Í Independent, nokkuð víðlesnu dagblaði í Bretlandi sem þykir helst vera hallt undir Frjálslynda flokkinn, birtist leiðari um Icesave atkvæðagreiðsluna. Hann er jákvæður gagnvart Íslendingum, þótt skýrt sé tekið fram að þeir geti ekki fríað sig ábyrgð:
„Of course, sympathy should not be overdone. Icelanders did very well in the years of the banking boom, when living standards soared. And there was a gross political failure of regulation, too. The former Icelandic government gave free rein to its banks to snap up vast assets abroad financed by irresponsible levels of borrowing. It is galling to see Iceland’s right-wing opposition – which was responsible for presiding over that boom and bust when in office – now leading a populist revolt against the terms of repayment.
But some empathy is in order. Iceland’s bankers, not its population, were to blame for the financial meltdown. How would we react if some of Britain’s large international banks collapsed, leaving ordinary savers in, for example, the Far East out of pocket, and taxpayers here forced to pay back the money at a punitive rate of interest?
The £3.4bn does need to be repaid. But we should be flexible and moderate in the terms and timing. One option that should be explored is writing off the debt in return for claims on the assets of the stricken Icelandic banks.
But despite the result of the weekend’s referendum, the mood among Iceland’s creditors still seems to be punitive. The Dutch government has suggested that Iceland’s bid to enter the European Union could be jeopardised by its resistance. Our own government is playing hard ball too, blocking Iceland’s International Monetary Fund loans until a deal is reached.
Such crass bullying should end. Policymakers need to arrive at a fair settlement that takes into consideration Iceland’s already painful economic circumstances and its practical ability to repay. They also urgently need to turn their attention to the underlying causes of this debacle: an insufficiently regulated and inadequately insured cross-border banking system.“
Annars fjallar Sigrún Davíðsdóttir um viðbrögðin í Bretlandi í pistli í Speglinum sem hún nefndi Nei og hvað svo. Hann gefur engin sérstök fyrirheit um að málið leysist brátt.
