuck with them through scandal after scandal, corruption, nepotism, public embarrasments and illegality. Through rampant cuts to public services and the measurable worsening of quality of life for the people he is paid to serve. And through all that, this man has held his tongue and not raised his head above the parapet. But the issue of ensuring that children have full bellies and that their families do not have to worry about the spiralling cost of meals is apparently one that he is willing to stand up in public and voice his opposition to. This is something that Óli Björn (and others) are willing to go on the record against and mark his part in Icelandic political history. To not believe that feeding children should be accepted as a bare minumum standard of care and decency in our society. That parents who are already struggling to make ends meet should be forced to scrape and save what little disposable income they have to ensure that their children aren‘t going hungry. And if they can´t afford it? Well i guess then work two jobs and pay the difference? I am well aware that the objections to increases in welfare such as this are always dressed up in political language, jargon and double-speak. The implication that somehow the Icelandic government does not have the money for this, or that it will result in inevitable cuts elsewhere. The debate surrounding free school meals for children is not merely a matter of economics; it's a litmus test for the moral conscience of our leaders. Yet, time and again, we see certain politicians barricading themselves behind bureaucratic jargon and hollow justifications, conveniently forgetting the dire realities faced by countless families struggling to put food on the table. These politicians, ensconced in their ivory towers of privilege, fail to comprehend the harsh truth that for many children, the school lunch may be their only nutritious meal of the day. By denying them this basic necessity, these politicians are complicit in perpetuating a cycle of poverty and hunger that stifles the potential of entire generations. Let's be unequivocal: objecting to free school meals for children is not a political stance; it's a moral failing. It's a betrayal of the fundamental duty of elected officials to safeguard the welfare of their constituents, especially the most marginalized among them. As a British ex-pat, my mind is inevitably drawn to comparisons with my native country, where during the covid-19 lockdowns, the Conservative government refused to feed children who were in lockdown and could not attend school. In that case it took a premier league footballer who started a public awareness campaign to pressure the government into sending food to hungry children. And yes. That is just as dystopian as it sounds. Make no mistake, that same ideaolgy is at work here, Sjalfstæðisflokkurinn are simply a bit further up the road than the British Conservative party. But the end point is the same. As citizens, we must hold these politicians accountable for their abhorrent stance on free school meals. We must demand that they prioritize humanity over politics, empathy over ideology. We must remind them that their duty is to serve the people, not their own self-interests. The author is a manufacturing worker.
Hvað gerir brjóstakrabbamein að ólæknandi brjóstakrabbameini? Helga Tryggvadóttir,Ólöf Kristjana Bjarnadóttir Skoðun
Tvöföld mismunun kvenna í hópi innflytjenda Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir,Steinunn Bragadóttir Skoðun
Hugsanlega löglegt, en siðlaust og grimmt — af hundsráni í GOGG Kristinn Ka. Nína Sigríðarson Skoðun
Tíðahvörf og hormónar – að taka upplýsta ákvörðun Kolbrún Pálsdóttir,Ólöf K. Bjarnadóttir,Sigurdís Haraldsdóttir,Svanheiður Lóa Rafnsdóttir Skoðun
Skoðun Tvöföld mismunun kvenna í hópi innflytjenda Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir,Steinunn Bragadóttir skrifar
Skoðun Tækni og ungmenni: Hvar liggur ábyrgðin og hvað getum við gert? Stefán Þorri Helgason skrifar
Skoðun Hvað gerir brjóstakrabbamein að ólæknandi brjóstakrabbameini? Helga Tryggvadóttir,Ólöf Kristjana Bjarnadóttir skrifar
Skoðun Hugsanlega löglegt, en siðlaust og grimmt — af hundsráni í GOGG Kristinn Ka. Nína Sigríðarson skrifar
Skoðun Lýðræði eða hópeinelti? Margrét Pétursdóttir,Þórarinn Haraldsson,Þórdís Guðjónsdóttir,Sigurveig Benediktsdóttir skrifar
Hvað gerir brjóstakrabbamein að ólæknandi brjóstakrabbameini? Helga Tryggvadóttir,Ólöf Kristjana Bjarnadóttir Skoðun
Tvöföld mismunun kvenna í hópi innflytjenda Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir,Steinunn Bragadóttir Skoðun
Hugsanlega löglegt, en siðlaust og grimmt — af hundsráni í GOGG Kristinn Ka. Nína Sigríðarson Skoðun
Tíðahvörf og hormónar – að taka upplýsta ákvörðun Kolbrún Pálsdóttir,Ólöf K. Bjarnadóttir,Sigurdís Haraldsdóttir,Svanheiður Lóa Rafnsdóttir Skoðun