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 7 milljarða húsnæðisstuðningur afnuminn… en hvað kemur í staðinn? Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson Skoðun Alþjóðlegur dagur þroskaþjálfa – vettvangur á tímamótum Laufey Elísabet Gissurardóttir Skoðun Eru starfsmenn þingflokks Samfylkingarinnar viljandi að afvegaleiða umræðu um samsköttun? Gunnar Ármannsson Skoðun Mest lesnu orð á Íslandi Friðrik Björnsson Skoðun Ónýtir vegir – eina ferðina enn Sigþór Sigurðsson Skoðun Reykjavík er meðal dreifðustu höfuðborga Evrópu Guðni Freyr Öfjörð Skoðun Hafnarfjörður er bær sem styður við lífsgæði eldra fólks Valdimar Víðisson Skoðun Dýrin skilin eftir í náttúruvá Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir Skoðun Samræmt gæðanám eða einsleit kerfi? Bogi Ragnarsson Skoðun Mikilvægi lágþröskulda þjónustu fyrir geðheilbrigði ungs fólks Eva Rós Ólafsdóttir Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Eiga foreldrar í háskólanámi raunverulega jafnan aðgang að námi? Hrund Steinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Fjármál framhaldsskóla Róbert Ferdinandsson skrifar Skoðun Mikilvægi lágþröskulda þjónustu fyrir geðheilbrigði ungs fólks Eva Rós Ólafsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Varhugaverð sjónarmið eða raunsæ leið? Eggert Sigurbergsson skrifar Skoðun Dýrin skilin eftir í náttúruvá Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Skapandi leiðir í skóla- og frístundastarfi Kolbrún Þ. Pálsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Eru starfsmenn þingflokks Samfylkingarinnar viljandi að afvegaleiða umræðu um samsköttun? Gunnar Ármannsson skrifar Skoðun Reykjavík er meðal dreifðustu höfuðborga Evrópu Guðni Freyr Öfjörð skrifar Skoðun Verum öll tengd Sólrún Kristjánsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hafnarfjörður er bær sem styður við lífsgæði eldra fólks Valdimar Víðisson skrifar Skoðun Samræðulist í heimi gervigreindar Þórdís Hólm Filipsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Samræmt gæðanám eða einsleit kerfi? Bogi Ragnarsson skrifar Skoðun Ónýtir vegir – eina ferðina enn Sigþór Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun 7 milljarða húsnæðisstuðningur afnuminn… en hvað kemur í staðinn? Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson skrifar Skoðun Alþjóðlegur dagur þroskaþjálfa – vettvangur á tímamótum Laufey Elísabet Gissurardóttir skrifar Skoðun Mest lesnu orð á Íslandi Friðrik Björnsson skrifar Skoðun Tími til kominn að styðja öll framúrskarandi ungmenni Karólína Helga Símonardóttir skrifar Skoðun Hvað með dansinn? Lilja Björk Haraldsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Mótórhjólasamtök á Íslandi – hvers vegna öll þessi læti? Helgi Gunnlaugsson skrifar Skoðun Viðhorf sem mótar veruleikann – inngilding á orði og á borði Sóldís Birta Reynisdóttir skrifar Skoðun „Mér sýnist Inga Sæland fá talsvert út úr þessu“ Sigurjón Arnórsson skrifar Skoðun Árangur hefst hér. Með þér. Guðrún Högnadóttir skrifar Skoðun Þegar lýðheilsa, lýðræði og loftslagið eru í húfi, ekki efla samstarf við Bandaríkin Davíð Aron Routley skrifar Skoðun Þjónusturof hefst í dag Hanna Birna Valdimarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Verjum frelsið og mannréttindin Sigurjón Njarðarson skrifar Skoðun Spilavíti er og verður spilavíti Tryggvi Rúnar Brynjarsson skrifar Skoðun Skortur á metnaði í loftslagsmálum Svandís Svavarsdóttir,Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson skrifar Skoðun Eru stjórnarandstæðingar viljandi að misskilja samsköttun? Þórhallur Valur Benónýsson skrifar Skoðun Orðræða mótar menningu – og menningin mótar okkur öll Jóhanna Bárðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Eitt spilakort, betri spilamenning – er skaðaminnkandi Ingvar Örn Ingvarsson 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.
Eru starfsmenn þingflokks Samfylkingarinnar viljandi að afvegaleiða umræðu um samsköttun? Gunnar Ármannsson Skoðun
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Eru starfsmenn þingflokks Samfylkingarinnar viljandi að afvegaleiða umræðu um samsköttun? Gunnar Ármannsson Skoðun